I need to install a plastic membrane over a dirt crawl space for radon mitigation. This will have a suction point to pull radon out from under the sealed space. The book says to use "4 mil high-density cross-laminated white polyethylene". This stuff seems only to be available from specialty dealers and it seems to be fairly expensive, about $100 for a 10*100 foot roll. Can I use something else that I might find at a local hardware or building supply store? My crawl space is pretty ragged. There is a lot of debris and rock shards. I don't want to dig the space up any more than necessary. Can I throw something like a cheap blue tarp over the rough sections and then put the sealed barrier on top of that?

I am going to build a basement at the back side of my house with an attached room connecting my mobile home with the entrance into the basement. The basement will have a full concrete roof over it & the roof will serve as a patio/deck area. (Like a giant storm shelter--I live in KS.) I have received a bid for the concrete work, but I need to know what all I should expect that will need to be done during the pouring process. I'm not planning on adding a bathroom in the basement at this time (due to costs), but would like to later. What do I need to do so this can be done in the future? Can I just put in a couple of pieces of PVC pipe large enough to run the water & septic lines through later & cap them on each end? Also, will a drain need to be installed in the floor? I have never had a basement before & have never worked with a contractor before. I don't want to sound like a total ditz by asking all these questions to the contractor & possibly get ripped off or taken advantage of with costs. Also, can electric just be run through a hole in the wall like the water lines & then conduit piping around the ceiling? This basement will be about 25'x30' with windows on the South & West & a sliding walk-out on the South. Sorry for so many questions, but I really appreciate all of your help!! Thanks- Paula