Waterproofing in Sevierville, TN
Sevierville crawl spaces and the water that runs downhill
Sevierville is the Sevier County seat, set along the Little Pigeon River where the valley floor starts climbing into the mountains. A lot of homes here sit on hillside lots with thin soil over rock, and that soil can't soak up much. When a storm rolls through, water sheets off the slope, piles up against the uphill wall of the house and looks for a way in. The crawl space vent or a gap at the sill plate is usually where it finds one.
- Free estimate
- No travel charge
- Licensed & insured
- Workmanship warranty
Sevier County
Waterproofing around Sevierville
Many Sevierville houses sit on lots where the driveway or a terrace was cut into the hillside. Those cuts act like gutters, collecting runoff and channeling it straight toward the garage or the back wall. On lower ground near the river, the problem flips. Water rises through the crawl space floor after a long wet spell. Slopes also creep slowly over the years, and a hill pushing against one side of a house can open cracks that let water through.
For hillside homes in Sevierville, catching water upslope is the most effective fix. A swale or exterior French drain across the high side, run around the house to daylight, keeps runoff from reaching the foundation. On the inside, a perimeter drain along the uphill wall collects whatever seeps through, and a sump handles crawl spaces with no downhill exit. We'll check downspouts and grading first, since they're cheaper and sometimes all a house needs. You get a written price, and first-time customers take 10% off.
The ground here: mountain slopes & thin soils
On mountain ground water runs downhill fast and goes wherever the slope sends it. The same storm that sheds harmlessly off one side of a house piles against the uphill wall of the crawl space and sits there. Add the slow downhill creep of shallow soil over rock and you get the pattern we see all over this side of the county: one wall or one corner under real pressure while the rest of the crawl space looks fine.
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.
What's included
What waterproofing in Sevierville can cover
Every waterproofing estimate in Sevierville starts outside, at the gutters, downspouts and grading, then goes under the house to find where the water actually comes in. These are the pieces we put together from there.
Interior French Drains
The fix when water is already getting in and you need somewhere for it to go.
Exterior French Drains
Intercepting water in the yard, before it ever reaches the house.
Sump Pump Installation
The low point that water collects in, and the pump that gets it out.
Sump Pump Repair & Replacement
For the pump that runs constantly, or the one that does not run at all.
Water Diverters
Sending water somewhere else, usually for a fraction of what a drain costs.
Grading & Downspouts
Making the ground fall away from the house, so rain runs off toward the yard.
How it works
From the first call to a dry crawl space in Sevierville
- 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 Sevierville 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.
Sevierville questions
What Sevierville homeowners ask about waterproofing
Our Sevierville house backs into a hill and water pours under the back wall in every storm. What's the usual fix?
Catching the water upslope before it reaches the wall is the first step. A swale or exterior French drain across the high side, carried around the house to daylight, usually handles it. Anything that still seeps in can go to an interior drain along that wall.
The driveway at our Sevierville place was cut into the slope, and water runs down it toward the garage side of the crawl space. Can that be redirected?
Yes. A trench drain across the bottom of the drive or a diverter partway down can catch that water and send it off to one side. That's often cheaper than handling it once it's under the house.
I'm in Sevierville near the Little Pigeon River and the crawl space gets water from the floor up. Is that different from runoff?
It is. Water rising through the floor means the ground under the house is saturated, which is common on low ground near a river after a long wet stretch. An interior drain and sump are the usual fix there, and gutters alone won't solve it.
We see a crack on the uphill wall of our Sevierville crawl space and water comes through it. Should I call a foundation company?
If the crack is growing or the wall is moving, a foundation contractor should look at it, since we don't do foundation wall repair. We can handle the water side by catching runoff before it reaches that wall and draining what gets through. Taking the water off the wall also takes some pressure off it.
Our gutters in Sevierville overflow in heavy rain because the roof is steep. Is that adding to our crawl space water?
Very likely. Steep roofs move a lot of water fast, and an undersized gutter overflows right at the foundation. Larger gutters or more downspouts, with extensions or underground lines, can make a big difference.
I've got rock just a foot or two under the yard in Sevierville. Can you still dig a drain?
Shallow rock is common here and it limits trench depth. We may run a shallower exterior drain, use a swale, or put the drain inside the crawl space along the wall. We'll probe before deciding.
Our Sevierville crawl space takes water on the uphill side but stays dry on the downhill side. Do we need a drain all the way around?
Usually not. A drain along the wet side, carried to a gravity outlet or a sump, is often enough. We size the work to where the water actually comes in.
Can my sump pump in Sevierville discharge down the hill behind the house?
Downhill is usually the right direction, as long as it doesn't wash out the slope or land on a neighbor. We'll route the line and end it where the water can spread out safely.
We're new to Sevierville and the house came with a sump pump. How do I know it's working?
Pour a bucket of water into the basin and watch it kick on, pump down and shut off. Check that the discharge comes out where it should. If it doesn't run or runs nonstop, give us a call and we'll check the float switch and check valve first.
I've had two different answers about my wet crawl space in Sevierville. Could you give us a third opinion?
Happy to. We'll look at where the water sits, check the uphill side and the gutters, and tell you what we'd do and why. The estimate is free, and the price is in writing so you can compare it side by side.
Get your Sevierville estimate on the calendar
The estimate is free, there is no travel charge to Sevierville, and you get a written price before any work starts.