Vapor barrier installation in Memphis TN - plastic that keeps ground moisture down
Damp crawl space or torn plastic under the house? We put down a ground cover that keeps the dirt's moisture out of your floor framing.
Does my crawl space need a new vapor barrier?
Vapor barrier installation in Memphis means covering the dirt floor of your crawl space with heavy plastic, so moisture from the ground stays in the ground instead of working into your floor framing and the air under the house. Once any repairs down there are done, the plastic usually goes down quickly. The repairs are what stretch a schedule.
You've probably seen it when you opened the crawl space hatch, with old plastic torn and bunched up, bare dirt in the corners, or a musty smell that goes with the cold floors in the rooms above. The price depends on the size of the crawl space, what has to be fixed before any plastic goes in, how heavy a plastic you pick and whether you want plastic alone or the whole crawl space closed up and insulated. The schedule depends on those same repairs and on whether your job needs a permit, so I'll look at yours and give you your own number at the estimate.
How we handle vapor barrier installation
First I help you decide between new plastic on the floor and a bigger job that closes the crawl space up, because that choice sets everything else. Once the floor is clear and anything that needed fixing is fixed, we roll the plastic across the whole floor, overlap and tape the seams, and run it up the foundation walls and around the piers, the block posts that hold up your floor, so no dirt is left showing. Where someone has to reach a furnace, we lay a tougher path over the plastic so a service tech crawling back and forth doesn't wear through it.
A crawl space is only one end of the house. Air leaking out at the top pulls air up from below, so a lot of homeowners follow this job with attic air sealing, which closes the gaps in the attic floor. If the walls or attic are short on insulation too, retrofit insulation adds it to the house you already live in without tearing it open.
New plastic on the crawl space floor
This suits a crawl space that's dry once any repairs are done, where you want the vents left as they are and the cost kept down. It's the smaller job, and it does the one thing every crawl space needs, which is covering the dirt.
A closed, insulated crawl space
This is the bigger job, with the vents sealed, the walls insulated and the air kept dry, usually with a dehumidifier. If your ductwork or furnace sits down there, this is where I usually steer people, because that equipment runs in whatever air the crawl space holds.
Vapor barrier installation in Memphis, permits and radon
In Memphis, the Construction Enforcement office issues construction permits and inspects the work, and it covers jobs in Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and the parts of the county outside any city too. Whether a vapor barrier on its own needs a permit isn't something I'll guess at, so we check with that office about your job. When a job does call for one, we handle the application and set up the inspections with the city or county office that covers your address.
The EPA says every home in Tennessee should be tested for radon, whatever zone it falls in. A well-laid ground cover is one thing that helps hold back soil gases like radon, so it makes sense to test around the time the plastic goes down, and if you already have a recent result, have it handy for the estimate. We're based in Memphis and work across the cities around it in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, and the crawl spaces we open up run from bare dirt to old plastic torn to pieces along the path to the furnace.
Crawl space work up close
Why call us for vapor barriers
I do every estimate myself
I come out, get down in the crawl space and give you the estimate, and our installers do the work. You hear what your crawl space needs from the person who made the plan, not from a salesperson.
Years in heating and cooling first
I worked on furnaces and ductwork before I started this business in 2021, and plenty of those furnaces sat in crawl spaces. That's why I check how any equipment that burns fuel gets its fresh air before we close anything up.
Licensed, insured and permit-ready
We're licensed and insured. If your job turns out to need a permit, we deal with the Memphis permit office or whichever office covers your address across the state line, so the paperwork isn't on you.
On this job, doing things in the right order matters more than the plastic itself. Request an estimate or call (901) 203-1514, and I'll come take a look.
(901) 203-1514Get a crawl space estimate on site
We reply to every call and message within one business day. I'll set a time to come out, look at your crawl space and give you a free estimate on site, with no pressure and no obligation.
Memphis crawl space vapor barrier questions
What does a vapor barrier in a crawl space actually do?
It slows the moisture vapor coming up out of the dirt and helps hold back soil gases like radon, as long as it's installed well. Loose sheets with dirt showing at the edges let that moisture right back up into the space.
How do I know what needs fixing before a crawl space vapor barrier goes in?
Standing water, mold, rotten wood or hazardous materials should be dealt with before new plastic goes down, and stored items and debris come out so the plastic can cover the whole floor. Plan any repairs as their own step ahead of the plastic. I'll point out what I see when I'm down there for the estimate.
What is the best way to keep a crawl space dry, vents open or sealed?
Building scientists recommend insulated, unvented crawl spaces in humid climates, because warm, damp outdoor air coming through the vents can condense on cooler framing. The plastic goes down either way. Sealing and insulating is a bigger job, and I'll tell you straight whether your house needs it.
How thick should a crawl space vapor barrier be?
One guide puts the minimum at 6 mil, about six thousandths of an inch, and another calls for 10-mil plastic, or a cross-laminated 6-mil that resists punctures, over the entire floor. When you compare quotes, look at the thickness, the puncture resistance and whether the plastic covers the whole floor.
How much does a crawl space vapor barrier cost in Memphis?
A 12-mil vapor barrier with a commercial dehumidifier for a 1,500 sq ft crawl space in Memphis usually costs about $4,600 to $8,600 per job. That's the usual range for that package around here, not a quote from us. Plastic alone, a smaller space or fewer repairs bring it down, and I'll give you your own number at the estimate.
Can a new vapor barrier go over the old plastic in my crawl space?
Usually, yes. The guidance favors a new layer of 6-mil or thicker plastic over the old one rather than patching, with the seams sealed and the plastic fastened to the walls and piers. If the old plastic is hiding water or mold, that gets fixed first.
Book your vapor barrier estimate in Memphis
Call (901) 203-1514 with your crawl space size, any water or mold, whether it's vented and any radon result, so I come ready.
