Advanced Restoration & Waterproofing

Been having intermittent leaking in the basement and wanted a plan to help eliminate. First year in the house was dry as a bone. Subsequent years had issues with clogged downspouts (two are directly feeding into the foundation a la 1950 french drains) and poor upkeep on my part. Chose this business because of the reviews and the $49 dollar estimate voucher. Initial meet up was 2 weeks after the purchase of the voucher and resulted in little more than a sales pitch. Upon first entering the house, the employee was shown the basement and within 10 minutes of his arrival began advocating for an interior drain while opening up a folder with payment plans. A solution was presented so I went along with his recommendation and I mentioned exterior drainage and was given an anecdote about a client who improved the exterior drainage only to call on AR&W for an interior drainage system. All together a second well and sump pump, two back up sump pumps, interior drain, and gutter extensions of ~100ft x3 were estimated at over $9000. This is all without any initial observations of the exterior system. He simply walked in and looked at the basement for <5 minutes and suggested and interior drain while touting the companies quality and diminishing competitors. After speaking with neighbors and coworkers regarding their basement issues, not a single person I knew had an interior drain put in and I called for a revision of the initial plan. The business was accommodating and revised the cost to ~$6000 for one 120ft drainage line, 2 15ft extensions from the gutters, and a back up sump pump. While seeming excessive, it was accepted that this was the least invasive. All the while I was reminded by the salesman that exterior work wasn't as good as an interior drain. Two weeks ago I had a family crisis and incurred medical expenses that were more important than the house and asked for termination of the contract which they obliged. However, $613 of $1k downpayment was retained for expenses related to estimates. No labor was performed. A coworker recently told me that she had been looking for business to help with waterproofing in the South Broad Ripple area and she came across the same tactics. When I mentioned the name of the business and the sales employee involved she confirmed the same business. My final impression of this business is that they initially pitch expensive repairs that MAY not be nescessary (as evidenced by lack of exterior analysis) and use pressure tactics to get you to sign on the spot (10% off signing the day of, sign the day of for expedited scheduling).

I originally had this job quoted in the summer of 2014 by ARW and two additional companies. ARW was the middle of the pack as far as price but their encapsulation seemed more complete and of higher quality. One year later, we were finally ready financially to have the work performed. Mike was very kind and matched the prices offered in 2014 even though they typically only offer their quote for 60 days (I think). I was originally told the work would be performed around the third week of September which was a bit disappointing as it was holding up additional work we had scheduled. I was pleasantly surprised when I was called a month early and told they would be arriving that night to drop off materials for the next day. Mike (the owner) arrived with the foreman for the job and personally introduced him. The foreman arrived the next day with one additional worker. As he began the job, he noted that I had mold in the crawl and asked why I wasn't having it remediated. This raised questions because I thought it was scheduled to be done. The diligence of the foreman, Corey LeMasters, saved us from having ARW out again in the future and paying twice for work I thought I had already scheduled. After some research, we realized the error was caused because the company had switched from handwritten forms (2014) to computer based forms (2015) and all the information from the handwritten form was not recorded on the new form. I had not caught the difference when given the new paperwork. The change was a major one--it took us from having drain tiles, a sump, and a vapor barrier to a full encapsulation and guaranteed dry crawl space. In a flash, Corey had the new materials set to be delivered and he changed his plan of attack for the crawl. The remainder of the project went largely as planned. Corey had his new employee leave the company and was left high and dry to finish the work. He never once complained, but attacked the project with renewed vigor. He finished the job ahead of scheduled and with 1/4 of the crew he should have had. His communication was top notch and he constantly updated me on the status both verbally and with pictures. The crawl space looks fantastic and it is so clean, I was able to crawl down there in a white sweater and come out without a smudge of dirt!

Met with Marty for my foundation. The service was great. He offered a few suggestions to help with moving water away from my property. He mentioned that there were two permanent fixes. One was digging around the exterior of the home and putting a new membrane on the walls. The second was to cut the drywall and put in a new sump pump in the interior. With no significant issues, I decided to hold on the project.

He touted the virtues of his company incessantly - I felt it was a hard sell and a bit of a snow job. I don't remember how much the charge was - $90 may be high.

Getting the inspection scheduled was the biggest problem. Lots of phone tag and didn't seem to know what we were cakig about even after repeated calls. Once the inspection happened we appreciated the professionalism and information. will use them for waterproofing the basement.

Advanced R&W came to see my house an hour after I called. (Competitors in contrast told me that they were so backed up with our record rainy summer that it would take days or weeks to view it, and months to actually complete the job.) Advanced promised to get my work done in more than 3 weeks (after I would have left town for my new job)....and then they showed up 5 days later to actually do the work before I left! I was thrilled and stunned...because now I have work complete and I can leave town knowing that it will all be OK. My drywall contractor can make its repairs early next week, and we will be on the market mid-month....instead of a month later, as a I first thought when Advanced bid the job. I was skeptical at first when the crew showed up to do the actual work, because they were all very young. But they were extremely professional, very tidy, diligent, polite, and top notch. when I asked questions, they kindly explained the process to me and respectfully took time with me. When I saw wet soil neatly piled up on my concrete floor, I questioned if the floors would be clean when they finished. THEY WERE...better than I would have expected. When I asked about the new sump pump well liner that was raised slightly higher than the level of the main floor (which would keep a potential future leaking hot water tank from draining toward the closest sump pump well), the team leader said he would return one day next week after the concrete dried to trim away the excess for me at no charge. I cannot say enough great things about my experience with Advanced. I am leaving Indy in a few days confident that my basement will be dry, my home will be safe, and my future buyer will have no surprises. HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

This project went really well. While it did take a few trips to finish the job, these guys seem to have nailed it thus far. They came back to fix the output of the complimentary downspout, redid a closet section where there seemed to be water that may have come through an old coal shoot (which they then sealed), and confirmed that my gutters happened to be clogged. It has since rained harder than in 7 years, and I have had no water in my basement. I highly recommend this company if you are planning on proofing your basement.

On June 27th, I contacted "Advanced Restoration & Waterproofing" to determine how quickly they could visit our home to determine the origination of a leak in our basement (we had several puddles of water in our basement after an extensive rainfall). When Marty Mainzer finally returned my call, he stated he was "extremely busy" but could probably get to our home Monday (this was Saturday), I told Marty I would be out of town that week and that I also did not want to leave standing water in our basement. So we agreed to schedule an appointment for July 13th; on Wednesday, July 8th, puddles of water again appeared in our basement, I contacted Marty to see if he could come by, he indicated it would be "at least 8PM" before he could arrive, I indicated this was fine; at 8:45PM we heard nothing from Marty, I contacted Marty and he asked if he could come the next day, I stated "Sure." The next day, July 9th, I contacted Marty to request an estimated time, Marty responded, "This evening, I will let you know." At 6:45PM I contacted Marty and told him not to bother, I will contact another company. Marty responded he was on his way, I told him not to bother. When a company offers 24/7 service, you would think they would have the ability to provide 24/7 service...not Advanced Restoration and Waterproofing. I pre-paid the $49 special offered on Angie's List...Marty promised me a refund, which I have not received.

Marty was the tech. He was awesome and very knowledgeable. Very professional!

It was fine. Their presenation was less than professional. We didn’t end up using them. What we need was above their capabilities.

Marty Mainzer came out to look at two cracks in my basement. We walked through all 3 floors of the house looking for signs of foundation related issues (primarily cracks in drywall that would be a result of sagging of the foundation). There were no visible signs inside and there were also no signs outside of the bricks shifting (another sign of foundation issues). Marty also took some measurements with a level to ensure the basement walls were straight. He was very professional and determined that there was no work necessary to shore up the foundation. I feel Marty was very honest with me about ARW's minimum cost of services and didn't try to sell me on any work that wasn't actually necessary. He was even kind enough to provide recommendations for concrete repair companies that he's worked with in the past. Overall it was a very pleasant experience and I would consider using them for any future basement needs.

I needed a quick quote for some mold remediation and correction to water in a crawl space for a home I am negotiating to purchase. I called on July 13 and spoke to an individual there and explained my situation and the urgency for a quote. She indicated that "Marty" would call me back. When I did not receive a call by this morning, July 14, I called again and left another message with a different person. The day is over now and I did not hear from anyone. I am going with another provider. The reviews were very positive about this company and that is why I attempted to contact them. I am very disappointed with their responsiviness.

In short, he was honest and helpful. We would definitely call him again if the problem was something his company did service.

Marty called right away and scheduled the appointment. The day of the appointment he was going to be late and called to let me know and we agreed on a different time. I felt he was very conscientious and polite. Marty did the inspection and I felt it was very thorough. He did a good a job explaining what needed to be done and what it would cost. ARW's estimate was the highest of the three estimates I received to encapsulate our crawl space. They also do not insulate the band board of the crawl space when they encapsulate the space which all my research showed that it should be done. Although I really like Marty and thought the inspection was very thorough we decided to have the work done by a different provider.

I cannot "sing their praises" enough! First of all, they were competitively priced, especially when I took advantage of their discount for next day notification, but most importantly, their work was first-rate. There were some unique challenges to the job that weren't discovered during the estimate and initial stages, but Mike Bird was adamant about making it right, at no extra cost to me. It required several extra trips to the house, and extra expense on his part, but at all times he was professional, responsive, and determined to do the right thing. I would, without a doubt, hire them again, if I ever need similar services in the future!

I don't recall the name of the rep but he was about 30 minutes late. He did a cursory inspection but spent most of his time seemingly preparing us for what would likely be a pricey quote by telling us how good the warranty is, how many jobs they have done and talking in generalities about they problem and his solution. He indicated that he could provide the estimate for installing a drainage system around the base of our basement walls but that his boss would have to come and analyze the bowed wall situation. He had very primitive tools to measure the walls and floor (a tape measure and a paper folder to show the bowing of the walls .... other companies used lasers and digital measurement devices to precisely determine the extent of the wall bowing.) Although asked many times by both me and my wife, he never gave us a clear definition of the problem or his proposed solution. At the end of the appointment he said he would go to his truck and prepare a quote which he would email and to me and he would alert his boss to come do the inspection for the bowed walls. We never heard from anyone again. No estimate. No follow up. Nothing. I would normally follow up with a call to see if we dropped off their radar but this was such an unsatisfactory appointment that I had no interest in pursuing this situation any further. They seem to have done a lot of this type of work but this experience was a real bummer and I would not recommend them.

There were some delays is getting it scheduled and miscommunication between owner and workers. Workers worked very hard. Did have to come out and make some repairs to poorly laid concrete pads.

Good work done in a timely manner.

It went well. They showed up on time. The warned about the mess the job would create. Everything was true.

The inspector was courteous, prompt and went over the results in detail.

Well, they are very professional and courteous.

Met this company at the home show. Less than a week later they contacted us. Came out immediately after contact to give us an estimate. The quote we were given was prompt and reasonable. Much better than any other company we had come out to look. Once the contract was signed they were here that Monday to start. The crew of Matt, Cory, and Randy were very friendly and knowledgable. We were somewhat skeptical because of their ages, but soon found out they knew exactly what they were doing. Their professionalism was excellent and their work ethic was fantastic. They were easy to talk to and readily explained anything we didn't understand. The amount of work they accomplished amazed us as we weren't used to contractors doing what they said they would do. This group of workers even went above and beyond what they were paid to do. I would recommend this group to any and everybody that needs this kind of work done. If we ever need any work done again we will definitely be calling this company. They did what they said they could do and then some. Once again can't say enough about how pleased we are to have found this company. Very impressed. Anyone that uses their services will be very happy. We certainly are. Thanks again Matt, Cory, Randy and ARW.

It went great. As spec'd, on time, no surprises, no cost overruns. Everyone I have been in contact with at the company has been top notch - professional and friendly. The timeline was as advertised, the finished product is exactly what I expected, and the transformation has been amazing - I have a usable basement now! I am shocked at how quickly such a small team accomplished so much, including clean up. Honestly, the price was unbelievable and I feel like I took advantage of them! If you think it's too expensive to have your basement waterproofed, call ARW, it really is affordable and you too can have the peace of mind when the spring rains don't seem to end or the next snow melt is accompanied by rain. I only wish I had done this sooner.

There wasn't an additional cost. The information that we got from them wasn't helpful.

The inspector was very courteous and made helpful suggestions.