Radon Gas Mitigation: Let’s Breathe Easy

By: Jan Soults Walker Published: March 25, 2011

Take steps immediately to reduce radon gas buildup if your home tests high. Knowing the available radon mitigation methods and costs will help you make the best choice.
Investment Med $800-$2,500 (system install)

A heat recovery ventilator, which introduces fresh air into a tightly sealed house, is one way to reduce radon levels. Image: VeloBusDriver/Flickr

If you’ve tested and determined elevated levels of radon gas in your home, don’t worry. Radon mitigation methods can reduce levels by 99%, allowing you to breathe easy.

Reducing radon: Simple strategies

If radon test results indicate that levels in your home are only slightly elevated—less than 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter of air):


Caulk cracks or gaps in the slab, foundation, or framing—wherever your home contacts soil—to inhibit radon gas infiltration. This step also improves the success of other radon reduction strategies.

Open exterior crawl space vents to increase air flow and dilute radon buildup.

Install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). An HVR introduces fresh, air-conditioned air into homes that are otherwise tightly sealed.

Reducing radon from unsafe levels

If radon levels inside your home test at 4 pCi/L or higher, enlist the services of a professional contractor who is trained in radon mitigation strategies. Contact your state radon office for a list of contractors in your area who are trained and certified in radon reduction techniques. Obtain several bids.

Professional radon mitigation options

Some of the systems used for reducing radon are:

Soil suction. A special vent fan draws radon from soil beneath your home through pipes that dispel gas into the open. Negative pressure created by the suction further inhibits the buildup of gas. Fans run 24/7, and are usually guaranteed for up to 10 years of continual operation.

Sub-membrane suction. Considered the most effective strategy for homes with crawl spaces, sub-membrane suction employs a high-density plastic sheet atop the soil. A fan draws radon gas out through vent pipes located beneath the plastic.

Passive and active ventilation. Ventilating a crawl space or adding additional vents may also reduce radon gas. Opening vents is passive ventilation; adding a fan is active. When employing either of these methods in a colder climate, you may need to add insulation in a crawl space to prevent pipes from freezing.

Costs for radon mitigation

Prices for radon mitigation vary depending on the extent of the work being done, but range between $800 and $2,500. The average cost nationally is $1,200 to $1,400.

As a rule, a house built on a slab or with a basement requires less labor, resulting in the lowest costs for radon reduction. Radon reduction in a house over a crawl space tends to be most expensive since a vapor barrier may be required.

Homes with any combination of slab, crawl space, and/or a basement fall in the middle range for costs.

Another budget consideration: As you ventilate radon gas from your home, energy costs increase—either from releasing air that’s been heated or cooled, or from you operating a fan full-time. Using an HRV to ventilate helps reduce waste.

With four home renovations to her credit, Jan Soults Walker is a devotee of improvements, products, and trends for the home and garden. For 25 years she’s written for a number of national home shelter publications, and has authored 18 books on home improvement and decorating.


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Buyers' and Sellers' Closing Costs

Fullerton, CA Realtor® Adam Brett reminds buyers and sellers that it is always smart to know what they are getting into with real estate transactions.

“Selling your home may seem that simple but there are taxes, fees, insurance and other expenses that buyers and sellers must prepare for.

I compiled a list of the traditional distribution of expenses associated with real estate. Certain regions of the country and even within the State of California (Northern and Southern), vary in these customs. Keep in mind that many of these items are negotiable by both parties at the time of the offer, excluding some expenses required by the lender to be paid specifically by the seller.


The BUYER typically pays:

Notary Fees

Escrow Fees

Document preparation (if applicable)

Recording charges for all documents in buyer’s name

Termite Inspection

Tax Proration

Homeowner’s transfer fee

All new loan charges (except those required by lender for seller to pay)

Interest on new loan from date of funding to 30 days prior to first payment date

Assumption/Change of Records fees for take-over of existing loan

Beneficiary Statement fee for assumption of existing loan

Other Inspection fees (roofing, property inspection, geological, etc)

Home Warranty

Lender’s policy

Fire Insurance Premium for first year



The SELLER typically pays:

Real estate commission

Escrow fees

Notary fees

Title Insurance Premium: Owner’s Policy

Any bonds or assessments

Recording changes to clear all documents of record against seller

Any unpaid homeowner’s dues

Tax proration (for any taxes unpaid at time of transfer of title)

Any judgments, tax liens, etc. against the seller

Home warranty

Termite Work and Inspection

Statement Fees, reconveyance fees, and any prepayment penalties

Interest accrued to lender being paid off

Payoff of all loans in seller’s name (or existing loan balance if assumed by buyer)

Any loan fees required by buyer’s lender

Document preparation fee for deed

Applicable city transfer/conveyance tax

County documentary tax (55 cents per $500 of consideration, exclusive of the value of any lien or encumbrances attaching to the property at time of sale)



This is pretty much the most comprehensive list of things I can think of. I also would like to know your experiences and if any, issues arising about who pays for what.”


Read more blog posts by Adam Brett.

See more tips, checklists, and resources at the First Time Home Buyers home page at  REALTOR.com









Read more: Who Pays for What in Home Sale?
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