Value Dry Waterproofing

We bought our 1951 colonial house in July. I'm August when we had all the rain our basement started to leak in one corer. I called the insurance company and they suggested we get a sump pump. At this point we decided to completely gut the basement, put in a drainage system with a sump pump and then remodel it. We interviewed 10 different companies. We heard everything from "don't do anything" to you need to spend $20 thousand dollars to fix your problem. We didn't feel comfortable with any company. Our contractor then suggested Value Dry. Gabe came over and did an extensive review and then a presentation about what they could do for us. It took a really long time but in the end, we felt the best about Value Dry. We gave him a deposit but didn't do the work until January. The first day of jack hammering we found that the block walls were deteriorating because they had so much water running through them for so many years. This was a minor delay. Value Dry assured me that they would fix the walls and take care of everything. The next day of jack hammering they found that our sewer pipe was rusted and falling part. I guess cast iron pipes only last about 60 years. We called a plumber out and found out that we needed our entire sewer pipe replaced from the basement out to the street. This caused a work stoppage for Value Dry but they took it all in stride and once again assured me that when the pipe was fixed they would be back out to finish. A week later we had the pipe replaced and Value Dry came back two days later and completed the job. We had to have additional concrete added due to having dug up the sewer pipe and the deteriorating walls, they were very fair on the price for the additional work. I will definitely refer them to neighbors and friends. We looked at many systems and this one was by far the best.

I called Value Dry on 1/3/2012 and after not getting a callback, again on 1/5/2012, to have someone come out to assess my foundation leak. On 1/11, i finally got a call back to schedule an appointment. The estimator arrived on time. His first question was how long have i lived in the house. The second question was is my spouse available for the estimation process. She was unexpectedly not available (I had planned on her being available), and over the next 30 minutes of inspection and discussion he kept coming back to the fact that if my spouse could not be present, he could not continue to discuss the options, prices, etc. As other reviewers have mentioned, this is somewhat insulting, and reminds me of a time-share sales pitch. Before I called Value Dry, I had already called another A-rated company. They came out, inspected the property and provided written solutions, prices and guarantees, all without my spouse present. I called Value Dry during the process of getting multiple assessments and quotes before proceeding. The estimator left, and I will not be rescheduling him to come back.

I will say up front that it appears that the waterproofing of the basement has worked with a mild rain. But, I was not pleased with my experience with this company. When I went to obtain the work permit for the excavation, I was informed that I needed far more information such as the material that would be used for the waterproofing and drain, a sketch of how the materials would be installed, etc. Since I didn't have that information, I called the owner and told him that I needed more information. He was upset that I tried to obtain a permit and had waited so long to attempt to obtain one. He told me that there was no way that I could obtain a permit in a day. Since the sales representative that I met with was no longer with the company, we needed to reschedule because the owner would need to come out and review the situation and the estimate that was provided to me. He came out about a week later and provided me enough detail to allow me to obtain the permit. With the proper information in hand, I obtained the permit in a half a day. Work was then scheduled once for early December, but had to be postponed for a week because of rain. Once work started, the excavation and installation went well. The inspector was satisfied with the work when he stopped by. When the refill of the hole and clean up needed to be done, Value Dry sent someone out who never goes into the field. He specifically told me this. He arrived with Day Laborers. They didn't have the right equipment. I had to provide shovels so that the guys wouldn't have to work past dark, and they didn't have a level to be sure that the new downspout was angled properly. When I told them that they needed to put a mesh screen over the exiting pipe so that it could continue to provide some drainage, which was a decision made by the Value Dry employees when they dug the hole, the Value Dry employee who was there that day placed it over the gas pipe, which was not even in the vacinity of the hole, and directed the crew to start refilling the hole. When I came outside to check about 30 minutes later and discovered this, they had to redig the hole to locate the original drain pipe. This took over another half hour. They couldn't find the pipe after a half hour, so I finally told them to give up on it. Then they had to start to refill the hole again. All this led to an unnecessarily long day and a lot of additional mess in the yard. None of this was the Day Laborers fault. They were great - hardworking, friendly and very polite. In the end, the work was done. It appears that the leak has been fixed because we have had some rain since completion of the job. However, I was not pleased with the problems around obtaining the permit or the lack of competency on the last day of the job.

We are pleased with ValueDry. We now understand the importance of requiring both spouses to be present when the ValueDry inspector evaluates the house and discusses options. Gabe met with us for 5 1/2 hours. There was an incredible amount of detailed information that would have been impossible to convey in the same manner had one of us had to repeat the explanations. Gabe thoroughly inspected every nook and cranny, crawling in and under every part of the house to get a full and accurate assessment. Previously, we had a structural engineer evaluate our house, as well as other waterproofing companies and Gabe's assessment supported everything we'd been told and even went beyond, in terms of detail, and showing and explaining evidence of the situation. He discussed all the options for addressing the house needs and patiently answered each of our many questions. Once we signed the contract, ValueDry (Jim and Matthew) continued to answer our calls and questions, showing patience and professionalism each time. The first part of the project, the actual waterproofing, took a solid 4 days. Fletcher, the Project Lead, was outstanding in his focus, professionalism, and organization. He did a lot of the work himself and kept the crew moving so everything stayed on schedule. He kept us informed, communicated clearly and consistently, and ensured everything was cleaned up after each work day and at the end of the project. The second part of the project took 7 days, as expected. Chris, the Project Lead for the carpentry part of the project also was highly professional and took great pride in his work. Like Fletcher, he strived to keep the project on schedule and made sure every detail was addressed. We are thrilled with both parts of the project and notice a big difference in how the basement feels and smells. It is warmer, feels dry, and smells dry. We would use ValueDry again without any hesitation and we highly recommend this company to others. For us, this has been money well spent.

After the epic rainfall in the late summer/early fall of 2011, my basement flooded. I had about 3 to 4 inches of standing water and mud in my basement. Water and mud has seeped straight through the cinder block foundation in my basement and filled my basement with water. After a few days of cleaning myself, my son started to have a terrible allergic reaction to the mold that came in with the mud/clay. Immediately, I called Mold Gone (another company that's I've reviewed), who came out immediately to help me clean up the mess and take care of the mold. Soon after, I called ValueDry, hoping to make sure that this would never happen again. Matthew called me and set up an appointment to come out the following weekend. Yes, I've read the reviews where people have been annoyed at the fact that they require both spouses to be home, which is somewhat of an inconvenience, but was an understandable liability issue considering the amount of jack-hammering that was to follow. Matthew was great. Friendly and informative. He's also a great guy (though a bit long-winded, which only goes to show he knows what he's talking about and has passion for what he's doing). After a very comprehensive inspection and consultation, we decided to go ahead. Three weeks later, the crew broke ground (and when I say broke ground, I literally mean they tore into my basement floor). It was loud. The crew was courteous and efficient. One minor annoyance was that on one of the days, the crew arrived almost an hour earlier than expected. I'm not a morning person and couldn't contain my irritation; my apologies to the crew for being short. Still, the crew did a great job and the work does seem top quality. However, as it turned out, the slab floor of my basement wasn't the typical 8-inches as most basement floors, but rather was 12 inches thick. This caused the crew to work harder and longer to get the job done (at no extra charge). But, because the slab was so thick, the jack-hammering produced more concrete dust than normal. The stuff coated everything. This became a problem because the dust was so fine that, after the crew had finished, everything in the basement was coated in this dust (which took 2 full days to clean... p.s., don't use a shop-vac for that... it just kicks the stuff up into the air like smoke). Days later, as the season had just started to turn cold, feeling that the basement was soundly waterproofed, we turned on the heat. Mistake... the excess concrete dust had gotten into the vents and blew the dust throughout the house. I was irate. I called Matthew and Jim and gave them an earful (sorry guys), but both remained professional and Jim offered to compensate me for an additional vent cleaning. Overall, despite a couple snafu's, I'm very pleased with the quality and value of the work. I have a great deal of respect for Matthew and Jim. In fact, I was so pleased with their work and trust Jim as an honest businessmen, I also bought and installed the EZ breath system, which controls humidity and improves air quality in the house. Matt and Jim were great, and while there were a couple problems, this was a major construction project that required jack-hammering up my basement floor, and I appreciate that Jim was extremely helpful and responsive in resolving my concerns. All in all, the installation of the drainage, well, and sump-pump took less than a week. We had to schedule another installation time to put up the moisture barriers. Everyone was friendly and professional. I do appreciate all of their work and help. Great company, great people.

The guys that came and worked were really professional. They explained exactly what they were doing. They were really nice. The one thing I disliked is that now that I am having a person put the drywall back up, he noticed that they did some things a little sloppy. They also cut a stud where they didn't need to so the drywall person is going to have to put up another stud. For the most part everything was really good but my contractor is going to have to do a little bit more work because of them.

We are very satisfied. The system works very well, as the system demonstrated following a big rain storm. A very informative salesman explained our options. The option recommended was not the most expensive. Work started 5 days after initial discussion and took only 4 hours to complete.

We had enormous difficulty in getting somebody out to even do an estimate. They would call and schedule an appointment and just would not show and then call after a couple of days later and then make another appointment and would not show. My husband was ready to pull the plug. I think only with the third try he did come out and finally gave an estimate. I do not recall the quote amount or the approximate date. But it took months to get them to come out and with all the no shows we just did not feel comfortable proceeding with them on the work. It was not a positive experience. What we disliked about this company is that they would not come when they said they were going to come. They never called or changed the appointment. We took time off from work and left us high and dry without any explanation. It was pretty disrespectful. It was an individual performance, not necessary the company, so if they have a different person as an estimator, perhaps we would consider them to provide with an estimate in the future. Update: 11/16/11 Got a phone call from the company regarding this rating. They looked into the situation and acknowledged that they had an overwhelmed estimator who behaved the way they described. Am updating the company rating to a "D" to recognize their ownership of the problem.

I didn’t choose them, but they met their appointment. They were there on time. They spent time at the house. They were very friendly. They quoted me $3800 for their services. They were local and the person was knowledgeable. I would use their services in the future.

The price they quoted me was about $7500. Their professionalism was perfect. I did not select them, but I would call them back if had another issue of any sort. I think they gave me a pretty fair estimate, the price was high.

overall everything was satisfactory

These guys were prompt, patient, hard working, and professional. From the sales guy (Gabe) who came out within 72 hours and did a thorough explanation and walk thru, to Raul and his two crew members who performed the installation, they did a terrific job all around. I chose these guys largely b/c I felt comfortable with the sales person. Previous quotes from other firms came with extremely heavy-handed sales tactics, and one guy I nearly had to kick out of my home. This company was respectful of our ordeal (basement flooding) and were professional through and through. It's expensive, no doubt. However, their quote came under quotes from other firms, and that was obviously a big reason for having chosen them. My basement, which had been taking on so much water, magically stayed BONE DRY through Hurricane Irene and the horrible week of rain we had right after Labor Day. I am even surprised it worked out so well. I couldn't be happier. I would definitely recommend Value Dry.

The quote was high. The guy who came out was professional and responsive. He was out on time. He had done a lot of prep work and knew exactly what he was doing but he was very salesy. He just really wanted the sale. He said if I agreed for the sale that day, he would give me 20% off and things like that. It was a sales technique. He also said if I could save him a trip from coming out for me to make a decision, it would save up money and that he would pass that saving along to me. He made sure that I understood that and he wanted me to agree to it. I think he was getting a pretty decent sized commission and that was motivating him to close the deal. I could tell that he was pushing me for that business. I would not contact them again in the future.

The inspector who came out was friendly and called ahead to let me know that he was going to be a few minutes late. So, I do not have a problem wih him personally, but rather the "company policy" of only talking to both homeowners. He literally walked in the door and asked where my husband was. When I replied that he planned to be there but was running late at work the inspector said he had several emails to answer and would go sit in his car and do that until my husband arrived. Instead I insisted that we not waste time and I would show him the basement while we waited. He reluctantly agreed but barely did more than glance at the spots I showed him and when asked if he wanted to look around the outside of the house replied "no I already know what is wrong". He refused to even start to explain what the problem was or what potential solutions could be, repeatedly asking when my husband would be home and saying he didn't want to discuss any issues without two of us since the solutions were so "complex and had health impacts". Finally he said he would go wait in the car and when he returned to the door five minutes later said his office told him to reschedule. I told him I was insulted that even after repeatedly saying my husband and I had discussed questions ahead of time and I was the decision maker for this project he refused to discuss the problems with me at all. This is an insulting business policy and poor customer service. Not everyone has similar work schedules, and timing issues come up. For something like an estimate they should be willing to work with whatever homeowner is available.

The representatives from Value Dry arrived promptly at 8am to start the work. They started with remediation of the mold and jackhammering the concrete floor to dig the trench for the pump system. They entered into the basement through a window to avoid exposing the rest of our home to the mold and dust from the work. They reported to us at 2pm before they left that the job would take 2 days (originallly quoted 1 day but I knew it would take 2 because of our basement size) and they would return in the morning. Once the wall was covered by the mold barrier and the pipes to the sump pump were installed, the representatives completed a walkthru of the work. They explained how everything would work. Before the work was completed you could smell water in all parts of the basement when you started walking down the stairs so I never went down into my very large yet nice basement. During the walkthru, the basement smelled fresh and I could smell no trace of water. Even now, 2 months later, I can not smell any water in the basement and am enjoying the full use of my home. I am also relieved that the mold is gone which could have affected the development of my newborn baby.

I was referred to Value Dry after an assessment by Dave Robey at Drainage and Erosion Services. I needed to get the work done in a rush since the 1979 townhouse was already undergoing renovations, and had to complete waterproofing before moving forward with the project. Dave at DES made the first call to Value Dry and the Adam the scheduling representative promptly called me back to set up an appointment. (initially it was going to take a week for the appointment, but Adam called back with an appointment for the very next day)Matt came out to give his assessment. The "presentation" was direct and to the point since Dave at DES had provided a full written report of his assessment (good teamwork!) Based on the recommendation and need for speed, I didn't talk to other companies that specialize in waterproofing. (did talk to a concrete contractor who verified the value of the work performed). I was ready to buy, and Matt made the pricing worth my while and what seems to be a good value.Project was all interior, and involved cutting out approximately 30' along the basement perimeter, and installing a drainage system, self-cleaning mechanism and sump pump. The actual work was scheduled for 3 business days later. The crew showed up right on time, and completed the entire project in about 6 hours. Fletcher was a great foreman of the 3 person team. I wasn't there during the work, but Fletcher kept me informed of the progress and I met him there upon completion. The house was already a mess from construction, but they actually left everything cleaner than they found it!

So far, so good. I’ve been happy with their work, and it’s held up well.

Their work turned out really well. Also, I felt that I got deal as far as the cost.

The project turned great! They were neat, clean, and fast.

I cannot say enough good things about them! Value Dry had the best work ethic and professionalism compared to all of the companies we contacted for the project. They estimated the work would take a week, and they finished within a few days even though the scope of the project turned out to be much larger than expected. They did a complete tear down, including ripping out walls, and hauled away all the trash. I feel perfectly confident recommending them to others. Their service truly impressed me!

I was given a 2:00 appointment, at 2:10 I called the company to ask if someone was still coming. The representative in the office apologized for the driver not calling and informing me that he was running late. The technican arrived about 5 minutes later and did an initial assessment of my basement. We then sat down to discuss -- I thought -- my basement and a proposed solution. I was not aware that I would need to allot more than 90 minutes to a presentation on the company and six general solutions for waterproofing a basement. I found it ironic that of the six solutions -- two were not offered by Value Dry, one was not relevant to my situation and one was a builder's solution. At the end of hearing six LENGTHY options -- there was only one option applicable to my situation. (I never received the specifics on implementing this solution for my problem.) I informed the Value Dry representive that I would have to leave after an hour and a half to pick up my children. I said to him that after such a lengthy presentation, I was interested in getting a solution and PRICE for my problem. I wanted something that I could go back to my husband with for discussion and we would make a decision. Instantly, the rep said "Oh, if I would have known you had a husband, I would have suggested we rescheduled until he could be here". He went on to say -- which was supported by the home office when I called to share my experience -- that "we don't want our service to get lost in translation". As he finished packing up his display he had built on my table, he finished with, "we just like to have everyone present". My bottom line...after 1 1/2 hours, I did not have a proposed solution from Value Dry nor a cost to consider for a solution. I was really geared to go with this company after the research I had performed, but their lack of respect for me as a potential customer, without my husband being present, changed everything. As I stated to the representative at the home office, it may be Value Dry's preference to have all parties present but it is not their call! Deal with the potential customer you have in front of you -- preferably without insulting them as if they cannot collect information and render a decision to you. Additionally, representatives should be able to assess a perspective client to determine the level of information to share -- and I don't think it should ever take 1 1/2 hours before getting to a viable solution.

We talked to one of the head salespeople on a Saturday, who was willing to work with us to install the bare minimum to save on cost, with the option of adding on features at a later time. The crew came in on the following Monday to prep the area, and again on Tuesday to do the installation. On Monday, there was a minor glitch with a misunderstanding about what might be required for the project, but we were able to work it out over the phone with the salesperson. So far, the system has functioned well after each MoCo flood warning, and we see water being pumped out and no water in the crawl space. We did not have them install a backup pump and battery because it would have costed an addtional $800, but we plan on having them come back to install it this summer. They did a good job of keeping our house clean, even though our crawl space was muddy when they did the installation. I would use them again, and plan on contacting them to install a backup pump and battery when we can afford it.

The work crew arrived on time on the scheduled date. They carreid out the preparation work quickly and efficiently. The installation and cleanup was completed within 3 days as agreed upon. The team supervisor went the extra mile to ensure that the family room exceeded my expectations. Overall, the job was done very well and the crew performed admirably.

Jim Ketterer inspected our crawl space and thoroughly explained what he planned to do. It all made perfect sense. The space was unusable before, and I worried about mold growing down there and drifting through the house. He emphasized that ValueDry's work is backed by a lifetime guarantee. I contacted him several weeks later and he was willing to negotiate on the price, which cinched the deal. He and his professional crew completed the work in two days without causing any disturbance to our home or work schedules. I was particularly impressed that he came and worked himself, ensuring that it was done properly.

We have a finished basement which has suffered from water coming into the corner at the base of a stair well. We contacted Value-Dry as they appeared to be one stop shopping, tear-down, mold remediation, basement repair and build up. We sent the company an email via their website describing our problem. They promptly called back to arrange an appointment for an inspection. Company representative arrived promptly. He evaluated the situtation and thought the problem was below the slab that would require jack-hammering out the slab and replacing parts of the drainage system. We thought otherwise as the problem occurs sometimes when the sump pump runs. We wanted to have them tear down the wall and find out what we see. Rep finally agreed and said that his company would take care of it the follow week and that he or his forman would call on Monday to set things up. There was no follow up call. We called the company a couple of times including leaving a message on the rep's cell phone. They never followed up. I am guessing that w/o the basement floor tear out, the job was too small. The proper thing would have been to return our calls, state why they could not or would not do the job and possibly recommend someone else. Like most consumers, we understand that businesses can't necessarily do everything that they are asked. If they had called us back, they could have gotten further recommendations from us. Not the case now.