Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Costs in Colorado

Rehabbing & House Flipping
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Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Costs in Colorado

Holly Scott
Divide, CO · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 9 votes

Hi all!

I am in kind of a unique situation with my seller, as he is an attorney overseeing a bankruptcy case and multiple homes within the bankruptcy. Anyway, he gave my realtor and I an opportunity to go to the property (the home was locked however, and he had not yet changed the locks) to ensure it was vacant and we peeked in the crawl space and found there is water in there. The source is from a leak in the kitchen. After that, we told the attorney there was an issue with plumbing and water in the crawl space and he then basically said he wouldn't let us in until we had made him an offer and were under contract, so I have no way of determining the extend of the damage, or getting inspections/bids until after we are in contract. 

As you can imagine this is making it very difficult for me to come up with good, accurate rehab costs and what I want to offer him. We will definitely ensure he does flood and mold remediation as part of the contract, and he believes this is something that insurance will cover, which they have to have for each property through the bankruptcy process.

However, I am hoping someone may have a ball park idea of what it would cost to do a vapor barrier in there once the remediation is complete? I need to try and budget for this.

Thank you!

btw, any other flippers in Colorado , I would love to network with you!

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Jim Adrian
Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
10y

@Holly Scott

One option is to spray foam the floor under the floor with 4" minimum (~R-24).   Using a closed cell spray foam will create a vapor barrier as well.  2012 IECC (energy code) states R-30 but allows R-19 in framing cavities.   You need 3.5" to 5" of insulation (R-6 per inch with spray foam), more is always better.

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  • Holly Scott
    OP
    Divide, CO · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 9 votes
    10y

    I actually called them this morning and they said they'd have to come out to be able to tell me. Unfortunately, in my situation that doesn't help me to estimate costs when wanting to make an offer. But thank you! They look like a viable option when the time comes!

    0Reply
  • Bill S.Pro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    10y

    @Holly Scott why do you think a vapor barrier is needed? If the leak is from the plumbing once you take the water away, there is technically no need for a vapor barrier. I had a price on one for the radon mitigation at a flip of $1,500 which included all the venting etc. It's not expensive.

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  • Holly Scott
    OP
    Divide, CO · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 9 votes
    10y

    Hi BIll!

    The reason I think it may need it is because I actually knew the people who lived there and they discovered water down there in April time frame. But it dried out. Until they moved out and the refrigerator water line was cut in the move (and somehow, the main didn't completely shut off the water to the house) and so that line has been slowly leaking on the kitchen floor for 4-5 weeks. I'm hoping the attorney had the water department shut off the water. But that is why we will require him to do flood and mold mitigation right after going in to contract (if we do). Hopefully, he is taking care of that now. But 1500 is way less than I thought it could be. Here are pictures of what it looked like when we went to see it.

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  • Drew FeinPro Member
    Attorney · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 207 posts · 104 votes
    10y

    I refuse to use Rod Martin's. After I called them for a quote, they proceeded to call me incessantly from multiple phone numbers until I asked them to remove me from all of their lists. I also was unable to procure a quote over the phone, but one company said it was generally around $1 a square foot, which seemed low to me. I believe that company was Colorado Crawl Space, but I'm not 100% sure. 

    0Reply
  • Holly Scott
    OP
    Divide, CO · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 9 votes
    10y

    Great tip! Thank you!

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  • Jim Adrian
    Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
    10y

    @Holly Scott

    I'm not sure you understand what a vapor barrier does. A vapor barrier stops air water vapors from passing thru a material or space. Placing this in the wrong location within a building creates a big problem.  I would bet you don't have a properly designed crawl space to start with either.   Crawl spaces must have air movement by the building code.  A crawl space under a house is the same thing as an attic.  Function the same way as well.    The floor should be insulated as it is not.  A vapor barrier should be up at the structure which is it not.  You may actually have a ground water problem or water leakage issue (besides the refrig line).  Based on lack of info I can't provide you with better info. Not knowing what is all wrong, I would budget $5 per sf and see what that gets you.   This would get you insulation, ventilation and vapor barrier at the structure.  This wont cover water leakage but this number is on the high side I feel.

    https://www.advancedenergy.org/portal/crawl_spaces/pdfs/Closed%20Crawl%20Spaces_Quick%20Reference.pdf

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  • Bill S.Pro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    10y

    @Holly Scott you might be able to can call the water department and report a leak. If they can verify that water is leaking they will shut it off to prevent the waste.

    0Reply
  • Kelly Crone
    Investor · Littleton, CO · Member since 2016 · 47 posts · 9 votes
    10y

    @Holly Scott

    It appears to me that the house was built without insulation or a vapor barrier in the crawl space. Unless the seller or insurance company is willing to pay for a renovation, I would consider just putting a fan or two in the crawl space to dry up the moisture. What you do depends on the damage that has been done to the floor joists (which is unlikely). If this is going to be your personal home, then you may want to consider fixing it, otherwise....

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  • Holly Scott
    OP
    Divide, CO · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 9 votes
    10y

    All of this is great information! I tend to agree with you Jim, I think there is a ground water issue or other leak. However, they have had some issues with that kitchen sink and clogging, so it could be something that was from kitchen pipes prior also. It's a tough one to gauge without being able to get it inspected.

    1Reply
  • Jim Adrian
    Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
    10y

    @Holly Scott

    One option is to spray foam the floor under the floor with 4" minimum (~R-24).   Using a closed cell spray foam will create a vapor barrier as well.  2012 IECC (energy code) states R-30 but allows R-19 in framing cavities.   You need 3.5" to 5" of insulation (R-6 per inch with spray foam), more is always better.

    1Reply
  • Matt M.
    Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    The radon company I use does $750 for a basic install of a system. Their vapor barrier is an extra $1 per sqft. 

    1Reply
  • Elmer Davis
    Residential Real Estate Broker · Silverado, CA · Member since 2016 · 1 post · 0 votes
    10y

    what radon company is that?

    0Reply
  • Holly Scott
    OP
    Divide, CO · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 9 votes
    10y

    So after some discussion the attorney is going into the house with a disaster recovery agency to assess damage and get an estimate. This is great news! I will likely still have to do something with the crawl space once mitigation is completed. We will now wait to hear from the attorney on what he plans to have done.

    0Reply
  • Adam Adams
    Podcaster & Multi-Family Apartment Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2016 · 273 posts · 138 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Holly Scott:

    Hi all!

    I am in kind of a unique situation with my seller, as he is an attorney overseeing a bankruptcy case and multiple homes within the bankruptcy. Anyway, he gave my realtor and I an opportunity to go to the property (the home was locked however, and he had not yet changed the locks) to ensure it was vacant and we peeked in the crawl space and found there is water in there. The source is from a leak in the kitchen. After that, we told the attorney there was an issue with plumbing and water in the crawl space and he then basically said he wouldn't let us in until we had made him an offer and were under contract, so I have no way of determining the extend of the damage, or getting inspections/bids until after we are in contract. 

    As you can imagine this is making it very difficult for me to come up with good, accurate rehab costs and what I want to offer him. We will definitely ensure he does flood and mold remediation as part of the contract, and he believes this is something that insurance will cover, which they have to have for each property through the bankruptcy process.

    However, I am hoping someone may have a ball park idea of what it would cost to do a vapor barrier in there once the remediation is complete? I need to try and budget for this.

    Thank you!

    btw, any other flippers in Colorado , I would love to network with you!

     Go ahead and get it under contract, In CO the buyer has all the rights. Just ensure an adequate inspection period and get it at a fair price and you'll be fine. 

    While you are under contract, you can have your contractors in there and they can quote you whatever you need. You can always renegotiate the price if the insurance company doesn't cover it all and if it costs you too much out of pocket.

    GET IT UNDER CONTRACT, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN INSPECTION PERIOD, YOU'LL BE FINE

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