Vapor barrier installation in Auburn AL - a crawl space covered edge to edge
Damp crawl space and cold floors above it? We cover the dirt, the walls and the piers so less ground moisture comes up.
Do I need a vapor barrier in my crawl space?
Vapor barrier installation in Auburn means laying a plastic ground cover over the dirt in your crawl space, and when it's put in well it cuts down the moisture and soil gases coming up under your house.
Most people call us because the floors over the crawl space feel cold or damp, the space under the house smells musty, or they're holding two quotes and can't tell why the numbers are so far apart. The price moves mostly with the size of the crawl space and how much has to happen before the cover goes down, and the schedule usually turns on getting the space cleared out and checking the permit question for your address. My estimate lists the work in the order we'd do it, with your own figure, so you can see what you're paying for.
What our vapor barrier installation includes
Once the space is clear, our crew runs the plastic over all the ground we can reach and carries it up the walls and piers, overlapping every seam so no bare dirt shows at the joints. Done right, the cover also leaves your crawl space's drainage working the way it already does, and it's fastened to the walls where it needs holding so it doesn't slide back down over the years. In a sealed crawl space the seams and openings in the cover also get a durable sealant, while a vented one doesn't need it, so knowing which you have changes how much sealing the job includes. Your quote spells out the walls and piers along with the open ground, and the one thing I'll ask you to do first is call your pest company, which I explain in the questions below.
A ground cover handles moisture from below, but a drafty house often has a second leak overhead, and attic air sealing closes the gaps around lights, pipes and the hatch before anything else goes up there. If the rooms above still feel cold once the crawl space is covered, retrofit insulation adds insulation to the house you already have.
Vapor barrier installation in Auburn: permits and the crawl spaces we see
The City of Auburn requires permits for new construction, alterations and remodels, and its permit list names jobs like running new circuits but doesn't mention vapor barriers. The city also says that list only gives a general idea and a job can need a permit that isn't on it, so it doesn't settle the question for a crawl space cover. If you're unsure, Inspection Services is who to ask. Before we start, we check with the office for your address and pull any permit the work calls for, and when only the office can answer something, we ask them instead of guessing.
Under houses here we usually find open ground with block walls and piers, sometimes an old sheet of plastic that's torn or pushed into a corner, and often years of stored things. We see the same kinds of crawl spaces on jobs in Opelika and Smiths Station, and we do the work the same way there.
How a vapor barrier job goes
Call or send the form
You call (334) 780-0054 or fill out the form, and we get back to you to set a time. Tell us a little about what's bothering you so I know what to look for.
I look under your house
I come out, check whether your crawl space is vented or sealed and what's stored there, and ask what you're noticing upstairs. You get a written estimate with the steps in the order we'd do them, including how far up the walls and piers the cover goes, so you can hold it next to any other quote.
We settle permits and pests
Before work starts we check the permit question with the office for your address. This is also when you give your pest company a heads-up so their treatment and our cover don't get in each other's way.
Crew installs, I check it
Our crew lead runs the install, and I look over the seams, edges and walls before we leave. Then I walk it with you so you see exactly what's under your house.
Get a written estimate for your crawl space cover
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at your crawl space and write you a free estimate at your home, with no pressure and no obligation to book.
Questions before you book a vapor barrier
How much does a crawl space vapor barrier cost in Auburn, AL?
The price mostly comes down to how much ground the cover has to reach, how far up the walls and piers it goes, and whether your crawl space is sealed and needs its seams sealed too. Clearing a packed space or pulling up an old torn cover adds work. When two quotes for the same crawl space are far apart, ask each one whether it covers the walls and columns or just the open ground, because that's usually where the gap is.
Does a vapor barrier in the crawl space help with radon?
It helps. A well-installed ground cover cuts down soil gases like radon along with ground moisture, which is why the seams and edges matter as much as the plastic itself.
Will sealing my crawl space affect my pest control warranty?
It can, so talk to your pest company before we start. The national guidance on closed crawl spaces says to work it out with your pest professional first, so the cover doesn't interfere with their treatment or affect their warranty if you have one. Tell me what they say at the estimate and we'll plan the job around it.
Does my vapor barrier installer need an Alabama license?
If the labor and materials on a home repair or improvement come to more than $10,000, Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board counts whoever does it as a residential home builder, unless the work falls outside the board's reach. The board also warns that homeowners who claim the homeowner exemption put their own protections at risk, including filing a complaint and being paid from its Homeowners' Recovery Fund.
How do I get my crawl space ready for a vapor barrier install?
Clear out whatever you've stored in the crawl space before we come, because the cover needs to reach all of the ground to work. If something down there is too heavy or awkward to move, tell me at the estimate and we'll plan around it.
What is the best way to fix a torn vapor barrier in my crawl space?
Fix it to the same standard as a new one, with the cover reaching all the ground, running up the walls and piers and overlapped at every seam. Whether patching makes sense or the old plastic should come up depends on what I find under there, and I'll tell you which at the estimate.
Why Auburn homeowners call Quality Auburn Spray Foam Insulation for vapor barriers
The owner writes every estimate
I look at every crawl space myself and write the estimate, then a crew lead runs the install and I look over the work before we leave. That way the person who priced your job is the one who checks it.
In business since 2013
I learned under an old school contractor who made me redo anything that wasn't right, and his rule was that a covered mistake is still a mistake. Once plastic is down in a crawl space nobody looks at the seams again, so we get them right the first time.
Licensed and insured in Alabama
We're licensed and insured, which matters given what the state board says about homeowner protections in the questions above. Backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
If you've got two quotes and want someone to explain the difference, or you're just starting to look, send us a few details or call (334) 780-0054.
Other work that often goes with a crawl space cover
Attic air sealing
Worth a look when the house still feels drafty after the crawl space is done, since a lot of that air slips out through gaps up top.
Retrofit insulation
For older houses that never got enough insulation in the first place and still feel cold in the rooms you use most.
Book your crawl space vapor barrier estimate
When you call (334) 780-0054 or send the form, tell us whether your crawl space is vented or sealed, whether you have a pest warranty and what's stored down there, so I come out ready.
