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6-mil vapor barriers are most commonly installed when a home is built, they are lightweight, similar to a standard trash bag, they tear easily, and are simply laid out on the ground. As soon as someone or something moves through the crawl space, the liner is displaced, torn, and bunched up, offering very little protection to the home from the earth's moisture.
Our homeowner opted to replace this 6mil with a CleanSpace 20-mil vapor barrier. This liner is similar to a pool liner, it's durable enough for service persons to crawl and work under the home, is overlapped and sealed at all seams, wrapped and sealed around all piers, and attached and sealed to the foundation walls about 6 inches above outside grade. It completely seals the crawl space from the earth's moisture, achieving the job vapor barriers are intended to do.
This homeowner contacted us about high energy bills and uneven temperatures in their home. We addressed their concerns by air sealing an insulating the attic. Foam insulation was used to seal top plates and electrical and plumbing penetrations to reduce the amount of air escaping from the conditioned living space into the attic. Next, a fresh blanket of blown-in cellulose insulation was installed on the attic floor.
This Surry, VA homeowner reached out to us because they wanted to add insulation to their attic and help make the rooms below more comfortable. We added blown-in cellulose insulation and built a dam around the storage decking to prevent the insulation from falling in.
This client is turning a horse trailer into a tiny home and wanted to insulate the ceiling with closed cell spray foam. We installed an R-12 of insulation on the roof of this trailer.
Efflorescence on the walls and moisture stains on the block indicates that moisture has been working its way into this crawl space through the cinderblock foundation.
As part of the encapsulation, Foamax foam board insulation has been installed on the walls of this crawl space creating a continuous R-10 of insulation on the foundation walls. A 2-inch viewing strip has been left at the top of the foundation wall per VA building code for termite inspections. The foam board is mechanically fastened to the wall and sealed at seams with foam.