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Crawl Space Encapsulation
Homeowners in Charlotte, Hickory, Lake Norman, Winston-Salem, or surrounding towns can trust Dry Otter Waterproofing for premium crawl space encapsulations.
Dry Otter offers many services to solve water issues in your crawl space. If you see standing water, mold, mildew, musty smells, wood damage, or damaged piers, call a professional. Crawl space encapsulation will alleviate these problems.
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What is crawl space encapsulation?
Crawl space encapsulation is the process of sealing the crawl space foundation of a house to control water, moisture, and humidity from entering the home’s footprint.
Another term for these systems is a “closed crawl space.” Encapsulation is done by lining the bottom and sides of the crawlspace with durable plastic or liner and sealing the vents.
When groundwater is a problem, an interior perimeter drain system is installed before the encapsulation. Many service providers install hybrid, budget, or starter systems, which do not include wrapping the walls or columns.
Although these are considered “closed crawl spaces,” they are inferior solutions that don’t address the complete problem, causing other issues in the future.
Proper encapsulation, with a complete interior drainage system under the plastic, a sump pump, and a dehumidifier, provides a homeowner with a total water and moisture solution for a crawlspace.
Crawl space encapsulation is the best solution to create an environment under 65% relative humidity, which means mold can’t grow and wood can’t rot.
What are the steps to encapsulate a crawl space?
- Any debris is cleaned out of the crawl space. (miscellaneous wood, brick, rock, and organic debris).
- A drainage system is installed to move ground water to a sump system or gravity exit.
- The crawl space vents are closed and sealed.
- Cracks or gaps in the foundation walls are sealed.
- A durable plastic liner is installed on the crawlspace’s floor, walls, and columns. Plastic sheets are overlapped and taped to cover all seams.
- A commercial-grade dehumidifier such as the Aprilaire E100 is installed.
What are the benefits of crawl space encapsulation?
Proper crawl space encapsulation, including drainage, guarantees that water and moisture will be removed.
This will prevent problems caused by water (soil erosion) and moisture (mold, wood decay, and pests).
Encapsulations improve the home’s energy efficiency by 15%, reduce potential problems in a real estate sale, increase home value, and improve the home’s air quality!
How thick is an encapsulation liner?
Dry Otter’s encapsulation plastic liner is durable, 20 mils thick on the floor and 12 mils thick on the walls and columns.
Plastic sheeting is measured in mils. A mil is a unit of measurement that equals one-thousandth of an inch, or 0.001 inch. One mil also equals 0.0254 mm (millimeter). A mil is not the same thickness as a millimeter.
Is encapsulation durable enough to walk on?
Our liner is very durable and designed to handle the demands of the crawl space environment. Additional durability can be added by installing drainage matting in high-traffic areas and where the crawl space is rocky.
Drainage matting is a dimpled material that goes under the encapsulation plastic, adding cushion and allowing water to drain more easily.
Should you open and close vents based on the season?
Will a new crawl space door help keep moisture out?
Yes, a new crawl space door will keep rainwater out, and prevent humid air from entering the crawl space. This works best when paired with a complete encapsulation system.
What is the warranty on a Dry Otter encapsulation?
Why is Dry Otter encapsulation superior?
The Dry Otter team has many years of experience in water and moisture solutions in North Carolina crawl spaces and can consult, design, and install the complete preventive solution for your crawl space.
How much does crawl space encapsulation cost?
Costs vary by service provider. Price varies based on the thickness of the plastic liner, drainage, sump systems, crawl space accessibility, dehumidification, and company experience and warranty provided.
As mentioned earlier, many providers only install budget, hybrid, or starter systems, which should not be compared to a complete encapsulation system.
Contact us today for a free inspection and estimate for your crawl space encapsulation!
What Our Customers Are Saying
EXCELLENT Based on 347 reviews Nancy Buckman2025-10-03Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fantastic crew of Trey, Jonathan & Desmond. Knowledgable, professional and a great help of understanding the process. David Stephens2025-09-27Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Will and Josh did an excellent job, they were extremely knowledgeable and careful with the areas outside the crawl space. They answered all our questions and wanted to make sure we were absolutely satisfied before they left. Also appreciated the daily communication with arrival times and daily work plans. Amy Minacapelli2025-09-25Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Dry Otter did a great job! They went above and beyond and would definitely recommend their services. We had the pleasure of a fantastic crew, Noah, Corey, Jam and Tristen are top notch. Call as soon as possible because they are extremely busy! Vicki Gurley2025-09-25Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. After reading many great reviews, we used Dry Otter to remove mold and mildew from a newly purchased older home. Dry Otter then expertly encapsulated the crawlspace and installed a dehumidifier (Thanks Johnathan, Trey, and Desmond!!) and did the needed structual repairs. Great job!! The dehumidifier monitor now assures us that the crawlspace remains dry. THANK YOU, DRY OTTER! Rick Dunlap2025-09-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The work done by Will and his crew was excellent. I can sit in my crawlspace with a sense of calm as it is so clean. Cheryl Waggener2025-09-18Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had several companies quote me a price...dry otter was the best price, with the highest quality materials being used! For ex...20mil vapor barrier....just one thing....Will & Josh were extremely informative, knowledgeable, professional & helpful with any and all questions! They did an excellent job! They are from the Denver NC office! I highly recommend them! Dry otter is blessed to have them! I am very happy with the job they have done! And last their guarantee is excellent...they also clean up extremely well after themselves! Thank You Dry Otter! ...Will & Josh! Kimberly Jones2025-09-17Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. After researching crawl space encapsulation and asking neighbors, I found Dry Otter. I contacted 4 companies and 2 didn’t even respond. Dry Otter came out and presented photos, info on their process & system and a quote on the spot. I appreciate their professionalism and responsiveness and the price was not only the better option but most importantly was a better material used and I like the fact they are independent family-owned. The team that did the work was Noah, Corey, Jam & Tristen. A group of very nice hard working young men. Noah was especially great and easy to work with. They called both days 20 minutes out, communicated during the process and explained everything in detail with instructions, etc. With our house being a new build only a year old, we wanted to make this important investment to protect the support beams and trusses for the long term. I’m looking forward to some energy saving as well. And, no critters or bugs will be especially nice too! I highly recommend Dry Otter! Joey Tirak2025-09-05Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My crawlspace needed some attention had pretty high humidity and condensation on duct work. Decided to go with an encapsulation with foam board on walls. Dry otter was great to work with. Will and Josh were the installers and their communication and professionalism was outstanding. The crawl space looks great now and thet explained everything very well. They even checked back in a couple days after the install to make sure the humidity has dropped. highly recommend Dry Otter if you need a crawl space encapsulation
Lifetime Warranty
10+ Years Industry Experience
300+ 5 Star Reviews
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Our process includes the following inspections:
Crawl Space Inspection:
- Moisture and Water Damage
- Mold and Fungus
- Insulation Condition
- Vapor Barrier
- Structural Issues
- High Humidity
- Condensation on Ducts
Basement Inspection:
- Water Intrusion
- Cracks and Wall Leaks
- Foundation Integrity
- Sump Pump Operation
- Mold and Mildew
- Basement Floor Cracks
- Hydrostatic Pressure
Our expert will personally visit your home and examine the issues you are having with your basement or crawl space foundation.
Our Service Area
Financing Available
We offer various financing options to make our services affordable to all homeowners.
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Local Premium Professional Affordable Warrantied
Crawl Space Waterproofing
Homeowners in Charlotte, Hickory, Lake Norman, Winston-Salem, and surrounding areas can trust Dry Otter Waterproofing for expert foundation waterproofing, including crawl space encapsulations with dehumidifiers, vapor barriers, mold remediation, insulation replacement, and drainage including sump pumps to remove the water from the crawl space. If you're ready for a dependable crawl space waterproofing company, You Otter Get Dry!
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