Crawl space vapor barrier in Abilene TX - the dirt covered, the water still draining
Bare dirt or torn plastic under your house? We cover the ground as fully as the space allows and leave the drainage working.
I crawl under the house first
I usually come out myself and get under the house with a light, because the reason a crawl space stays damp often isn't what you see from the hatch. Our installers do the work, and I'm the one who checks it with you at the end.
In business since 2017
Older attics and crawl spaces are a big part of what we're known for, along with tracking down air leaks. I'd rather tell you a job isn't worth doing than sell you one that won't help.
Licensed, insured and easy to start
We're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. When you're ready, call (325) 266-6064 or use the form, and tell us where the crawl space opening is, whether it has vents and what's left of any old plastic.
Crawl space vapor barriers in Abilene
A crawl space vapor barrier in Abilene, TX is plastic laid over the dirt under your house so less ground moisture rises into the crawl space below your floors. It helps any house with a bare dirt floor or an old cover that's torn, patchy or pulled loose.
Most calls start with cold floors or a look through the access door at bare dirt, or old plastic that's torn and bunched up. The price turns on how big the space is, how tight the access is, how much junk and old cover has to come out, and whether you keep the vents or close the space up. The schedule turns mostly on access and cleanup, and before I write up a number, I explain what I found down there.
Before anything goes down, I want to know why the space is damp or drafty, because a cover only fixes what's coming up out of the dirt. If closing the space up means a new circuit for a new appliance, Texas licensing rules call for a licensed electrician working through a licensed electrical contractor, so our crew leaves that wiring to them. On your end, clear out whatever's stored down there, since plastic can only cover ground it can reach.
How we lay a crawl space vapor barrier
Clearing a path before plastic goes down
We start by clearing a path, pulling out torn or bunched-up plastic, scrap wood and anything else that's been tossed down there, because new plastic laid over junk tears and leaves dirt showing. Old crawl spaces are often a pile of fixes from different owners, and I'd rather figure out what each one was for than cover it up. If the moisture question also reaches your walls, our vapor barrier installation work covers the rest of the house.
Dirt covered, walls and piers wrapped
Then we cover the dirt as fully as the space allows and run the plastic up the walls and piers, so moisture doesn't find a bare strip to come up through. Edges are where these jobs usually go wrong, since a cover that stops short of the wall leaves dirt open right where it's easiest to miss. Where ductwork or a tight corner blocks the way, we get as close as we can, and I'll show you any spot we couldn't reach.
Leaving your drainage the way it works
Before we lay anything, I look at where water already goes under your house, the low spots, the stains and the dirt that's been washed smooth. We lay the plastic so that water keeps draining the way it does now, because a cover that turns into a puddle tray just moves the problem. Air leaking out the top of the house pulls crawl space air up through your floors, so attic air sealing, closing the gaps up there, is often the other half of the fix.
Get a free on-site estimate for your crawl space cover
We'll get back to you within one business day. The estimate is free, at your home and with no obligation, and I'll explain what I found under the house before I write up a number.
(325) 266-6064How a crawl space job goes with us
I come out and look
After you call or send the form, I come out, get into the crawl space, and ask how the floors and rooms feel and what burns fuel inside the house. Then I put what I'd do and why into a written estimate.
Permits handled, then the install
When work inside Abilene city limits calls for a building permit, we take care of it with Building Inspections before we start, and if we're not sure, we ask the office. Then our installers clear the path and lay the cover.
We check it together
When the plastic is down, I go over it with you before we call it done, the edges, the piers and the spots where sheets overlap. If you'd rather not crawl in, I'll bring photos up and walk you through them.
Crawl space vapor barrier questions in Abilene
Is it worth replacing a torn crawl space vapor barrier?
Usually, yes, if the old plastic has holes, gaps or bare dirt showing around it. National guidance treats a missing or ineffective ground cover as worth installing or repairing, because exposed dirt lets ground moisture and soil gases like radon into the space. If yours is mostly whole, a repair may be all you need.
Should I close my crawl space vents in Abilene?
It can help, but it's a bigger job, since national guidance seals the plastic's seams and openings only when the crawl space has no vents to outside air. One study in humid conditions found closed crawl spaces stayed much drier than vented ones, and those houses used less heating and cooling energy on average. Treat that as research, not a promise.
How thick should a crawl space vapor barrier be?
At least 6 mil, which is six thousandths of an inch, is what national guidance calls for. Think of that as the minimum, not the goal, since a crawl space cover gets knelt on and dragged across whenever a plumber goes under the house. I'll tell you what we plan to lay and why before you decide.
Does a crawl space vapor barrier need a permit in Abilene?
The city's Building Inspections office decides that, since it issues the building permits needed before improvements or alterations to a property. If a permit applies, the permit and inspection fees are paid to the city before the permit is issued and before any work starts, and the city does the inspecting. You can reach the office at (325) 676-6273.