Hydra Basement Waterproofing

The 3 workers, Mark, Richard, and another performed superbly. They worked very hard and in a timely manner. Mark explained everything as they went along. They shielded the rest of the basement from the dust created by the work and did a good clean up afterwards. They have excellent work ethics.

I was having problems with the air quality in my house...just a vague odor, but also had been having "winter nosebleeds". I originally called another well known, highly publicized company to check it out and give me an estimate. This company said they didn't see any mold/mildew, but did see some indications that the space had been wet. They recommended encapsulating the crawlspace to prevent future problems. Their initial estimate was $14,000! Clearly outside of my budget, they downsized what they would do (not installing some extra padding, etc) and quoted $9,000. I decided to get a second opinion. I called Hydra, based on the Angie's list recommendations. Pat Kirby, the owner, called me right back and set up an appointment to check out the crawlspace. He went down himself and spent twice as much time as the other company (who sent a sales person, by the way!) He thought he detected the same odor I had and some indications there might be mildew. In addition, he felt behind the insulation and it was wet. He recommended spraying it first (said that he would never send his crew into a space that he felt would cause them a problem and that my problem wouldn't be solved by just encapsulating it without the spraying). He also quoted a price for $3900 for the same thing the other guy said would cost $9000. He assured me he had a great crew, same guys he always uses and that they were great. Rather than get another quote, I went with Hydra. I felt very comfortable with Pat and what he was telling me and I felt that this was an honest man. The crew arrived promptly on the date and time we set up and sprayed the first day. Before starting, they laid protective coverings on my floors and covered up all of the furniture, clothing and other items that might be affected by their work. Over the next few days, they removed the old insulation, plastic and rocks, cleaning up after themselves each day. Pat was here on the first day and checked in periodically. His foreman was on vacation, but he also stopped in to see how things were going. They finished earlier than planned. Also, I have an odd schedule, and they worked around that. About a week later, I discovered a wet spot on an inside wall near the garage door. I called Pat and explained that I had never seen it before and that I was worried that his crew had drilled thru to the outside, letting water in. He came that day and checked it out. He felt that it was unlikely that it was caused by his crew, but sent his foreman and crew back to look into it more. They went into the crawlspace and found it completely dry. Unwilling to leave it at that, even though it clearly wasn't anything they did, the foreman decided to find out what the problem was. He found an outside downspout that was overflowing and also pointed out that my gutter needed to be at an angle. In the pouring rain, he decided to find out why the downspout was clogged, again, something that was well above and beyond the scope of the job they had done for me. He dug where the drainpipes would be and within minutes, he found that when the house was built, the builder did not seal the drainpipe properly. The darn thing had slipped apart, flooding water not only into the area at the front of house, but causing the downspout to back up. Not content, he decided to check all of the other downspouts and found 3 more that were clogged. Even worse, he found that the sump pump never was connected to the drain to the street and that was why my crawl space was probably getting wet - it was just recycling the water vs. moving it out. The quote was VERY reasonable considering what they were probably going to have to do - dig until they could find where all of the blockages were and replace the pipes. Again, they arrived as promised, even though it was still pouring rain. They were able to find all of the problems and fix them within just a few hours. They replaced several sections of pipe and cleared the downspouts. The sump pump alarm was installed. My drains all run freely now out to the street and the garage is dry, as is a spot in my yard that I could never figure out why it was always getting a puddle.

He was excellent. They were really neat, clean, prompt and very trustworthy. I never felt uncomfortable having them in my house. One guy took away my ping pong table for me. He is very honest. He doesn't sell you stuff you don't need. He comes in and looks at your basement. He is just really good. The people who work for him are very good.

Hydra, LLC were very professional, friendly and quick to respond. They're easy to work with.

I called Pat Kirby and he came by and gave a fair estimate which I approved. the following week his crew of 4 men came out. One who was Mark, the lead person of the crew. They dug a trench in the basement and installed the drain pipe. While they working in the old coal room, I asked Mark if they could possible to dig deeper several inches to make level with the rest of the basement floor. Mark accepted to that for a fair price. He then poured gravel and concrete on the floor with a smooth finish. I asked what they could do to the walls because they were dirty. Mark suggested using a parchment cement that I agreed to. Upon reviewing the outside sidewalk. It was lifting the house and rain would seep to the basement. I asked Mark if they could to do the job. To my surprise he said "yes" and did that job as well. The walls in the basement were partially covered in mold and I asked Pat if they could take care of that and he suggested vinyl sheets to be installed. They sprayed the wall with an anti fungal spray to kill the mold and mildew and then installed the vinyl sheeting. The double pains windows I had were not weather efficient, I asked them to install glass block to a price I agreed too. All and all the work Hydra did for me was beyond my expectations. The men and crew along with Pat were more then willing to take on extra work which was not originally planed. I know I could not find another company that could do the work in the professionalism and competency they did. My basement know looks great instead of the old dungeon it looked before. I would strongly recommend to anyone who is looking to get their basement waterproof to refer to Hydra, two thumbs up!

Overall this company was teriffic. Pat was very detailed in his estimate. He and his crew addressed all of my wants and concerns immediately. He was very patient with my questions. The crew cleaned up at the end of each work day. I never came home to a mess. They even remembered to close the gate so the dog wouldn't get out. I feel they even went above and beyound my expectations. When I noticed that the crawl space they had cleaned and wrapped seemed very cold, they pick up some insullation and placed it for me.

Pat's crew was extremely professional, competent and full of helpful advice as I picked their brains on how to finish my basement without having to spend a lot of money and avoiding the hazards that befall so many finished basements. They completed the project in a single day and cleanup was great with them leaving my basement cleaner than they found it. There were several times throughout the process when I had concerns where I expected I would have to spend more money on fixes and Pat and his people both passed up the work, giving me simple DIY remedies to save me money. It always feels good when you find a company that you trust and can confidently give all of your future business to. Hydra is one of those companies and I highly recommend them to everyone.

I was very pleased. I called on a Friday, he came on Saturday to look at it, and then the men came on Tuesday to do the work. They were really good. They didn't fool around, showed me the work, and explained what they were doing. They were thorough, professional, and very nice. I would highly recommend them to other people.

When I called Hydra, Mr. Kirby made an appointment to come and inspect our problem. He was prompt and developed a solution for our situation. We had a virtical crack in our poured concrete wall from the top to near the basement floor. The estimate was very fair for the work that was outlined in their estimate. An approximate date was established for the work and Hydra's lead man (Mark) came on time and along with his helper did a very good job of performing the work and cleaning up. They were all A+ in my book. We are very pleased.

They had to dig holes through the concrete for each post. This was a messy job with a lot of dust. They blocked off the rest of the basement and basement door with plastic sheets and tape to minimize the spread of dust. They also cleared most of it. This worked very well and I had to do minimal cleanup after they were finished.

Hydra was a pleasure to work with. Pat Kirby provided very helpful guidance on how to effectively ensure proper drainage away from the house. The work was completed promptly and professionally.

Hydra did a great job. They came as scheduled, did the work promptly, cleaned up very well, were very responsive to one communication breakdown, and were always courteous and professional. For the driveway, Hydra did a very good job of preparing the bed, shaping the driveway, anchoring it to the house, sloping it away from the house, modifying the grade to the street, and finishing it. They have a regular crew that obviously has worked together for a long time and this showed in the quality of their work. For the front steps and walkway, Hydra gave the walk a nice graceful curve and made the steps longer to make them easier for those with walkers to navigate. A great improvement and a nice look. For the drainage, Hydra did very good job. Our basement is now dry and we no longer develop a pool in the back which in the winter would become an ice rink. Our neighbor is also pleased to have no water problems from our property. We are very pleased with their work and would recommend them to anyone. Nice job guys. Well done. Thank you!

Pat was just great to work with. He seems vested in the entire project from beginning to end, his guys made quick work of it and kept the mess to a minimum. His quote was FAR better than any others and he didn't strong-arm you at all like some of those basement folks. He knows what he's talking about and we got what we paid for and then some.

Although Pat was the lowest estimate, that was not the deciding factor in selecting Hydra for this job. I noticed a few things during the estimate process that gained my confidence in Pat and Hydra, as a homeowner who had not dealt with these basement issues before and needed to find a contractor who would guide me and whom I could trust. The things I noticed during the estimate process that affected my decision included Pat’s attentiveness – answering all my questions, his patience - explaining his recommendations without talking down to me – his honesty – several larger, more well-known basement contractors immediately got “shown the door” for trying the alarmist sales pitch approach and one big name company wouldn’t even step into the basement when they arrived for the estimate due to the mold and standing water, and his conservative approach – selling me only what I needed. The recommendations from the various basement contractors varied widely; not knowing basement work, I had to make a final call based on my comfort level with the contractor. The mold was dealt with in a safe and expedient manner. Pat showed concern for the safety of his crew during this process. He was careful not to spread mold to the rest of the house by establishing a barrier and taking the moldy drywall out the basement windows. The wall supports that Pat installed were very different than the carbon straps and fixed pillars recommended by the other contractors. Much of Pat’s work, including this task, was necessary for me to move forward with the remainder of the flip – I could not have a new water line installed until the front wall had been shored up by Pat, for example. Pat was very aware of this and respectful of the time table. The water problem proved to be a complicated, multi-factored issue. I’m not even sure I can remember everything we had to do to finally get it dry. The electricity had been off in this house for two years – meaning no working sump pump, the main water line had been broken for at least that long - allowing the basement walls to be chronically saturated with water, the mature trees in the yard had clogged the sewer lines with roots – preventing drainage. It was very possible that the damage done to this basement by all this neglect was beyond repair. We first installed a top-of-the-line, quality sump pump. The basement floor was trenched to allow for drainage. Pat also brought in very expensive dehumidification machines, which at least one of his larger competitors doesn’t even own, to assist with drying the basement. When the walls still showed dampness, Pat came back and drilled weep holes in the cinder blocks. Again, Pat and crew cleaned up any mess meticulously. When I received an offer on the house, Pat willingly came in, at no cost, at the prospective buyer’s request, and was able to convince the buyer that the basement was a safe, dry place and that the supported wall was structurally sound. All said and done, Pat stuck with this job through several months. The bill ended up being 25-30% of what the “big boys” would have charged for a quick two-week appearance with a much less satisfying result. Pat’s knowledge, attention, and calmness throughout the process of our first flip house made a very tough process much easier than it would have been otherwise. I am very glad I chose Pat Kirby and Hydra to fix the issues in this basement. He will be the first person I call anytime I need basement work in the future. I only regret, and apologize to Pat, that it took me so long to write this review. Please consider this a Page of Happiness review for this company!

An excellent experience. I contacted Hydra thinking I wanted exterior foundation work. Pat did not recommend that. He came back a second time and explained what was happening to cause the leak. I could better see what he was talking about once the basement floor was removed. Pat's crew was very efficient and flexible. They were friendly and took precautions to see that the rugs and hallway were protected before starting work. They worked hard and left hour cleaner than when they entered. Everything we wanted done was completed on time and as scheduled. We were very pleased to have this work accomplished.

Owner came to our home to determine why our basement was getting wet when it previously had not. He determined our sump pump had been inoperable for a long time. He installed a new sump pump and made sure our radon mitigation system was still operating correctly after installation. Also suggested a battery back up for when the power goes out. The man who did the work accidentally let our "escape artist" cat out, and he immediately called me to let me know. He also spoke with neighbors who were helpful in keeping an eye on the cat until I could get home. The owner even called to follow up and make sure all was well with our cat!! Could not more highly recommend this company for any work you need!! He is honest, ethical and just a darn good hearted person!

I called Pat Kirby after being told by another company that I had extensive wood rot and water damage in the basement due to a broken faucet on the outside of the wall. I was told by the other company that the structural integrity of the wood was comprimised and it was not safe. Im not a pro and know very little about water damage but I knew just from looking at it that the damage was not as bad as I was told. Pat Kirby came out and after inspecting the wood told me that the damage was so minimal that nothing needed to be done. The wood is in no way compromised and my house is structuraly sound. Not only that, but he caught another water issue in my basement that the other company missed completely. he told me what was causing it and how to fix it on my own. It was very clear to me that Pat knows what he is doing and was not going to take me for a ride with this. Pat is a very honest and trustworthy man and even gave me the name of a good plumber to fix the broken faucet. PS. Pat did not charge me a dime for anything. I can breath easy knowing that I will not have to spend thousands on an issue that does not exist. THANK YOU PAT!!!! HYDRA IS A COMPANY BUILT ON HONESTY AND INTEGRITY.

I have had a couple service calls on the sump pump and they take care of take it within couple days.

The job went great, and I would recommend them to anyone who is considering waterproofing in their home. They were all true professionals who made the job seem easy.

We have a condo in Westerville that we frequent in the summer to avoid the Texas heat. The condo has a finished basement and a very large crawl space. The condo is only 7 years old but the builder elected to "finish" the crawl by putting down a plastic sheet (on top of the dirt) covering it with gravel. This is probably OK by code but by definition it tends to let Mother Nature into the house in terms of moisture and (potentially) critters. A dehumidifier in the basement ran a lot as a result and when it wasn't running there was a musty smell. I called Pat Kirby at Hydra after getting a quote from another franchised company who also does crawl space encapsulation. The other guy was a salesman and not a basement/crawl space expert. Pat told me things I didn't know about our situation. He recommended putting drain tile along the far crawl wall and tying it into the drain tile. He explained in great detail what needed to be done and how much it would cost. In the end, his folks did more work for less money than the other guy. I was more than satisfied with the result. I now have a sealed crawl that can be used for storage without fear of damaging moisture. I've yet to check the precise humidity levels but I'm sure they are much reduced. His team arrived on time, protected my carpet and hardwood floors which lead to the basement and cleaned up after themselves. The work took just over a day to complete. Pat even made a special trip after the work was done to bring me some of the special sealant tape "just in case" the liner was ever compromised. Although not in the original estimate, on the day the work was done, Pat recommended the area be sprayed with an anti-mold spray -- just in case. That added $350 to the cost and was probably worth it but I would have preferred it were included in the original quotation. At the end of the day, I am a happy customer and would recommend Pat and his team to anyone looking to have their crawl space encapsulated!

The overall experience was excellent. They were punctual, responsive, and professional. I would use this company again.

Got lots of estimates. Pat was very informative. Everything went as he said it would. It was a hard job. No water now, area smells clean, sump pumps are going on and off as they are suppose to. Getting rid of water has (so far) helped with other problems like bad odors and bugs. So glad we had the work done and so glad we went with this company. They did what they promised to do. No surprises. Easy to work with.

For many years, our unfinished basement was a problem when it rained hard. This past very wet spring, the situation deteriorated rather quickly. The wood stairs began to rot and became rickety. With a hard rain, water would flow out from under the bottom step and wend its way across the floor toward a drain. Two of the walls were damp and moldy, and we began to notice an unpleasant odor. Clearly we had to do something. From Angie's List, we learned about a company called Hydra. They installed a waterproofing system for us and built a new staircase, with a handrail on each side. Every step of the way, they treated our home with great respect, taking care to keep noise and dust to a minimum. The trench in our yard is hardly noticeable now, and with the seed they put down, grass will cover it completely this spring. Pat Kirby, Hydra's agent, and Mark Gohring, the production manager, were fantastic. In fact, it was a pleasure to deal with everyone on the crew. The Hydra company deserves the highest possible rating. We nominate this contractor enthusiastically for the Super Service Award and for inclusion on the Page of Happiness.

We approached Mr. Kirby first on what we thought was a minor matter and he brought something else to our attention, which was important and we were unaware of it and we ended up doing that business with him. If you are rating him an A to F, then I would stress he should get an A+. He was amazing and I would absolutely do work with him again. We called another person off of Angie's List as we were calling several people to get bids. This one gentleman tried to diagnose things over the phone and sounded as if he wanted to get rid of us, which was weird. He wanted to push us off. Then I called Mr. Kirby and he had similar concerns, but he offered to come and look at it. Our concerns were legitimate and he did not dismiss us, unlike the other person. The other guy was so dismissive. He fixed our original concern which was a couple of hundred dollars and he ended up getting another $6000 worth work, on top of it. With every penny he was kind, gentle, professional and I give him an A+. In the basement, the builder didn’t build proper drainage as he was negligent, and Mr. Kirby caught that, which he addressed and fixed an unfinished basement without going into major detail. We were able to finish an unfinished basement with a clear conscience that we were not going to have water issues. I had a very good experience with him and will keep him in my prayers. I can't say enough about him. I will continue to use him in future.

The job went great--Pat kept my husband and I informed on any change in plans