Crawl space repair for Spartanburg, South Carolina

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us where you are in Spartanburg County and what you've noticed in or under the house.

2. We connect you

   Your call goes to an independent crawl space company that serves Spartanburg and nearby towns.

3. They call you back

   They get under the house, look things over and quote the work directly.

Who is this for?

Homeowners, buyers, sellers and landlords in Spartanburg, Boiling Springs, Landrum, Woodruff and the rest of Spartanburg County in Upstate South Carolina. Plenty of houses here sit on brick or block foundations over a crawl space: bungalows in Hampton Heights, mill houses in the old textile villages, brick ranches from the 1960s and 70s, and newer subdivision homes off SC 9 and I-85. If you see small vents in the foundation wall or an access door at ground level, the house has one.

Why do Spartanburg crawl spaces get damp?

Mostly because of summer air. Spartanburg has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, humid summers and roughly 50 inches of rain in an average year. A traditional vented crawl space pulls that outdoor air in through the foundation vents. When it reaches the cooler soil, ducts and floor framing underneath the house, the moisture in it condenses. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program points out that in humid climates the outside air is often wetter than the crawl space air, so the vents that were supposed to dry things out can do the opposite.

The ground plays a part too. Much of the county sits on the Piedmont's red clay soils, such as the Pacolet and Cecil series, which have thick red clay subsoils. Clay doesn't soak up a downpour quickly, so roof water that isn't carried away can run along the surface and into a crawl space, then sit on the dirt floor for days.

Signs your crawl space needs attention

• A musty or earthy smell inside, worse in July and August
• Fiberglass batts sagging or lying on the ground under the floor
• Water beading on ducts, the air handler or cold water pipes
• Puddles, mud or wet red clay under the house after a storm
• Soft spots, a bounce or a slope in the floor; doors that start to stick
• Torn, partial or missing plastic over the dirt
• A wood infestation report that lists moisture readings of 20% or more

What kinds of work do crawl space companies do here?

Most jobs in Spartanburg County fall into one or more of these:

• Encapsulation. Closing the vents, lining the ground and walls with a sealed vapor retarder, and adding a way to manage humidity. How encapsulation works.
• Dehumidifiers. A dedicated unit that keeps a sealed crawl space dry through the humid months. About crawl space dehumidifiers.
• Wood rot and moisture damage. Replacing decayed sill plates, joists and subfloor and fixing what caused them to get wet. Wood rot repair.
• Floor support. Extra piers, beams or sistered joists where floors sag. Sagging floor repair.
• Drainage. Gutters, grading, interior drains and sump pumps for crawl spaces that collect water. Crawl space drainage.

What does the South Carolina code say about sealed crawl spaces?

South Carolina builds to the 2021 International Residential Code with state modifications, which the SC Building Codes Council set to take effect for local jurisdictions on January 1, 2023. The IRC's unvented crawl space section, R408.3, calls for a continuous vapor retarder over the exposed earth, with joints overlapped at least 6 inches and sealed, and the edges run at least 6 inches up the foundation wall and sealed there. It then lists ways to handle the air, such as continuous exhaust, a small conditioned air supply, or a dehumidifier sized to remove 70 pints a day for every 1,000 square feet of crawl space floor. Your local inspector has the final word on how it applies to your house.

Who issues permits around Spartanburg?

Inside the city limits, Building Inspections, part of the City of Spartanburg's Development Services, handles permits, and the city asks applicants to confirm the property really is inside city limits first. Spartanburg County's Building Codes Department enforces the state building code and issues permits through its online portal. Other towns in the county may run their own office. Whether a given crawl space job needs a building, electrical or mechanical permit depends on the scope, so ask the company who will pull it.

Buying or selling a house with a crawl space?

In South Carolina, the wood infestation report most lenders and buyers ask for, often called a CL-100, has to include moisture readings taken around the inside perimeter of the crawl space. State regulation treats wood moisture of 20% or more, or standing water, as an excessive moisture condition, and notes that decay fungi become active at 28% and above. If a report comes back with moisture flagged, a crawl space company can look at the cause and give you a written proposal to work from. A licensed home inspector can also tell you about the foundation and framing.

Are you a crawl space company?

No. Spartanburg Crawl Space is a referral service. We connect you with an independent crawl space company that serves your address, and that company inspects, quotes, does and warranties the work. Read our tips for hiring a crawl space contractor and the Spartanburg crawl space guide before you sign a contract.

Areas we cover

• Spartanburg
• Boiling Springs
• Landrum
• Woodruff

Planning ahead? Read our Spartanburg crawl space guide.