Vapor barrier installation in Big Spring TX - a drier crawl space under your floors
Musty smell, damp dirt or cold floors over the crawl space? We lay a ground cover that holds back the moisture coming up from below.
Do you need a vapor barrier under your Big Spring house?
Vapor barrier installation in Big Spring, TX means laying a heavy plastic ground cover over the dirt floor of your crawl space, so less ground moisture and soil gas, such as radon, works its way up toward your floors.
Most folks call after a musty smell or cold floors send them looking under the house, and the first choice is whether you want just the floor covered or the whole crawl space closed in, with the walls covered, the vents sealed and a dehumidifier running. That choice moves the price more than anything else, along with the size of the space, how thick a sheet you pick and whether a water problem has to be fixed first, and the schedule mostly turns on that water repair and on clearing out whatever's stored down there. The estimate I write up after seeing the space gives you your own number. The city's Building Permits and Inspections Department encourages owners to talk with its staff before any home improvement task, so we check with that office before we start and take care of any permit the job calls for.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Crawl space covers, sealing and insulation work
How we handle vapor barrier installation
I start by laying out the difference between covering just the floor and closing in the whole crawl space, so you pick the level of work that fits your house. If there's standing water, it gets dealt with before any plastic goes down, because a cover laid over a wet problem just hides it. We clear out stored items and debris so the sheet can reach all the ground, then our crew rolls out the plastic, fits it around piers and pipes, and seals whatever your plan calls for. When we're done, we haul off the trash and leave the access the way we found it.
A crawl space cover takes care of the ground side of the house, and the top of the house often needs a look too. Attic air sealing closes the gaps around lights, pipes and the attic hatch, and retrofit insulation adds insulation to walls and an attic that are already finished without tearing them open.
Why Big Spring homeowners call us for vapor barriers
You talk to the owner first
I'm usually the one who comes out to look at the job and write the estimate, and a lead installer runs the crew on the work itself. You hear the plan from the person pricing it, so ask me anything, even twice.
In business since 2013
We've been doing this work for 13 years, and we're based in Big Spring and work in Midland and other cities around them. That's long enough to have seen what goes wrong under a house when the steps come out of order.
Licensed and fully insured crew
We're licensed and fully insured. When a crew is working under your floors near gas lines and wiring, that's something you want settled before anyone goes down there.
Planned for Big Spring's code and climate
The city's permits department enforces Big Spring's adopted codes, including the International Residential Code, and that's the standard your job answers to. Howard County's climate is classed as hot and dry, and I weigh that with you when we decide how much of the crawl space to close in.
On this job the order matters most, so the water and the furnace's air get sorted before the plastic goes down. Get in touch with a rough size of your crawl space, whether it has vents and any sign of standing water, and we'll set up a time to look.
Get a free on-site estimate for your crawl space cover
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a time for me to look at your crawl space. The estimate is free and there's no obligation.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What happens after you call about a vapor barrier in Big Spring?
Call and set a time
Call (432) 263-5187 or send the form, and we set up a time for me to come look at the crawl space. Bring every question you've got to that visit.
I check the crawl space
I look for standing water, leaks, stored items, vents and how your furnace gets its air, anything that has to be fixed first. Then I walk you through a floor cover against closing the whole space in and write up an estimate that shows what each choice includes.
We line up the work
Once you say go, we check with the city office and set the work in the right order, with any water repair ahead of the plastic. You'll know what happens first and why before the crew shows up.
Our crew lays the cover
Our crew lays the cover, does the sealing your plan calls for and cleans up after itself. I'll walk you through the finished space so you know what's down there.
Crawl space vapor barrier questions
What does a vapor barrier do in a crawl space?
A vapor barrier is a plastic ground cover that cuts down on moisture rising from the dirt under your house, and a well-installed one also helps hold back soil gases such as radon. Energy Department guidance calls for covering the whole ground, or as close as you reasonably can, and running the sheet up the walls, columns and footings.
How long does a vapor barrier last in a crawl space?
One national cost guide puts basic 6-mil plastic at about 3 to 5 years and 12-mil reinforced plastic at about 15 to 20 years, and rates 20-mil reinforced as the toughest at an estimated 20 to 25 years or more. Energy Department guidance calls for a sheet at least 6 mil thick, and the same cost guide says failures usually come from physical damage, dried-out seam tape or installation mistakes, so a look under the house once a year catches small problems early. At the estimate I'll lay out each thickness so you can weigh the price against how soon it may need replacing.
How much does crawl space encapsulation cost in Texas?
Crawl space encapsulation with a 12-mil vapor barrier and a commercial dehumidifier usually costs about $4,600 to $8,700 for a 1,500 sq ft crawl space in Texas. That's a statewide market figure for the full closed-in job, not our price, and a floor-only cover is a smaller job. Your own number comes from the estimate once I've seen the space.
Do you fix standing water before putting down a vapor barrier?
Yes, the water comes first. Federal crawl space guidance says standing water gets removed and its source found and repaired, so it doesn't come back and push moisture levels up under the cover. If I find water, I'll show you where it's coming from and put that repair at the front of your plan.
Do the seams on a crawl space vapor barrier need to be sealed?
Energy Department guidance calls for sealing the cover's seams and openings in unvented crawl spaces only, so the answer turns on whether yours has vents. I'll tell you which kind you have at the estimate, and if you're closing the space in, the seams get sealed along with the rest.
How do I seal crawl space vents safely with a gas furnace?
Before the vents close, your furnace and other equipment need their own air supply, set up so they don't depend on those vents, which is what federal guidance calls for. Ask any contractor how they'll handle that before you agree to seal anything. I check it on the first visit, and if it isn't sorted out, the vents wait.
Insulation work in nearby cities
Work that pairs with vapor barrier installation
Attic air sealing
When warm air slips out through the ceiling, it draws outside air in from below, so sealing the attic side keeps the house from leaking at both ends.
Retrofit insulation
Many older houses have thin, settled insulation in the walls and attic, and topping it up brings the rest of the house in line with the crawl space.