Taken on its own, crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation treats one part of the problem. Taken in order, it is the part that makes the rest hold. That is how we schedule it on Clarks Hill jobs.
Bare soil under the house is evaporating moisture into the space every day.
Vapor barrier on piedmont and upstate ground
On clay the ground under a Clarks Hill house holds water long after rain, so the barrier is doing two jobs — stopping soil moisture coming up, and keeping the space off ground that stays wet for days at a time.
Clay also makes Clarks Hill crawl spaces slow to dry. The surrounding ground gives moisture back reluctantly, which is why this stage is finished against a reading rather than a date.
Clarks Hill at a glance
| County | McCormick County |
|---|---|
| ZIP | 29821 |
| Elevation | about 472 ft |
| Region | Piedmont and Upstate |
Named water nearby
- the Scott Creek (bay)
- Howell Branch (bay)
- the Buzzard Branch (stream)
- the John Branch (stream)
Signs you need this
- Bare soil anywhere on the crawl space floor
- Existing sheeting that is torn, bunched or not sealed at seams
- Barrier that stops short of the walls and piers
- Crawl space relative humidity holding above 60 percent
What the work involves
For a Clarks Hill crawl space, the work covers:
- Clearing and preparation of the crawl space floor
- Reinforced polyethylene barrier across the full soil area
- Overlapped and sealed seams
- Barrier carried up and sealed to walls and piers
Why it is worth dealing with now
The cost of this work does not stay flat. Every season a Clarks Hill crawl space stays wet moves more of the job from drying towards framing repair.
The full method and the step-by-step for this work is on the Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation page, and how it behaves across the state is on the Vapor barrier in South Carolina page.
Vapor barrier in Clarks Hill: common questions
Will a barrier stop water that is already getting in?
No. A barrier manages soil moisture and vapor, not liquid water under pressure. If water is entering the space near the Scott Creek, drainage comes first or the sheeting simply floats on it.
There is already plastic under my Clarks Hill house. Is that enough?
Often not. Most of what we find has been laid loose, has torn, or was never sealed at the seams and walls. Unsealed sheeting performs much closer to bare soil than to a finished barrier.
Do you work outside Clarks Hill itself?
Yes. We cover McCormick County broadly, including Modoc, Parksville and Plum Branch, and the rest of the Piedmont and Upstate of South Carolina.
Is crawl space water damage covered by insurance?
It depends on the cause, not the address. A burst pipe in a Clarks Hill home is commonly covered; groundwater, long-term seepage and flooding usually are not, and flood damage generally needs separate cover. Photograph everything first.
My house is near the Scott Creek. Does that change anything?
It can. Being close to the Scott Creek usually means a higher water table and a longer wet season under the floor, so drainage and a properly sealed barrier matter more here than they would further from it.
I already have plastic down there. Is that enough?
Often not. Most of the sheeting we find has been laid loose, has torn, has pulled away from the walls or was never sealed at the seams. Unsealed, incomplete sheeting lets ground moisture track around and through it, and performs much closer to bare soil than to a finished barrier.
Vapor barrier near Clarks Hill
We cover Clarks Hill and the surrounding part of McCormick County. The same service in nearby towns:
Other crawl space services in Clarks Hill
Crawl Space Water Removal in Clarks Hill
Standing water pumped and extracted from under the house, then the saturated material taken out.
Crawl Space Structural Drying in Clarks Hill
Joists, girders and subfloor dried back to a measured target with air movers and dehumidification.
Crawl Space Mold Remediation in Clarks Hill
Contained removal of mold-affected material, HEPA cleaning, and the moisture source shut off.
Crawl Space Drainage and Sump Pump Installation in Clarks Hill
Interior drainage to collect water, a sump and pump to lift it, and a discharge that takes it away.
Crawl Space Wood and Subfloor Repair in Clarks Hill
Rotted joists, girders, rim joists and subfloor sections repaired or replaced once the space is dry.
Or see everything we cover in our Clarks Hill service area, and how this service works across the state on the South Carolina page.
Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation in Clarks Hill
Call (888) 724-1354 and tell us your street and what the space looks like. We will tell you whether this is the right stage to start at.
Tell us what you are seeing under the house and we will tell you what it needs.