You stop smelling that musty odor every time you walk in the door. Your floors feel warmer in winter because cold air isn’t seeping up through the floorboards. Your energy bills drop because your HVAC system isn’t working overtime to compensate for moisture and temperature swings.
Half the air you breathe upstairs comes from your crawl space. When that space is damp, you’re circulating mold spores, allergens, and humidity throughout your home. Latham Park’s summer humidity regularly pushes past 70%, which turns an unsealed crawl space into a breeding ground for problems you can’t see but definitely feel.
Encapsulation creates a sealed barrier between the ground and your home. That means no more moisture creeping up. No more wood rot weakening your floor joists. No more pest infestations because termites and roaches lose their water source. Just a dry, controlled environment that protects your investment and keeps your family healthier.
Rick Watson started Clean Air LLC in 2011 because he saw too many homeowners getting sold services they didn’t need or watching problems get worse because the root cause was never addressed. We’ve spent over a decade working in crawl spaces across Greensboro, and we know exactly what North Carolina’s climate does to homes in neighborhoods like Latham Park.
We’re not the biggest company you’ll find. We’re the one that shows up, explains what’s actually happening under your house, and gives you options that make sense for your situation and budget. Our A+ BBB rating comes from doing the work right and treating people fairly.
When you call, you talk to someone who’s been in your crawl space before and knows what to look for. We don’t rush inspections, and we don’t upsell you on equipment you don’t need.
We start with a thorough inspection of your crawl space. That means looking at moisture levels, checking for existing mold or wood damage, identifying where water is entering, and measuring humidity. You get a clear explanation of what we find and what needs to happen to fix it.
Next comes crawl space cleaning. We remove debris, old insulation, and any contaminated materials. If there’s mold, we treat it properly. If there’s standing water, we address drainage before moving forward. You can’t encapsulate over existing problems and expect them to disappear.
Then we install the vapor barrier. This is a thick, durable liner that covers your crawl space floor and gets sealed to your foundation walls. It stops ground moisture from evaporating into your crawl space. We seal all seams, wrap piers, and make sure there are no gaps where humid air can sneak through.
Finally, we install a dehumidifier if your crawl space needs it. In Latham Park’s climate, most do. The dehumidifier keeps humidity between 40-50%, which prevents mold growth and keeps your space dry year-round. We’ll show you how it works and what maintenance looks like.
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Every encapsulation project includes complete vapor barrier installation using commercial-grade materials. We’re not using thin plastic that tears the first time you need to access plumbing. You get a reinforced barrier designed to last decades, backed by a 25-year written warranty.
Crawl space insulation is part of the conversation too. Depending on your home’s age and current setup, we may recommend insulating foundation walls or removing old fiberglass insulation that’s absorbed moisture and stopped working. Homes in Latham Park built before 2000 often have insulation that’s doing more harm than good.
Dehumidifier installation ensures your crawl space stays dry even during Greensboro’s humid summers. We size the unit correctly for your space so it runs efficiently without cycling constantly. You’ll see the difference in your energy bills and indoor comfort within the first month.
We also address ventilation. Older building practices called for vented crawl spaces, but that actually introduces more moisture in humid climates like ours. We seal those vents as part of encapsulation, which keeps outside humidity where it belongs—outside.
Most encapsulation projects in the Greensboro area run between $5,000 and $15,000, depending on your crawl space size, current condition, and what needs to happen before we can install the vapor barrier. If you’ve got standing water, significant mold, or structural issues, those get addressed first.
The average cost works out to about $3.50 to $6.50 per square foot for a complete job. That includes cleaning, vapor barrier installation, sealing vents, and dehumidifier setup. Homes in Latham Park typically have crawl spaces between 800 and 1,500 square feet, which puts most projects in the $4,800 to $12,500 range.
We give you an exact price after the inspection because your crawl space is different from your neighbor’s. Some need minimal prep work. Others need drainage solutions or mold remediation before encapsulation makes sense. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying for and why before we start any work.
Yes, and here’s why. When your crawl space is open to ground moisture and outside air, your HVAC system works harder to maintain comfortable temperatures upstairs. Cold, damp air in winter makes your floors freezing. Hot, humid air in summer adds load to your air conditioner.
Encapsulation stops that cycle. By sealing off moisture and controlling humidity, your home maintains more consistent temperatures with less effort from your heating and cooling system. Most homeowners see energy cost reductions around 15-20% after encapsulation, though the exact savings depend on your home’s age, insulation, and HVAC efficiency.
You’ll also notice comfort improvements that don’t show up on your utility bill. Warmer floors in winter. Less humidity in summer. Fewer drafts. Your HVAC system cycles less frequently because it’s not constantly fighting moisture and temperature swings from below. That means the equipment lasts longer too.
The most obvious sign is a musty smell, especially near floors or air vents. That odor comes from mold and mildew growing in damp conditions. If you smell it upstairs, the problem underneath is already significant.
Other signs include visible mold on baseboards or lower walls, floors that feel soft or uneven, increased allergy symptoms indoors, and higher-than-normal energy bills. You might also notice condensation on windows, peeling paint near the foundation, or pest problems like termites and roaches that are attracted to moisture.
North Carolina’s humidity makes crawl space moisture almost inevitable without proper encapsulation. If your crawl space has vents, dirt floors, or no vapor barrier, you’ve got moisture issues whether you can see them yet or not. The question isn’t if you need encapsulation—it’s how much damage has already happened and what it’ll take to fix it properly.
A basic vapor barrier is just a plastic sheet laid over the crawl space floor. It helps reduce ground moisture but doesn’t seal the space or control humidity. Seams aren’t sealed, walls aren’t covered, and vents stay open. It’s better than nothing, but it’s not a complete solution.
Full encapsulation means we’re sealing your entire crawl space. The vapor barrier covers the floor and extends up foundation walls. All seams get taped. Piers get wrapped. Vents get sealed. We’re creating a controlled environment that keeps outside moisture and humidity out completely.
Then we add a dehumidifier to maintain ideal humidity levels year-round. That combination—sealed vapor barrier plus dehumidification—is what actually solves moisture problems long-term. A barrier alone just slows things down. Encapsulation stops the problem and protects your home’s structure, air quality, and energy efficiency for decades.
Most encapsulation projects take two to four days from start to finish, depending on your crawl space size and condition. If we’re just doing cleaning, vapor barrier installation, and dehumidifier setup in a relatively dry space, we can finish in two days.
If your crawl space needs mold remediation, drainage work, or structural repairs before encapsulation, add time for those steps. We’re not going to seal up existing problems and call it done. Everything gets addressed properly so the encapsulation actually works.
We’ll give you a timeline during the inspection once we see what we’re working with. The work itself is straightforward, but we don’t rush. You’re getting a 25-year solution, not a quick fix that fails in three years because corners were cut during installation.
Very little, which is one of the benefits. Your dehumidifier needs a filter change once or twice a year depending on the model. We’ll show you how to do that when we install it. Takes about five minutes.
You should check your crawl space once a year to make sure the vapor barrier is still sealed and the dehumidifier is running properly. Look for any new cracks in the foundation or signs of water intrusion after heavy rains. Catch small issues early and they stay small.
That’s it. No more dealing with moisture problems, mold growth, or pest infestations. The encapsulation does its job without constant attention. If something does come up—a plumbing leak, storm damage, anything unusual—give us a call and we’ll take a look. But most homeowners go years without needing any service beyond that annual filter change.
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