Coronavirus Safety Update
An Update for Our Valued Customers: We are reaching out to our current and prospective customers to assure you that USS is taking all precautions to keep both our team and our clients healthy and safe...
View ArticleHow Do I Fix My Crawl Space?
At USS, one question we are asked regularly is: How do I fix my crawl space? To answer, we first have to look at the main problems in a crawl space and repair options: Ground Water or Standing Water If...
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Four New Promotions
We have FOUR new promotions to announce in the USS family! Congratulations to Shannon (Smith) Carter on being promoted to Grandmother just in time for her recent birthday! Congratulations to her...
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Waterproofing Basement Walls From Inside Only Is Usually Not Enough
When researching the internet, most results show that waterproofing basement walls from inside only is usually not enough to keep moisture out of your basement. This is a misconception, because most...
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How To Repair A Cracked Foundation
Do you have a cracked foundation? If so, you’re not alone. Foundation cracks appear in both newly built and existing homes. The good news is that a cracked foundation doesn’t necessarily mean your home...
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Cracks In A Brick Wall: Causes, Repair, And Prevention
Cracks in a brick wall could be a sign of foundation trouble. Problems arise when some parts of your foundation shift — via sinking or lateral movement — while others don’t. This is called differential...
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Why Your Home Needs An Encapsulated Crawl Space
An encapsulated crawl space means less humidity and cleaner air. Pretty hard to argue against that. Neglect a crawl space, and you’ll have moisture damage, pest infestation, and moldy air. Yuck. An...
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What Homeowners Need To Know About French Drain Basement Waterproofing
French drain basement waterproofing doesn’t simply prevent moisture from entering your basement by erecting a barrier the way a waterproofing sealant does. It works by preventing excess water from...
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What to Look for in a Foundation Repair Company
There are thousands of home repair contractors in our area, and even the number of foundation repair companies seems to be growing. How do you know who to trust with your home repairs? A variety of...
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Myth Buster: Your Concrete Should NOT Be Level!
When looking for professional services to repair uneven concrete, do you search “concrete lifting,” “concrete repair,” or “concrete leveling”? Did you know that you really don’t want someone to level...
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Squeaky Floors: Flooring or Foundation Issue
We’ve all heard the sound of a creaking, squeaky floor even if not in our own home. Perhaps, it was at an Easter gathering at Grandma’s house or in the Historic District’s latest renovated restaurant....
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Gas Shortages, Kevlar, & Basement Walls
When you think of Kevlar and gas shortages what comes to mind? Certainly not basement wall stabilization! This article may change that and educate you with a few historical fun facts on one of the...
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Does Your House Have Enough Support?
Have you ever thought about what supports your house—the structure most valuable to you that holds your most prized possessions, including you and anyone living there? How do you know if you can trust...
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A Lesson in Humidity
We can all use a lesson in humidity. From frizzy hair to warding off wrinkles, high humidity affects each of us differently. Some esteem humidity for its benefits, but humidity can cause destruction....
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Your Crawl Space Could Be Aggravating Your Allergies
It’s allergy season—time for sneezes and itchy eyes to shine. Reaching for antihistamines or essential oils for relief is a common solution to get you through spring; but identifying the root cause of...
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Different Types of Cracks in Brick
Your house is trying to tell you something. Do you know what your house is saying? The cracks are your clues! Discovering and identifying the different types of cracks in brick and around your home are...
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Sinking Concrete Drowning Summer Plans?
Got summer plans? Maybe your house, or perhaps your swimming pool, is the go-to for the neighborhood party. As a host, you likely want things to look nice and to stay safe for your guests. Before...
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A Look at the Lintel
What is a lintel? A lintel is most commonly recognized as a beam that spans across the top of the opening of a garage door, pedestrian door, or window. If your home has a window or door, you own a...
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Mold & Mildew in the Crawl Space?
No one likes to find mold and mildew in their crawl space. Once you have mold professionally removed, how will you prevent mold and mildew from coming back? As long as there is a damp atmosphere in the...
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USS Family History
We asked USS founding father Mike Smith and children Chris Smith and Shannon Smith Carter to tell us a little bit about the USS family history. One can attribute the success of the family-owned,...
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When Dry Soil Causes Settlement
It’s finally summer—good for the kids, bad for the house, in more ways than one! You might not venture out much due to the heat, but if you do, you may have noticed cracks in your foundation and cracks...
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Exterior Waterproofing: A Partial Solution
If you are experiencing water intrusion in your basement or crawl space, do not expect an exterior waterproofing plan to remedy the water problem on its own. Exterior waterproofing is only a partial...
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How to Clean Up a Crawl Space
You just so happen to venture into the crawl space beneath your house and find a huge mess—fallen insulation and water on the torn vapor barrier, evidence of various pests, wood rot, and even some...
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What is a Foundation Pier?
Industry experts acknowledge piering, or underpinning, as the most effective foundation repair method to correct foundation settlement in the Middle Tennessee, Southwestern Kentucky, and Northern...
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Repairs For A Leaning Chimney
Poor chimneys—neglected until Christmas or at least the colder months. Even then, the fireplace mantles and hearths get all the glory over exterior chimney brick and mortar. But maybe you’re the...
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