Crawl Space
Dry it out. Keep it out.
Moisture control, vapor barrier and drainage.
NC licensed • Family owned
Serving Gaston, Mecklenburg and York counties
Crawl Space Moisture Control in Gastonia, NC
Crawl Space and Moisture Control in Gastonia, NC
The air in your crawl space is the air in your house. Warm air rises and escapes through the roof, and the air that replaces it gets pulled up through the floor from the crawl space below. Whatever is down there, moisture, mold spores, dust mites, rodent droppings, decay fungus, comes up through the floor and moves through the whole home.
Envirosafe is a family owned environmental services and pest control company based at 1001 E. Catawba St. in Belmont, NC. We correct crawl space moisture for homes across Gaston, Mecklenburg and York counties. Call 704-860-2041 to schedule an inspection.
Signs of an Unhealthy Crawl Space
- A musty or earthy smell in the house, worst near vents and floor registers
- Standing water, wet soil or a torn or missing vapor barrier
- Insulation sagging or falling off the subfloor
- Visible mold or white fungal growth on joists, girders and subfloor
- Floors that squeak, cup, warp or feel soft
- Condensation or rust on ductwork, pipes and equipment
- Higher power bills as the HVAC works against damp air
- Spiders, snakes, centipedes, silverfish, roaches, mice and rats using the crawl space as a highway
Where there is moisture, there is vermin. A damp crawl space is a habitat, and it is also the number one condition that makes a house attractive to termites and wood destroying fungus.
What Moisture Does to a House
Wood holds water. Once the moisture content of framing climbs past roughly 20 percent, decay fungus can take hold and the wood starts to lose strength. Support beams, sills, band boards and floor joists soften. Hardwood above them cups and buckles. None of that is visible from inside the house until the damage is already done.
The same conditions invite termites. Subterranean termites need moisture, and a wet crawl space gives them everything they need to work undetected. Most of the structural termite damage we find in Gaston County homes is sitting directly above a moisture problem nobody knew about. If it has been a while, a termite inspection is worth doing at the same time.
Our Crawl Space Services
- 12 mil reinforced crawl space liners. A heavy duty vapor barrier across the soil and up the foundation walls, sealed and secured, so ground moisture stops evaporating into the space.
- Crawl space dehumidification systems. Dedicated units sized for the space that hold humidity at a level mold and fungus cannot use.
- Crawl space clean outs. Removal of wet insulation, debris, construction trash, animal droppings and contaminated material.
- Moisture control. Correcting the source: drainage, grading, standing water, plumbing leaks, gutter and downspout discharge, and ventilation.
- Mold remediation. Full containment and removal where mold has already taken hold. See our mold testing and remediation services.
- Borate wood treatment. Treating exposed framing to protect against wood decay fungus and wood destroying insects.
Testing and Documentation
We do not guess at what is happening under a house. Inspections use moisture meters on framing and subfloor, thermal imaging to locate wet areas that are not visible, and where mold is suspected, air and surface sampling sent to an accredited lab. That matters when a report has to satisfy a buyer, a closing attorney, an insurance carrier or a physician. Our indoor air quality and mold testing page covers that process in detail.
A Healthy Crawl Space, A Healthy Home
Corrected properly, a crawl space stops being a liability. The air coming up through your floors is clean, the framing dries out and stays dry, the HVAC stops fighting damp air, and the conditions that draw termites, rodents and mold are gone. We protect the structure of the home and the air the family breathes at the same time.
Envirosafe has worked Gaston County homes for more than thirty years using low impact methods, and the same licensee handles our asbestos and environmental work, so crawl space jobs get run to real standards instead of treated as an add on.
Crawl Space and Moisture Control FAQs
Should I encapsulate or just add a vapor barrier?
It depends on how much water is getting in and where it comes from. A liner alone handles ground moisture. If humidity is also coming through vents and foundation walls, a liner without dehumidification will not hold. We measure first and tell you which one your house actually needs.
Do crawl space vents help?
In this climate they often make it worse. On a humid summer day, outside air at 90 degrees vents into a 65 degree crawl space, hits cold surfaces and condenses. That is free water on your floor joists every afternoon.
How much does crawl space moisture control cost?
It comes down to square footage, how much cleanout is needed, and whether the job needs a liner, a dehumidifier, drainage work or all three. We inspect and give you a written price for the actual scope.
Will fixing the crawl space stop my pest problem?
It removes the conditions that draw them. Damp, dark and undisturbed is exactly what spiders, roaches, silverfish, mice, rats and termites are looking for. Drying the space out takes away the habitat, and it is one of the most effective long term pest control moves a homeowner can make.
Can moisture damage cause termite damage?
The two travel together. Moisture softens wood and makes it easier for subterranean termites to work, and it also feeds the decay fungus that weakens framing on its own. We inspect for both.
What areas do you serve?
Gastonia, Belmont, Mount Holly, Cramerton, McAdenville, Lowell, Ranlo, Dallas, Stanley, Bessemer City and Cherryville in Gaston County, West Charlotte, Steele Creek, Pineville and Huntersville in Mecklenburg County, and Rock Hill, York, Clover, Lake Wylie, Fort Mill and Tega Cay in York County, SC. See our full service area.
Schedule a Crawl Space Inspection
Call Envirosafe at 704-860-2041 or request an inspection online. We are at 1001 E. Catawba St., Belmont, NC 28012, serving Gaston, Mecklenburg and York counties.
