Crawl space vapor barrier in Apple Valley MN - a drier space under your floors
Musty smell, cold floors or bare dirt under the house? We sort out the water first, then lay plastic over the whole crawl space.
What does a crawl space vapor barrier do for my house?
A crawl space vapor barrier in Apple Valley, MN is a plastic ground cover our crew lays across the whole dirt floor under your house. It keeps moisture and soil gases from the ground down there instead of letting them work up into your rooms.
Most calls start with a cold or damp floor, a musty smell coming up through the house, or a look through the hatch at bare dirt or old plastic that's torn and bunched in the corners. The price moves with how big the crawl space is, how much stored stuff and debris has to come out so the plastic can cover everything, whether water from the yard has to be dealt with first, and whether you need tougher plastic where people walk. The schedule mostly turns on that water question and on whether your city wants a permit, so I'd rather look at it with you and put your price in a written estimate than guess over the phone.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What crawl space vapor barriers look like
How we put in a crawl space vapor barrier
I start outside the house, because plastic on the ground won't do much if water is running in from the yard, so we look at the grading and drainage before anything gets laid. If old plastic is torn or the dirt under it is wet, I want to know why before we cover it, since new plastic over a wet spot just hides the problem. Then our crew lays the plastic across the whole floor and fastens it, either lapped up the walls and piers or staked down around the edges, depending on how your crawl space is built. Where you or a service tech walk to reach the furnace, water heater or other equipment, we talk with you about a tougher reinforced plastic so that path holds up.
If moisture is also a concern in other parts of the house, our vapor barrier installation work covers walls and basements, and it can often be looked at on the same visit. Damp air from below tends to rise through the house, so some owners pair this job with attic air sealing, which closes the gaps around lights, pipes and the hatch where that air slips into the attic.
Why Apple Valley homeowners call Apple Valley Insulation Company for crawl space vapor barriers
The owner writes your estimate
I come out myself to look at the crawl space and write the estimate, and our installers do the work after that. I look the job over before we finish, so the person who saw the problem is the one who checks it got handled.
In business since 2021
We've been doing this work since 2021, and most of our calls come from owners of older houses who want a straight answer about what's going on under their floors. I'd rather answer the same question three times than have you agree to work you don't really understand.
We're licensed and insured
We're licensed and insured, which matters when our crew is working in a tight space around your pipes, wiring and furnace. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
We check permits with the city
Apple Valley's Building Inspections Division issues permits here, and its list names building, mechanical and plumbing work but not crawl space vapor barriers, so I check with the city before we start. If your city asks for a permit, we handle the paperwork and set up the inspections with the inspections office at (952) 953-2588.
Before anything else, I want to find the water before plastic covers it. Send us a message or call Apple Valley Insulation Company at (651) 268-6025, and tell me whether your crawl space has vents, any water you've noticed and what equipment sits down there.
Get a straight look at your crawl space before you pick a plastic
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What happens after you call about a crawl space vapor barrier in Apple Valley?
Call or send us a message
Call (651) 268-6025 or use the form, and we'll set up a time for me to come out. If you've seen standing water or noticed a musty smell, mention it, since that tells me where to look first.
I look at it with you
I go through the crawl space with you and tell you what I found, where any water is coming from and what I'd do first. You get a price for your house and a plain answer on whether grading or drainage needs work before plastic makes sense.
Our crew lays the plastic
Once you decide, our installers come in and cover the crawl space floor. Before they arrive, make sure the way in is easy to reach, which might mean moving furniture or emptying a closet.
I check the finished job
I look over the crawl space myself before we call the job done. I'll walk you through what we did, so you know what you're looking at the next time you open the hatch.
Crawl space vapor barrier questions
Does my crawl space need a vapor barrier if it has vents?
Yes. Federal building guidance says a plastic ground cover belongs in a vented crawl space, the kind with openings to outside air, just as it does in an unvented one. It's still worth knowing which kind you have, because the U.S. Department of Energy's checklist seals the seams and the spots where pipes and posts come through the plastic only when the crawl space is unvented.
How thick should a crawl space vapor barrier be?
At least 6 mil thick, which is what federal weatherization guidance calls for. Plain 6-mil plastic needs protecting anywhere someone walks to service equipment, so the path to a furnace or water heater is where heavier plastic earns its keep.
Should I test for radon before getting a crawl space vapor barrier?
Yes. The U.S. EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing every home for radon, so a test fits naturally into the plan for any crawl space work. Setting it up alongside the job means you have the result in hand while you decide what the work should include.
How much does a crawl space vapor barrier cost in Minnesota?
Crawl space encapsulation with a vapor barrier and dehumidifier usually runs about $5,500 to $10,000 per home in Minnesota. That's a statewide figure for the full job, with the space closed up and dried by a dehumidifier, so a ground cover by itself is a narrower job, and I'll give you the number for your house once I've seen it.
What causes a damp crawl space?
In a vented crawl space, most moisture comes from water getting in from outside, through poor yard grading, missing drainage around the foundation or how the yard gets watered. That's why fixing a wet crawl space usually means working on the yard and the foundation drainage as well as laying plastic.
How do I keep crawl space pipes from freezing in a Minnesota winter?
Insulating the crawl space is the usual answer, because in a cold climate like Apple Valley's an insulated crawl space can keep the floors above warmer and help protect plumbing pipes and heating equipment from freezing. A vapor barrier on its own handles moisture, not cold, so if your pipes or furnace sit down there it's worth weighing crawl space insulation alongside it, and I can look at both on the same visit.
Work that goes with a crawl space vapor barrier
Vapor barrier installation
If damp walls or a basement are part of the same worry, this is the moisture work for the rest of the house.
Attic air sealing
Closing the gaps between your rooms and the attic keeps warm, damp air from rising into it, which pairs well with drying out the space below.