SPECIALIST IN "ALL THINGS BASEMENT-Y"

When Judy and Layne Gebers moved to the Volunteer state from a small farming community in rural Nebraska in 1999, they took note of the fact that "wet, nasty crawlspaces" were a common issue in Tennessee. So, they founded Frontier Foundation & Crawl Space Repair to provide solutions. More than two decades later, Frontier has grown to 124 employees and will soon be opening a new office in Huntsville, Ala., further expanding the company's service area, which currently covers Middle Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky.

"We were one of the first companies to start encapsulating and waterproofing crawlspaces, and that's how we got our start," says Dustin Gebers, son of Judy and Layne and the Chief Operating Officer for Frontier. "Then we got into basement waterproofing and concrete repair," he adds, not to mention foundation repair and radon mitigation.

"Crawlspaces are always a problem, and open vents in a crawlspace are a bad idea," says Gebers. "The original thought for vents was to allow hot, humid air to escape out of the crawlspace. But that's not the case. (In Middle Tennessee) we have hot, humid air that enters the crawlspace from the outside. On top of that, the furnace/HVAC system is (often) underneath the crawlspace, and that introduces cold air, which condenses. So, it's a bad environment in general." 

Frontier's solution is to encapsulate and dehumidify the space. 

"Basically, treat your crawlspace like it's a basement. You wouldn't have a dirt floor, and you wouldn't have windows open all the time, especially in summer. But rather than pouring concrete, which is very expensive, we encapsulate using a 20-mil poly-reinforced crawlspace liner," says Gebers. 

Transforming a moldy, musty crawlspace into a clean, dry, energy-efficient space offers many benefits, including protection from mold growth, improved air quality, and reduced heating and cooling costs.

"There's a return on investment (ROI) for getting encapsulation done that a lot of people don't think about," adds Gebers, who recalls that his daughter suffered from terrible allergies after moving into a new house because of the mold and mildew that had accumulated in the 10-year-old home. 

"We encapsulated everything, and my daughter is no longer on any asthma or allergy medications," he emphasizes. "It also reduced the energy bill by more than 10 percent." 

Similarly, Frontier specializes in basement waterproofing & sump pump installation and offers solutions for finished and unfinished basements. Said solutions can alleviate or prevent problems that include mold, mildew, rot, and structural damage, not to mention a diverse array of health issues.

Concrete repair has also become a big part of Frontier's business.

"There was never really a solution before we started lifting and leveling concrete using polyurethane foam other than jackhammering it out and replacing it, which is costly. Lifting and leveling using polyurethane foam is typically about a third of the cost of replacement," advises Gebers. 

Last but not least, Gebers highlights how Frontier does a lot of foundation work because of the soil in Middle Tennessee. 

"When clay soil gets really dry, it shrinks and cracks, and when it gets wet, it expands," he says before emphasizing the importance of getting potential foundation issues looked at as soon as possible.

"The biggest issue I see when it comes to foundation problems is that homeowners will put it off, and the longer you put off a foundation problem, the more it will cost," says Gebers. That's why he encourages people to take advantage of Frontier's free inspection.

"We'll be 100% honest with you," he emphasizes. "We even have a few online reviews from homeowners who were happy that we did a free inspection and determined it was not a foundation problem. We're not there just to sell something. We'll let you know if you really have a problem and what it's going to cost to get it fixed."

CONTACT:

For more information, see the Frontier Foundation & Crawl Space Repair  visit https://www.frontierbasementsystems.com/