Before
AfterFayetteville, NC
Vapor barrier installed over a dirt crawl space floor
HomeCloud covered the bare dirt crawl space floor with a new vapor barrier.
Crawl space vapor barrier cost
Covering bare ground in the crawl space with a vapor barrier, and patching damaged areas.
Recent HomeCloud projects
Real HomeCloud jobs, before and after. Click through to see more.
BeforeAfter
Before
AfterFayetteville, NC
Vapor barrier installed around crawl space plumbing
HomeCloud installed a vapor barrier over the exposed soil around the plumbing lines in the crawl space.
Before
AfterHillsborough, NC
Torn vapor barrier replaced in a crawl space
HomeCloud cleared the torn old vapor barrier and debris and laid a new vapor barrier across the crawl space floor.
A vapor barrier is heavy plastic sheeting laid over the dirt floor of a crawl space. It keeps moisture in the ground from rising into the crawl space, where it can lead to wood rot and mold.
Gaps in the vapor barrier are one of the most common findings in this system in recent HomeCloud evaluations. Most are fixed by adding sheeting where the ground is bare. If there's standing water, the source of the water is fixed first: see the foundation and structure guides.
What our reports priced this at
| Work | Most homes | Middle price | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Install vapor barrier | $220 to $1,440 | $400 | The 27% of homes where it was priced |
What HomeCloud reports priced this fix at in homes we evaluated Sep 2025 to Oct 2026. The range is the middle half of homes; the middle price is the median. Your price comes from a written estimate for your home. The range is wide because some homes need a few areas covered and others need the whole crawl space.
What affects the price
- How much ground is bare
- Covering a few gaps costs far less than covering the whole crawl space.
- Crawl space size and height
- A large crawl space takes more material. A low one is slower to work in.
- Thickness of the plastic
- Thicker sheeting costs more and holds up better to people crawling over it.
- Cleanup first
- Old debris, wood scraps or torn plastic may need to come out before the new barrier goes down.
- Sealing the walls
- Running the barrier up the walls and sealing it, called encapsulation, is a bigger job than covering the floor. See vapor barrier vs. encapsulation.
Common questions
Is a vapor barrier the same as encapsulation?
No. A vapor barrier covers the ground, and it's the basic level. The next level up seals the vents and adds a dehumidifier. Full encapsulation, the premium level, also runs the vapor barrier up the foundation walls with overlapped, taped seams, closes every vent and insulates the walls, so it costs the most. See vapor barrier vs. encapsulation for how to choose.
More insulation and ventilation resources
Types of insulationBlown-in, batts and spray foam: where each is used in attics, walls and floors, and what R-value means.Crawl space vapor barrier vs. encapsulationWhat a vapor barrier does, what encapsulation adds (sealed walls and vents, insulation, a drying system), and how to choose for a home in our markets.Dryer vent safetySigns a dryer vent is clogged, how to clean the lint screen and the vent, and why plastic and foil hoses should be replaced.
Other insulation and ventilation repairs
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