Loading...
Serving Burlington, VT and surrounding areas. (802) 307-1480
Ground moisture is silently damaging your floors and framing every spring. We install crawl space vapor barriers in Burlington that stop moisture at the source before it becomes a costly repair.
Crawl space vapor barrier installation in Burlington lays a thick, continuous plastic sheet across your crawl space floor and foundation walls to block ground moisture from rising into your home - most jobs take one to two days and do not require you to leave your house.
Burlington gets around 57 inches of precipitation a year, and the soil under your home stays saturated for months after each snowfall. Without a barrier, that moisture has a direct path upward into your floor joists, subfloor, and insulation. The result is a musty smell each spring, wood that slowly softens over years, and a home that costs more to heat because damp air holds cold. Many Burlington homes built before 1980 either have no vapor barrier at all or have thin sheeting from decades ago that has since torn and shifted.
A vapor barrier works best as part of a complete crawl space plan. If your home also needs crawl space insulation, doing both at the same time gives you a fully protected below-grade space in a single mobilization.
If your home develops a damp, earthy odor each year as Burlington's snow melts and the ground saturates, your crawl space is the likely source. That smell is moisture - and sometimes mold - rising up through your floor. It is one of the clearest signs that the soil beneath your home is releasing moisture with nowhere to go but upward.
Burlington winters are long, and a damp crawl space means your floor joists absorb moisture over time. Floors that feel noticeably colder than the rest of the house, or that have any give when you walk on them, may be showing early signs of moisture damage from below. Catching this early is far less expensive than replacing damaged joists.
Shine a flashlight through your crawl space access hatch. If you see bare dirt, or thin plastic that is ripped, bunched up, or only covering part of the floor, your home has no effective moisture protection. This is especially common in Burlington homes built before the 1970s, where barriers were either never installed or have long since degraded.
Mice and insects are drawn to damp, dark spaces. If you have had recurring pest issues in your Burlington home - particularly on the lower floors - a wet, unprotected crawl space may be part of what is attracting them. A properly sealed vapor barrier makes the space less hospitable and is often recommended alongside pest control work.
Every crawl space is different. Some Burlington homes have tight, low-clearance spaces that have never been touched; others have had inadequate thin sheeting sitting there for decades. We start every job with a physical inspection of the space before we quote anything. We look at the size and condition of the area, whether there is standing water or drainage concerns, how the walls and joists look, and whether any prep work needs to happen first. From there we recommend the right material thickness - at minimum 10-mil polyethylene for durability, with heavier 20-mil material for crawl spaces that see higher foot traffic or tougher conditions. We pair vapor barrier work with vapor barrier installation for basement areas and full encapsulation projects when the scope calls for it.
The installation covers the full floor with overlapping, taped seams - no bare soil showing anywhere - and the barrier runs up the foundation walls and is fastened at the edges. A barrier that is just laying loose on the floor with curled edges is not doing its job. We also coordinate with crawl space insulation so homeowners who need both can get a complete, consistent result in one visit. Before we leave, we show you the finished space - either in person or with photos - so you can see the coverage yourself.
Best for Burlington homeowners with a dry crawl space that simply needs ground moisture protection before it becomes a bigger problem.
Suited for crawl spaces that get occasional foot traffic or have more challenging soil conditions - built to last 20 years or more without tearing.
Ideal for Burlington homes where moisture is also entering through the foundation walls, not just the soil - provides complete enclosure of the space.
For homeowners planning a full crawl space encapsulation - including vent sealing and a dehumidifier - the vapor barrier is the first and most important step.
Burlington gets around 57 inches of precipitation a year, including heavy snowpack that sits on the ground from November through March and slowly saturates the soil around and under your home. When that moisture has nowhere to go, it pushes upward through the ground and into your crawl space. A large share of Burlington's housing stock - including neighborhoods like the Hill Section, the Old North End, and the South End - was built in the early to mid 20th century, when crawl spaces were simply left open to bare soil with no moisture protection. If your home was built before 1980, there is a strong chance it either has no barrier or has old, degraded sheeting that has long since stopped working. Vermont's energy efficiency programs, including Efficiency Vermont, can sometimes offset installation costs - ask your contractor before you commit.
We work throughout Burlington and into surrounding communities. Homeowners in South Burlington deal with similar moisture pressure from clay soils and proximity to Lake Champlain. Homeowners in Winooski often have older multi-family housing with crawl spaces that have never had any moisture protection. Both communities see the same Vermont winters, and the right vapor barrier installation makes a real difference in both.
We reply within one business day. We ask a few basic questions about your crawl space size and any specific problems you have noticed - this helps us come prepared and give you a rough ballpark before the visit.
We visit your home and physically inspect the crawl space - looking at size, condition, moisture signs, and wall surfaces. This is the only honest way to quote the job. Be cautious of any contractor who gives a firm price without seeing the space first.
The crew clears debris, checks for moisture issues, then lays the barrier across the full floor with overlapping, taped seams. The material runs up the foundation walls and is anchored in place. You do not need to leave your home.
We show you the finished space - in person or with photos - so you can see complete coverage and no bare soil. We explain what to watch for going forward and answer any questions before the crew leaves your property.
Free on-site estimate. We reply within one business day. No obligation, no pressure.
(802) 307-1480Vermont requires contractors doing home improvement work to meet state licensing standards through the Office of Professional Regulation. Hiring a licensed contractor means you have recourse if anything goes wrong - and documentation that the work was done to state standards, which matters when you sell.
We have worked on crawl spaces in homes across Burlington - from tight, low-clearance spaces in the Old North End to larger foundations in the South End and Hill neighborhoods. Burlington's older housing stock has its own quirks, and we know what to look for before the barrier goes in.
We use at minimum 10-mil polyethylene and regularly recommend 20-mil material for Burlington conditions. Thinner sheeting tears, shifts, and fails within a few years. We use material built to last 20 years or more so you are not calling us back to redo the job.
Before we leave your property, we walk you through what was installed - in person or with photos. You will see complete coverage, taped seams, and fastened edges. You should be able to look into that crawl space and see no bare soil anywhere. If you cannot, the job is not done right.
We do not quote jobs without seeing the space first, and we do not install over moisture problems we have not addressed. Those two things - honest assessment and quality material - are what separate a barrier that lasts from one that fails in two winters.
Full vapor barrier installation for basements and below-grade spaces - stopping moisture from entering your home's structure from multiple directions.
Learn moreInsulate your crawl space floor joists or walls to reduce heat loss and protect the space you just sealed with a vapor barrier.
Learn moreBurlington's spring thaw is one of the worst times of year for crawl space moisture. Schedule your free estimate now and get ahead of it.