Crawl space vapor barrier in Sun Valley, NV - ground covered wall to wall
Bare dirt under your floor? We cover the crawl space ground and carry the sheet up the walls to hold back ground moisture.
I look at your crawl space myself
I'm usually the one who comes out to look at the space and write the estimate. I'll tell you plainly what needs doing now and what can wait, so your money goes where it does the most good.
Licensed and fully insured for your job
We're licensed and fully insured, so you're covered while our crew works under your house. A lead installer stays on site with the crew for the job, so the person running the work knows the plan.
Straight talk since 2023, from Sun Valley
I started this company in Sun Valley in 2023 after learning the trade beside experienced installers. I'd rather tell you a job isn't worth doing than sell it to you. Call (775) 447-1132 to set up a visit.
Crawl space vapor barrier in Sun Valley
A crawl space vapor barrier is a plastic ground cover laid over the dirt under your house, so less ground moisture and soil gas rises into it. We install them in Sun Valley, Reno, Sparks, Spanish Springs, Cold Springs, Carson City, Fernley and the cities around them.
The main choices are how much of the floor we can reach, which sheet suits your space, and whether your vents stay open. The price moves with the size of the crawl space, how many walls, piers and supports the sheet has to wrap, and how thick the plastic is. A tight space with low clearance takes more time to work in than one you can move around in easily.
The schedule usually turns on access, on what's stored down there and on whether your job needs a permit first. Stored boxes and debris usually have to come out so the plastic can cover the ground completely, and you can start on that before we show up. The written estimate gives you the figure for your own crawl space, with what I'd do first spelled out.
Vapor barriers and the crawl space work around them
Covering the floor, walls and piers
A ground cover only works where it actually covers. Installer guidance calls for plastic over the whole crawl space floor, or as close to it as you can get, running up the walls, columns and footings. That's how we do it. We cover as much ground as we can reach and carry the sheet up the walls and supports, instead of stopping short at the edges. When you compare bids, look for one that says it covers the full floor and laps the sheet up those surfaces.
Choosing a sheet that holds up
Thicker, reinforced plastic lasts longer than thin unreinforced sheeting. Thin sheet needs protecting along the path people take to service a furnace, water heater or ducts down there. If equipment lives under your house, I'd go with the tougher sheet, because someone will be crawling over it for years. If nobody ever goes under there, thinner sheet usually does the job, and I'll tell you so. If you need a moisture layer somewhere other than the crawl space, that's our vapor barrier installation work.
Finding the water before covering it
A sheet over wet dirt doesn't fix where the water comes from. In vented crawl spaces, most moisture is water getting in from poor grading around the house, missing drainage along the foundation or how the yard gets watered. So I look at the outside as well as the inside, and I'll tell you if the grading or sprinklers need attention first. If your real complaint is drafts upstairs, attic air sealing may be the better place for your first dollar.
Get a written plan for your crawl space
We reply within one business day to set up a free estimate at your home, with no obligation. I'll look over the crawl space with you and put what I'd do first in writing.
(775) 447-1132How a crawl space job goes with us
Call and I come out
Call (775) 447-1132 or send a note through the form. I come out, look at the crawl space with you, tell you right there what I'd fix first and follow up with a written estimate. It helps to know where your vents and equipment are.
We set the date and permit
Once you say go, we set the date. Before work starts, we check whether the county or a city covers your address and take care of the permit when the job calls for one. Clear out stored items ahead of time if you can.
Crew installs, then we walk through
Our install crew does the work with a lead installer on site. When the barrier is in, they clean up, and we walk through the job together so you can see what went in and ask anything you want.
Crawl space vapor barrier questions
Do I need a vapor barrier if my crawl space has vents?
Yes. Building guidance says the plastic ground cover goes in whether the crawl space is vented or not, so open foundation vents don't take it off the list. Plan on the ground cover either way, and treat closing the vents as a separate decision we look at on its own.
Can I just seal my crawl space vents in Sun Valley?
Not on their own. Sealing vents without dealing with the rest of the crawl space can raise moisture levels, and if gas equipment down there pulls its air from the space, closing the vents can create a deadly situation. That's why we look over the whole crawl space before anyone closes a vent.
Does a vapor barrier help with radon in Nevada homes?
It can help, because a well-installed ground cover cuts down soil gases like radon coming up from the dirt. Nevada's health division says radon can get in through the foundation, has been found at elevated levels in Nevada homes, and recommends testing every home. So test your house either way.
Does Washoe County require a permit for crawl space work?
It can. Washoe County requires a building permit for any construction or repair project that isn't on its exempt list, so it comes down to that list and your job. The county's Building Program answers code questions by phone and at building@washoecounty.gov if you want to ask about your address.