Vapor barrier installation in San Angelo TX - a dry crawl space under your floors
Musty smell, damp floors or bare dirt under the house? We cover the ground so the moisture stays down there, not in your home.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Does my crawl space need a vapor barrier?
Vapor barrier installation in San Angelo means we cover the dirt floor of your crawl space with plastic sheeting, so the damp from the ground stays down there instead of working its way up into your house.
Most people call because the floors feel cold or clammy, the house smells musty, or somebody looked under there and saw bare dirt. The price turns mostly on how big the crawl space is, how hard it is to get into, how many piers and walls the sheet has to work around, and whether there's water to fix first. The schedule turns on those same things plus how much has to come out before we start, and I'll give you your own number when I come out and look.
How our vapor barrier installation works
We lay heavy plastic sheeting over the dirt and work it in around the piers, the water lines and anything else that comes up out of the ground. Federal weatherization guidance calls for the sheet to cover the whole ground, or as close as reasonably possible, and to run up the walls, piers and footings, so when you compare quotes, ask each one whether it does that. Where someone has to crawl to the furnace or water heater, we add a tougher strip on top so the sheet doesn't get torn up the first time a service tech goes through.
A ground cover stops moisture coming up from the dirt, but your house still leaks air at the top, which is why attic air sealing often goes with it. If the floors still feel cold once the crawl space is dry, retrofit insulation adds insulation to the house you already have without tearing it apart.
Ground cover with the vents left open
This suits most houses where the crawl space stays dry and you just want the dirt covered. We sheet the ground and leave the vents alone, which is the simplest way to do it and usually the least costly.
Sealed crawl space
This suits a house where you want the crawl space closed off and insulated, often because the ductwork or furnace lives down there. If you're turning a vented crawl space into a sealed one, drainage and any standing water get handled before anything else, because sealing a wet crawl space just traps the water under your house.
What San Angelo rules mean for vapor barrier installation
In San Angelo, the administrator of the city's inspections and permits department is the building official, the one who decides whether work under your house needs a permit. I won't guess at that for your job, so we check with the city's Building Permits & Inspections office every time and take care of any permit it calls for, and you don't have to chase it. The city builds to the International Residential Code and the International Energy Conservation Code, and you can see them on the city's codes page if you want to check what applies under your floor.
The city's code rates the termite risk here as slight to moderate, which is one more reason to keep the wood under your floor dry. We work in San Angelo and the cities around it, and a lot of the crawl spaces we get into have bare dirt, old stored boxes and a furnace or water heater somebody has to crawl to.
Why San Angelo homeowners call J&M San Angelo Insulation Services for vapor barriers
I look under your house myself
I'm based here in San Angelo and come out myself to look at the crawl space and write the estimate, then our own crew does the install. The person who saw the problem is the one answering for the work.
Straight answers since 2013
I learned this trade from my dad and started this business in 2013, and we're known for telling people what their house needs and what it doesn't. If a plain ground cover will do, I'll say so instead of selling you a sealed crawl space.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters when a crew is working under your floors, around your pipes and wiring.
If you're not sure your crawl space needs anything, that's a good reason to have me look. Send us the details or call (325) 285-1301.
Request a quoteGet a free estimate for your crawl space vapor barrier
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to look at your crawl space myself. The estimate is free, done on-site and comes with no obligation, so you can take the number and think it over.
What happens after you call about a vapor barrier in San Angelo?
Call or send the form
Call (325) 285-1301 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time. We're open weekdays from 8 AM to 10 PM and weekends from 7 AM to 9 PM.
I check the crawl space
I get under the house and look at the size, the access, the piers and any water down there. You get a written price for your job and usually a clear answer on what it needs before I leave.
Our crew preps and installs
Once you say go, our crew handles the prep and safety checks first, then lays the barrier. Nothing goes down over a problem we haven't dealt with.
We walk the finished job
When the crew is done, I walk the finished job with you. I'll show you what got covered and answer anything you want to know about it.
Frequently asked questions
What does a crawl space vapor barrier do?
It keeps ground moisture and soil gases down in the dirt instead of letting them get pulled up into your house through cracks in or around the subfloor. Without one, whatever comes up out of the ground has an easy path inside.
Does a vented crawl space in San Angelo need a vapor barrier?
Yes. Building America guidance says every crawl space should have a plastic ground cover, vented or not, so any house here with a crawl space can plan on one. Vents move air, but they don't stop moisture coming up out of the dirt.
How much does a crawl space vapor barrier cost in San Angelo?
A fully installed crawl space vapor barrier usually costs about $1,500 to $4,000 per job across the US. That's the going rate for the whole install, not our price, and I'll give you your own number when I come out and see your crawl space.
How do I get my crawl space ready for a vapor barrier?
Clear out stored boxes and anything else you've got down there, because the sheet has to cover the ground completely. Whatever you can move ahead of time helps, and our crew clears out the rest of the debris as needed.
Do I need a vapor barrier if my crawl space has a concrete floor?
Usually yes, because concrete by itself won't stop moisture from the surrounding ground coming up into the crawl space. I'll look at what's down there and tell you straight whether yours needs one.
How do I find out if I need a termite inspection strip on my foundation wall?
Ask the city's building inspector or your pest control company what local rules say about a pest control inspection strip at the top or bottom of the foundation wall. That's a band of wall left bare so someone can check it, and if it applies to your house, tell me at the estimate so we can plan the sheet around it.
Other work that goes with a vapor barrier
Attic air sealing
Closes the gaps up top where your house loses air, so the attic and the crawl space aren't working against each other.
Retrofit insulation
Adds insulation to an older house without tearing out walls, for floors and rooms that still run cold once the moisture's handled.
San Angelo, TX
Tell us about your crawl space today
Call (325) 285-1301 or send the form with the rough size of your crawl space, how you get into it and any standing water you've seen, so I show up knowing what to look for.