Crawl space repair for Rocky Mount, North Carolina

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us where the house is and what you've seen or smelled.

2. We connect you

   We pass it to an independent crawl space company that covers the Rocky Mount area.

3. They call you back

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

Who is this site for?

Homeowners, buyers and landlords in Rocky Mount, Nashville, Tarboro, Sharpsburg and the farm towns around them. Rocky Mount is an unusual city in that it sits in two counties at once: the Nash-Edgecombe line runs north and south along the railroad through the middle of town. West of the tracks you're in Nash County; east of them you're in Edgecombe. We take calls from both sides. If your house has foundation vents in the brick or block below the siding, it almost certainly sits over a crawl space.

Why do Rocky Mount crawl spaces get so wet?

Start with the weather. Rocky Mount has a humid subtropical climate with hot, muggy summers and roughly 48 inches of precipitation in an average year. From June through September the air outside carries a lot of water. In a traditional vented crawl space, that air drifts in through the vents and meets ground, ductwork and floor framing that are cooler than it is. The moisture condenses. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program points out that in humid climates outdoor air is often wetter than crawl space air, so vents meant to dry things out can do the opposite and lead to structural, mold and pest problems.

Then there's the ground. Rocky Mount grew up at the falls of the Tar River, right where the river crosses the fall line between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain. That puts a real mix of soils within a short drive. Some terrace soils near Tarboro are sandy and drain fast. Others, like the Roanoke series found on stream terraces in this region, are clayey, drain poorly and can hold a water table within a foot of the surface from late fall into spring. A house on the second kind of lot may have a dirt floor that never really dries out.

Signs something is wrong under the floor

• A damp, earthy smell indoors that's worse on sticky summer days
• Batts of insulation drooping or lying on the ground under the joists
• Water dripping off ducts, supply lines or the bottom of the subfloor
• Puddles, mud or a white mineral crust on the crawl space walls after rain
• A floor that bounces, dips or slopes, or interior doors that start to rub
• Plastic on the ground that's torn, bunched up or missing in sections
• Dark stains, fuzzy growth or soft spots on joists and sill plates

What kind of work is involved?

Most jobs around Rocky Mount come down to one or more of these:

• Encapsulation. Closing the vents, lining the floor and usually the walls, and adding moisture control. The state code calls this a closed crawl space. How encapsulation works.
• Vapor barrier replacement. Putting down a new ground cover where the old plastic has failed, with or without sealing the vents. About vapor barriers.
• Moisture control. Dehumidifiers, drainage, sump pumps and fixing the gutters and grading that send water under the house. About moisture control.
• Crawl space repair. Pulling out wet insulation and debris, replacing rotted sill plates and subfloor, and cleaning up after a flood. About repairs.
• Sagging floor support. New piers, supplemental beams and sistered joists. About floor support.

Does closing a crawl space need a permit in North Carolina?

Yes. The NC Office of State Fire Marshal, which issues the state's building code interpretations, says converting a vented crawl space to a closed one requires a permit regardless of what the job costs, because every moisture-control option in Section R409 of the North Carolina Residential Code changes something about the house's mechanical or electrical equipment. Inside Rocky Mount, permits come from the city's Inspection Services Division, part of its Development Services Department. The city's own permit list also calls for permits on structural floor work and insulation. Tarboro and Nashville each have their own processes, and the two counties cover rural addresses. A good crawl space company will know which office handles yours.

Has your house been through a flood?

Floyd is still the benchmark here. In September 1999, after Hurricane Dennis had already soaked the basin, Floyd dropped close to 17 inches of rain on Rocky Mount. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the Tar River at Rocky Mount at 31.66 feet on September 17, almost six feet above the previous record at that gauge. Two days later the river at Tarboro reached 41.51 feet, nearly 10 feet higher than the 1940 record. If you bought a house that went through it, or any later storm, look underneath. Insulation and plastic that were soaked and never replaced, rusted duct straps and water-stained framing are common finds. What crawl space repair covers.

Buying, selling or renting out a house?

Get the crawl space looked at before your due diligence period ends. A North Carolina licensed home inspector will normally report on what's visible under the house, and a crawl space company can follow up on moisture readings, the condition of the wood and what a fix would involve. If you own rentals in Rocky Mount's older neighborhoods, a dry crawl space means fewer complaints about smells, fewer duct repairs and floors that hold up longer between tenants.

Are you a crawl space company?

No. Rocky Mount Crawl Space Pros is a referral service. We connect you with an independent crawl space company that serves your address, and that company does the inspection, gives the quote, does the work and backs it up. Before you sign, read our hiring tips and the Rocky Mount crawl space guide.

Areas we cover

• Rocky Mount
• Nashville
• Tarboro
• Sharpsburg

Planning ahead? Read our Rocky Mount crawl space guide.