Crawl Space Encapsulation
Sealing up your crawlspace to prevent moisture
A traditional crawl space has an exposed dirt floor and open exterior vents. This design allows ground moisture to evaporate upward and humid outside air to flow freely under your house. Because a large percentage of your indoor air rises directly from the crawl space, this continuous moisture degrades your air quality and causes the wooden floor framing beneath your house to rot.
At Elite Moisture Solutions, we stop these physical issues by installing comprehensive crawl space encapsulation systems. We cover the dirt floor, foundation walls, and masonry piers with a heavy-duty vapor barrier. We then permanently seal the exterior vents and install a professional dehumidifier. This process isolates the area from the outside environment and creates a fully controlled, dry indoor space under your home that prevents mold growth and stops structural wood rot.
Moisture problems in the crawl space produce direct physical symptoms inside the home. If you notice the following issues, your crawl space requires encapsulation to lower and control the humidity:

High Indoor Humidity: The air inside your living areas feels constantly damp, or you regularly see condensation forming on the inside of your windows.
Visible Mold Growth: You observe dark mold or white wood fungus actively growing on the floor joists, subfloor, or concrete block walls under your house.
Falling Floor Insulation: The fiberglass insulation installed between your floor joists absorbs moisture from the humid air, becomes heavy, and falls down onto the dirt floor.
Persistent Musty Odors: You smell a distinct, damp, musty odor inside your home, particularly when your heating and air conditioning system turns on.
Crawl space encapsulation is a comprehensive moisture control system. It converts the damp, unfinished dirt area under your home into a dry, controlled indoor environment. It relies on two primary components: physical isolation and active climate control.
The soil under your house continuously releases water vapor. If your crawl space has open vents, outside humidity also enters the space during the summer. Because warm air rises, your home naturally pulls this damp air upward from the crawl space directly into your main living areas.
By completely sealing the dirt floor and foundation walls with a heavy polyethylene liner, encapsulation creates a physical barrier that stops ground moisture. By sealing the vents and installing a dehumidifier, the system regulates the air. This combination stops structural wood rot, prevents the growth of mold, and stops damp, contaminated air from entering your first floor. It also reduces the workload on your HVAC system, as it no longer has to process the extreme humidity rising from the ground.

We follow a strict, step-by-step installation method to ensure the space is completely sealed from outside moisture.
Primary Goal: Block ground moisture, seal out humid outside air, and maintain exact indoor humidity levels.
Preparation: We remove old debris and failing insulation from the dirt floor to create a clean work surface. If mold is present on the wood framing, we physically clean and treat it before proceeding.
Lining the Space: We lay the vapor barrier across the entire dirt floor. We extend the liner up the perimeter foundation walls and wrap all structural support piers. We use specialized tape on all seams to create a continuous, airtight seal.
Conditioning: We seal all exterior foundation vents to block outside air. Finally, we install the dehumidifier and route the condensation discharge line to the exterior of the house.
Many contractors install basic vapor barriers and call it an encapsulation, or they simply cover up existing mold and standing water with a plastic liner. At Elite Moisture Solutions, we install complete, permanent systems. Here is how our encapsulation process differs from standard industry practices:
Preparation Before Installation: We do not trap existing problems under the plastic. We physically clean active mold from your wood framing and remove any standing water before we install the encapsulation system.
Heavy-Duty Materials: We do not use thin, unreinforced plastic that tears easily. We use thick, reinforced 15-mil or 36-mil polyethylene liners designed to withstand foot traffic and resist punctures.
Complete Coverage: We do not just cover the dirt. We run the vapor barrier directly up the interior foundation walls and wrap every structural masonry pier to ensure zero moisture escapes from the concrete into the air.
Airtight Seam Sealing: A liner is only effective if the seams are sealed. We overlap every section of the vapor barrier and use specialized tape to connect the pieces, creating a single, continuous barrier.
Dedicated Dehumidification: We install professional-grade dehumidifiers sized specifically for the cubic footage of your crawl space. We also run dedicated PVC discharge lines to the exterior of your home, ensuring the condensation is removed automatically without requiring you to empty a water collection bucket.
The total cost of a crawl space encapsulation project varies based on the square footage of the space and the amount of preparation required.
Estimated Cost: Most full encapsulation projects in the Raleigh area range from $8,000 to $15,000. The final price depends directly on the size of the dehumidifier required and whether old insulation or mold must be removed first.
Flexible Financing: We make encapsulation affordable. We offer 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month “same-as-cash” options, as well as traditional financing terms through our trusted partnerships with Regions Home Improvement Financing and Greensky.
Do you seal the foundation vents during encapsulation?
Yes. Open vents allow humid outside air to enter the crawl space. We permanently seal all exterior foundation vents to block this outside air so the dehumidifier can accurately control the indoor climate.
Can I store items in an encapsulated crawl space?
Yes. The heavy-duty liner protects the floor, and the dehumidifier keeps the air dry. This makes the crawl space a suitable area for storing non-perishable items in plastic bins.
Does the dehumidifier run constantly all year long?
No. The dehumidifier has an automatic humidistat. It turns on only when the humidity in the crawl space rises above the specific target percentage we set, and it shuts off when the air is dry.
How long does the encapsulation process take?
Most encapsulation projects take between two and four days to complete. The exact timeframe depends on the square footage of the home and the amount of preliminary cleaning required.
Don’t just take our word for it. With 116+ five-star reviews on Google, we are Central North Carolina’s most trusted crawl space encapsulation team. See why your neighbors choose Elite for their toughest crawl space encapsulations.
We build solutions that last, and we back them up. Our crawlspace encapsulations come with industry-leading, transferable warranties, ensuring your home’s value is protected for years to come.
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EASY FINANCE OPTIONS:
*Credit and loans provided by Regions Bank, Member FDIC, (650 S. Main St., Suite 1000, Salt Lake City, UT 84101) on approved credit, for a limited time. 9.99% fixed APR, subject to change. Minimum loan amounts apply. Interest starts accruing when funds are disbursed. Open line period payments due 90 days after origination and monthly thereafter during open line period. When open line period ends, the balance becomes a fixed rate installment loan; repayment term is 60 months. Actual loan term may be shorter if less than the full approved amount of credit is used. First monthly loan payment due 30 days from the end of the open line period. 60 monthly payments of $21.69 per $1,000 borrowed. The minimum monthly payment will be no less than $50.00.