Crawl space vapor barrier in Hoffman Estates IL - ground moisture kept out of your house
Musty smell, damp dirt or cold floors over the crawl space? We cover the ground so that moisture stops rising into your home.
Does my crawl space in Hoffman Estates need a vapor barrier?
A crawl space vapor barrier in Hoffman Estates is a plastic ground cover laid over the dirt under your house, so the moisture in that ground stops evaporating and working its way up into your rooms.
If the floors over your crawl space feel cold and clammy, or you get a musty smell when you open the access hatch, bare dirt down there is usually the reason. I'll ask whether water ever stands down there and what runs through the space, because those answers decide whether a plain ground cover is enough or the whole space should be sealed, and crawl space insulation only makes sense once the moisture is handled.
The price moves with the size of the crawl space, whether you go with a simple cover or a fully sealed space, how easy it is to get in and work, and what has to be fixed before any plastic goes down. The schedule turns on that same list, so when I come out I'll show you what I found and what I'd do first, and that's where your own figure comes from.
- The cover runs over the whole floor and up walls, columns and footings, with every seam overlapped.
- In a sealed crawl space, seams and pipe holes get a sealant that works with the plastic.
- We lay it so the crawl space still drains the way it already does.
What happens when you call us about your crawl space?
Here's how a vapor barrier job goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end. On most jobs I come out to look myself, and our installers do the work.
Call or send a message
Reach us at (847) 380-5407 or through the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to tell us where the crawl space access is, roughly how big the space is and whether you've seen standing water.
I go down and look
I go into the crawl space, ask what you've noticed upstairs and walk you through what I found and what I'd do first. You come away knowing what your crawl space needs and what's driving the cost, so you can decide without anyone pushing.
Our installers do the work
If you go ahead, our installers work through the job in the order we talked about, starting with whatever we agreed has to come first. We're licensed and insured, and the crew takes its time getting every bit of the floor covered.
We go over it together
When the installers finish, I walk the crawl space with you so you can see the coverage and the seams for yourself. If something doesn't sit right, tell me, because our line is "Your satisfaction, guaranteed."
What a crawl space vapor barrier looks like once it's in
These photos show the kind of work involved, from bare dirt crawl spaces to plastic run up the walls with the seams overlapped. They show the trade in general, not particular houses we've worked on.
Commercial spray foam insulation coats the walls and roof of a large timber-framed building, with lumber stacked on the concrete floor.
Close-up of thick cream-colored spray foam filling the spaces between wooden attic rafters.
Loose-fill insulation covers an attic floor, with a yellow depth marker protruding from the material.
A worker in protective coveralls and a respirator sprays foam insulation onto an attic surface.
A worker in protective gear uses a wide hose to remove loose-fill insulation from an attic.
Crawl space floor covered with a white vapor barrier, with brick piers and shiny ductwork overhead.
Have me look at your crawl space and tell you what it needs
Send the form or call (847) 380-5407, and we'll reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate with no obligation. I'll come out, look under the house and tell you what I'd do first.
(847) 380-5407Questions homeowners ask about crawl space vapor barriers
These are the questions I hear most when I'm standing at a crawl space hatch in Hoffman Estates. If yours isn't here, ask me when I come out.
How much does crawl space encapsulation cost near Hoffman Estates?
In the Chicago area, sealing a crawl space with a vapor barrier and a commercial dehumidifier usually runs about $6,000 to $10,900 for a 1,500 sq ft crawl space. That's the going rate for the full sealed job, not a simple ground cover, and the size of your space and any repairs it needs first push it up or down. You'll see where yours lands once I've been down there.
Should my crawl space in Hoffman Estates be sealed or stay vented?
Sealing usually makes more sense if you want drier air under the house and lower heating and cooling use. Federal research on sealed crawl spaces found heating and cooling use went down and humidity dropped by more than 20%. A vented crawl space with a plain ground cover still helps, and it's the cheaper route when the space stays dry.
Does a crawl space vapor barrier help with radon?
It can, because a well-installed barrier helps hold back soil gases like radon along with ground moisture. How much it helps depends on how carefully it goes in. In Illinois, work done to lower indoor radon counts as mitigation, so we put barriers in for moisture, and if radon is your main worry, see the note on radon licensing below.
How do I get my crawl space ready for a vapor barrier?
Clear out anything stored down there and any loose debris, so the plastic can cover the whole floor with nothing in the way. That goes for repairing an old barrier too, since a patch only holds when the ground around it is open. Mention any standing water when you call, because that gets dealt with first.
How thick should a crawl space vapor barrier be?
Federal weatherization guidance calls for a ground cover at least 6 mil thick, so treat that as the floor. Thicker plastic usually holds up better to people crawling over it to reach pipes or wiring. Ask any contractor what thickness they plan to use before you agree to the job.
What causes moisture in a crawl space?
Usually it's the dirt floor giving off moisture, plus water that collects against the foundation outside. Moisture guidance recommends sloping the ground away from every side of the house so water doesn't pool by the crawl space. The barrier handles what comes up from the ground, and the grading outside handles what runs toward the house.
Crawl space vapor barriers in Hoffman Estates and nearby
Illinois requires a state license for anyone paid to lower radon in a home, and the state's radon site lists active licensees. We do crawl space vapor barriers across Hoffman Estates and nearby cities like Schaumburg and Streamwood.