Asheville's Trusted Crawl Space Encapsulation Pros
We do crawl space encapsulation in Asheville, Candler, Swannanoa and Weaverville for damp, musty crawl spaces. We seal the ground, walls and vents so the floor above stays dry, and you'll know the cost before you commit. Ask for a free quote.
What is the right way to encapsulate a crawl space?
Stop the water first, then clean out, seal and dry the space. Where water collects, we set a sump pump before hauling out the old plastic and debris. Next we seal the vents and the band joist. Then we lay a heavy liner over the ground and up the walls and piers, hold its top edge with a termination bar and tape the seams. A dehumidifier dries the air, and we check the readings before we leave.
Is crawl space encapsulation worth the cost?
Yes, it's usually worth it when your crawl space stays damp or musty, because sealing keeps the framing dry. Around here, humid summers keep a lot of crawl spaces wet for months. The longer joists stay wet, the more of them need repair. If the dirt's only damp and nothing stands on it, a vapor barrier alone can be a cheaper start.
What should I do first if my crawl space smells musty?
Start with a look under your home for damp dirt, torn plastic and insulation pulling loose from the joists. A musty smell almost always means moisture is getting in. Notice when it gets worse, after rain or on humid days. When we come out, we measure the humidity under the floor and test the rim joists before we suggest a fix.
Signs your crawl space is staying damp
A crawl space that stays damp usually shows it upstairs before anyone opens the access door. These are the signs people notice most:
- A musty smell in the rooms over the crawl space, worse on muggy days.
- Floors that feel cold in winter or a little soft underfoot.
- Insulation sagging out from between the joists, or lying on the dirt.
- Pipes and ducts that sweat all summer.
- Dark spots or mold on the joists and the underside of the subfloor.
Most of that damp comes from the air, not from a leak. Our mountain summers are humid, and open foundation vents let that wet air under the house. It turns to water on the cooler wood and pipes. Bare dirt adds more from below.
On a sloped lot, rain running toward the house soaks the soil along the uphill wall.
Floodwater does the most damage of all. One house in the River Arts District lost its HVAC and electrical system to Helene's water, and later its entire foundation. The ducts and wiring under your floor sit right in that water's path. So after a flood, we pump the space out and dry the framing before any other work.
Our Crawl Space Services
The right fix depends on where the water under your home comes from. Every job we do down there is about keeping water off the wood, and we find the source before we price anything.
- Water coming in after storms is the first thing we stop, with waterproofing, a sump pump or water removal.
- Damp air and wet dirt call for a vapor barrier, sealed vents and, in some houses, a dehumidifier.
- Damage that's already done means a clean-out, new insulation or framing repair before we close the space in.
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Crawl Space Encapsulation
Encapsulation seals off the whole crawl space to keep damp out of your joists and floor. We close the vents, run a liner over the dirt and up the walls and piers, and add a dehumidifier to keep the air dry.
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Crawl Space Vapor Barrier
A vapor barrier is the new plastic liner we lay over the bare dirt, taping the seams and running the edges up the walls and piers. That keeps ground moisture from rising into your floor framing.
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Crawl Space Insulation
Warmer floors in winter start when we pull out the old insulation and fit new batts between the floor joists, or foam board on the walls of a sealed crawl space.
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Crawl Space Repair
We fix the framing under your floor, sistering new lumber onto soft joists, shoring up the girder and swapping out a soft sill plate. You get a solid, level floor back.
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Crawl Space Waterproofing
Waterproofing handles the water around and under the house: downspout lines and grading outside, a drain along the footing, and a sump pump where water collects. Storm water heads away from the house instead of into the crawl space.
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Crawl Space Cleaning
We haul out the torn plastic, fallen insulation and junk until the crawl space is down to bare dirt, clean and ready for a new liner.
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Crawl Space Dehumidifier Installation
A permanent dehumidifier we size to the space keeps the air under your floor dry through our humid summers, and a drain line or condensate pump empties it for you.
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Crawl Space Water Removal
We pump standing water out of the crawl space, dry the dirt and the framing, and find where the water got in, so the wood holding up your home doesn't sit wet.
Where we work
We work under houses all over Asheville and the towns around it, from river bottoms to steep hillsides. To see what we run into under houses near you, pick your town: Hendersonville, Candler, Swannanoa, Weaverville, Fletcher, Mills River, Black Mountain or Mountain Home. We also work in Waynesville, Canton, Leicester, Mars Hill, Marshall, Fairview, Woodfin, Arden and Enka.
Low ground near the river is where we see the worst of it. When Helene came through, the French Broad crested in Asheville more than a foot and a half above its old high-water mark. No liner on the dirt holds back water like that. If your lot sits near the river or a creek, we start by tracing how water gets under your floor.
What the job takes and what sets your price
Before any plastic goes down, we read the humidity under the floor and test the rim joists for moisture. Then we deal with what's feeding the damp, from open vents to an unsealed band joist. You'll see what we measured before any work starts.
Once that's handled, we carry the liner up the walls and piers, fasten its top edge with a termination bar and tape every seam.
Your price comes down to a few things you can answer about your own home:
- How big is the crawl space, and how much headroom is there to work?
- Is water standing on the dirt, or is it just damp air and wet ground?
- Does old plastic, fallen insulation or debris have to come out first?
- Are you after the full encapsulation, or only a new vapor barrier for now?
- Will the air still need a dehumidifier once everything is sealed?
A vapor barrier on its own costs less, and it suits ground that's damp with nothing pooling on it. Sealing the whole space costs more because it takes in the walls, the vents and the air as well.
Frequently asked questions
How much does crawl space encapsulation cost in NC?
Full encapsulation jobs run from about $1,500 to $15,000 or more. Where yours lands depends on how big the crawl space is and how tight it is to work in. Standing water, old plastic or insulation that has to come out, and soft joists all add to the job. So does a steep lot, where everything gets carried down the hill. A vapor barrier by itself costs less.
Should every crawl space be encapsulated?
You can often leave a dry crawl space alone, as long as the plastic on the ground is sound and there's no musty smell. If the plastic's only torn or missing, we'd put down a new vapor barrier first. Then see if the damp comes back. Sealing makes sense when the air stays humid, the wood feels damp or water shows up after rain.
Does homeowners insurance cover crawl space issues?
Your policy decides it, along with what caused the damage. Many policies treat a sudden event, like a burst pipe, differently from damp that built up slowly. Your insurer can tell you what yours covers. We'll show you what we find under your home: where the water gets in, which framing it has reached and what the repair involves.
Do you work outside Asheville?
We go out to Candler, Swannanoa, Fletcher and the other towns nearby, and you can ask us about yours if it's farther out. A low lot often needs drainage before we seal anything. Hillside houses tend to take their water against the uphill wall.
Do you charge for a quote?
It's free to ask us for a quote. Let us know how long you've noticed the smell or the damp. It also helps to know if water stands under your home after storms, or if someone's put plastic or insulation down there before.
Get a free quote for your crawl space
You don't need to know what's wrong down there to ask for a free quote. Tell us whatever made you think about the crawl space, even just a soft spot in the floor or a musty room. We'll go over what needs doing now and what can wait.
Call us or use the form, and we'll call you back to go over your home.