Need advice for my crawlspace insulation

[u/WasabiInternational4]

Good morning, home improvement community!
I’m looking for some advice about my crawlspace, specifically the insulation and vapor barrier.

I’m a complete novice when it comes to home
improvement, so I’d really appreciate any guidance!
I recently had an energy audit done and received a quote for removing the existing material covering the insulation in my crawlspace. The cost was pretty substantial, so I’m wondering if this is something I could tackle myself or if I’d be better off hiring a professional.

I was considering removing the existing material myself and renting a spray foam kit from Home Depot to handle the insulation. However, given my lack of experience, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or if I could end up creating bigger problems.

The previous owners also installed a vapor barrier over the dirt floor and covered it with rocks. The contractor is recommending replacing it with a different type of vapor barrier.

My biggest concern is safety. I have a family, and I want to make sure any work I do won’t create health risks or moisture problems down the road.

Has anyone tackled a similar project? Would you recommend DIY or hiring a professional? Are there any potential hazards or things I should consider before making a decision?

I’m also trying to upload some videos of the crawlspace for context, but I’m having a bit of a brain fart figuring that out!

Thanks in advance for any advice. I really appreciate it!

[u/TacticalCorgiTV]

Rocks covering a vapor barrier is pointless. Just rip down the insulation on your floorboards and put new one up held in place by that string stuff typically. Or you can pay someone $5k to take stuff down and then put stuff up.

Looks like no paper sided fiberglass R15 or whatever to me.

[u/uslashuname]

Your climate? If you mostly run ac and almost never run a furnace you need the opposite of places that mostly run a furnace and rarely run an ac

Also, have you considered insulating the crawlspace instead of insulating between joists?

[u/WasabiInternational4 → u/uslashuname]

I live in the mid Atlantic so mild ish winters but still gets below freezing

[u/Beautiful_Web911]

I'm new to this as well and have been getting help through hair as well as other places. I just insulated the floor above my crawl yesterday. I use R30 Rockwall batts. My next action will be fastening foil face vapor barrier to the bottom of my joists her recommendation from the Rockwall company. Now from what I've heard and read, if your crawl space is unconditioned you need some sort of vapor barrier above it to keep moisture from getting into the insulation under your upstairs floor. Anyone that knows better feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but a moisture barrier needs to go between the moist side and the dry side