Waterproofing & Crawl Space Repair in Gatlinburg, TN
Steep lots, cabins and mountain runoff
Gatlinburg sits at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and almost nothing here is built on flat ground. Cabins and homes perch on steep lots, often with a tall crawl space on the downhill end and almost none on the uphill side. Getting under some of these houses is a climb. Once we're there, we're looking at how mountain runoff reaches the foundation, how the posts and piers are holding up on the low side, and what the air feels like in a space that's shaded, damp and closed in by trees.
Sevier County. We cover ZIP code 37738.
- Free estimate
- No travel charge
- Licensed & insured
- Workmanship warranty
Ground conditions
Gatlinburg sits against the Great Smoky Mountains, where thin soils cover steep, fast-shedding ground.
Gatlinburg ground is mountain ground in the strictest sense. Thin soil lies over rock, the slope pushes water downhill hard, and every cut for a driveway or parking pad becomes a path for runoff. Soil creeps slowly on steep lots, adding load to one side of a foundation. Many of our Gatlinburg jobs are rental cabins, where owners need a dry, odor-free crawl space between guests, and full-time homes where the back wall takes water every storm. We bring waterproofing, crawl space repair and encapsulation together so the water, the supports and the air get fixed in one plan.
Hillside seepage
Runoff collects against the uphill wall and finds the joint between block and footing.
Slope creep and settling piers
Shallow soil moving downhill loads one side of the crawl space harder than the other.
Grading that works against you
Driveways, terraces and walkouts cut into a slope often channel water back toward the house.
Services
What we do in Gatlinburg
Waterproofing in Gatlinburg
Stop water getting in, and move the water that is already there back out.
See waterproofing in gatlinburgCrawl Space Repair in Gatlinburg
Steel supports on proper footings, sealed foundation vents and an access door that closes: the parts of a crawl space that fail first.
See crawl space repair in gatlinburgCrawl Space Encapsulation
Seal the ground off, then keep the air under there dry for good.
See crawl space encapsulation
What we get called for
Twelve signs we see in Gatlinburg crawl spaces
Pick whichever sounds like your house. Each one links to the repair that usually solves it.
- Standing water in the crawl space after rain
- A sump pump running constantly, or not at all
- Damp block walls or white mineral staining
- Water running in from one wall or corner
- A musty smell that never quite leaves
- Open or broken foundation vents on a damp crawl space
- Condensation on ductwork or pipes
- Torn or missing vapor barrier on the ground
- Insulation sagging or falling off the joists
- Water running in at the crawl space access after rain
- Soil that never dries out under the house
- Humidity upstairs you can't get rid of
How it works
How a Gatlinburg job runs
- 01
You call, we schedule
A real person at our Powell office answers, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. You get a callback the same day you ring.
- 02
Free on-site estimate
An estimator walks the Gatlinburg property, inside and out: crawl space, grading, gutters, the lot itself. Expect an hour, and expect to be shown what he is looking at.
- 03
A written price, explained
Scope, method and cost in writing before anyone starts. No pressure to sign on the spot, and no quotes over the phone.
- 04
Our crew does the work
We clean up behind us, and we stay in constant communication with you until the job is done.
Gatlinburg questions
What homeowners ask us
Our Gatlinburg cabin is on such a steep lot that the crawl space is eight feet tall on one end. Does that complicate things?
It changes the work more than it complicates it. Tall walls on the downhill end mean more wall area to line during encapsulation, and the uphill end is usually where water gets in. We'll walk the whole thing and price each part.
Is Gatlinburg too far up the mountain for you to come out for an estimate?
Gatlinburg is in our Sevier County area. There's no travel charge, and estimates are free on weekdays.
My Gatlinburg rental cabin has a crawl space sump pump I've never seen run. How would I know if it works?
Pour water into the basin and watch whether the float switch kicks it on. If it doesn't, the float, the pump or the power is the problem. We check the float switch first, then the check valve and discharge line, and tell you whether to repair or replace.
Shade from the trees keeps our Gatlinburg crawl space damp all year. Will encapsulation work with no sun at all?
Sun doesn't matter much under a house. What matters is keeping humid outside air out and running a dehumidifier. A sealed liner on the ground and walls, closed vents and a dehumidifier around 50 to 55 percent humidity work in a shaded mountain crawl space the same as anywhere.
We're buying a Gatlinburg cabin and the inspector couldn't get into part of the crawl space. Can you?
We'll try, and we usually get further than a quick inspection does. Whatever we can see, you'll get photos and a written price. If part of it is truly inaccessible, we'll tell you plainly.
Water pours off the mountain and pools at the back of my Gatlinburg house after every storm. Where does it go once it's caught?
Downhill and away from the house, ideally to daylight, which is usually easy to find on a steep lot. If daylight isn't reachable, a sump pump with a long discharge line or a dry well can take it.
Guests in our Gatlinburg cabin say the lower-level bedroom smells damp. Is it coming from the crawl space?
The lower level usually sits right beside the tall end of the crawl space, so damp air finds its way in through gaps. We'll measure the humidity and look for water. Sealing and dehumidifying the crawl space typically helps the rooms around it.
The floor of our Gatlinburg cabin slopes toward the valley side. Is the hill pushing the house?
Sometimes the soil really is creeping, and sometimes a pier just settled. We add adjustable steel support jacks on proper footings under the girder and raise it gradually. If the foundation wall itself is moving, that's outside our work, and we'll tell you who to call.
I manage several cabins in Gatlinburg. Can you look at more than one on the same trip?
Yes, we can usually line up several estimates on the same day. Each cabin gets its own photos and written price.
How does a Gatlinburg estimate go if guests are staying in the cabin that day?
We need the crawl space access, which is usually outside, so we rarely need to go indoors. It's still better to book a turnover or open day so guests aren't surprised. We'll work around your calendar on a weekday.
Typical prices for every service are in the crawl space cost guide, and more answers are on the FAQ page.
Nearby
We also cover these towns
Our trucks are in Sevier County and the counties around it most weeks, so these towns are already on the route. All of Sevier County.
Get it looked at while it's small
Damp ground under the house today is damaged framing and bad air upstairs in five years. The estimate in Gatlinburg costs nothing and takes about an hour.