Crawl space repair and encapsulation in Goldsboro, NC

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us where the house is in Wayne County and what you've noticed.

2. We connect you

   We pass your call to an independent crawl space company that covers that address.

3. They call you back

   They go under the house, explain what they find and quote the work directly.

Who is this site for?

Homeowners, buyers, landlords and military families in Goldsboro, Mount Olive, Pikeville and the rest of Wayne County. Goldsboro is the county seat, with 33,657 residents at the 2020 census, and the county as a whole counted 117,333. A lot of houses here sit a couple of feet off the ground on brick or block foundations. If you can see small vents or a crawl space door along the foundation, there's a crawl space under your floor, and it's worth knowing what shape it's in.

Why do Goldsboro crawl spaces stay damp?

Three things work against a dry crawl space in this part of the coastal plain: the air, the ground and the river.

The air. Goldsboro gets roughly 52 inches of rain in a typical year, and summers are long and humid. In an old-style vented crawl space, that summer air drifts in through the foundation vents and meets cooler soil, ducts and floor framing. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program points out that in humid climates, outdoor air is often wetter than the air already in the crawl space, so vents can add moisture instead of removing it, which can lead to structural, mold and pest problems.

The ground. There is a soil series actually named Goldsboro, and its official description lists Wayne County as its type location. It's a moderately well drained soil with a seasonal high water table 18 to 30 inches down from December to April. Poorly drained Rains soils, also found on the coastal plain, can hold water within a foot of the surface over the same months. Put a house over ground like that and the dirt floor of the crawl space can stay damp all winter.

The river. The Neuse forms Goldsboro's southern edge, and the Little River runs along its west side. When Hurricane Matthew came through in October 2016, the National Weather Service in Raleigh recorded a record crest of 29.74 feet on the Neuse at Goldsboro, topping the Hurricane Floyd mark of 28.85 feet, and the city stayed in major flood for more than six days.

What are the signs of a crawl space problem?

• A stale, earthy odor in the house that gets worse in summer or after rain
• Insulation batts sagging, soaked or lying on the ground
• Water beading on ductwork, pipes or the underside of the subfloor
• Puddles, mud or a high-water line on the foundation walls inside the crawl space
• A floor that dips, bounces or feels spongy near a tub, toilet or dishwasher
• Plastic ground cover that's torn, bunched up or missing in sections
• Wood that's dark and stained, fuzzy with growth, or soft enough to push a screwdriver into

What kinds of work do local companies do?

Crawl space jobs in Wayne County usually fall into one or more of these:

• Crawl space repair. Replacing rotted sill plates, rim joists and joists, and fixing damage left by moisture or pests. Crawl space repair.
• Encapsulation. Sealing the vents, lining the ground and often the walls, and adding a code-recognized way to control humidity. Encapsulation.
• Vapor barriers. Putting down or replacing the ground cover in a crawl space that stays vented. Vapor barriers.
• Moisture control. Dehumidifiers, gutters and grading, interior drains and sump pumps. Moisture control.
• Floor support. New piers, supplemental beams and sistered joists under floors that sag. Sagging floor support.

Is a permit needed to encapsulate a crawl space in Wayne County?

Yes. The NC Office of State Fire Marshal says a permit is required to convert a conventional vented crawl space to a closed crawl space regardless of cost, because the moisture-control methods involve heating, cooling or electrical equipment. Wayne County's Inspections Department handles permits for the county except the City of Goldsboro, the Town of Mount Olive and their one-mile extraterritorial jurisdictions, which handle their own. The company doing the work should know which office covers your address.

What does the code say about termite inspection gaps?

This one surprises people. When a closed crawl space liner runs up the foundation walls, North Carolina's Residential Code says the top of the liner has to stop 3 inches below the top of the masonry wall, leaving a clear gap of 3 to 4 inches below the wood sill. That strip lets a termite inspector see the wall. A liner pulled all the way up to the wood looks tidy but doesn't meet the state code.

Buying, selling or moving with the military?

With Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in town, plenty of Goldsboro houses change hands on a tight schedule. If you're under contract, get someone under the house during your due diligence period. North Carolina home inspectors must be licensed by the state, and their reports usually note visible moisture, damaged wood and missing insulation. A crawl space company can then look closer and write up a proposal you can use in negotiations.

Are you a crawl space company?

No. Goldsboro Crawl Space Pros is a referral service. We connect you with an independent crawl space company that serves your address, and that company inspects, prices, does and stands behind the work. Read our tips for hiring a crawl space contractor and the Goldsboro crawl space guide before you sign a proposal.

Areas we cover

• Goldsboro
• Mount Olive
• Pikeville
• Seymour Johnson AFB area

Planning ahead? Read our Goldsboro crawl space guide.