Basement Waterproofing Specialists

waterproofed Basement

unknown

unknown

Arrived promptly. Very cordial 5 man team. Professional workers started immediately, worked without any horseplay or slacking. Team members stayed busy the whole time. The supervisor explained the job and kept us apprised of every step. Very fast, very clean and the finished product looks great. They also have a great lifetime of property warranty on the work and material. We couldn't be happier.

This project actually started over two years ago when I visited the Lancaster Home and Garden show and listened to Ed and Debbie (?) plus others give their spiel on how they would waterproof a basement. I called a few basement water proofing firms to come in and offer their proposals and after speaking to Ed, decided to go with BWS. I did tell Ed that this was a long range plan and that I would not be in a position to do the project until Oct/Nov 2013! He understood and patiently waited until I was ready to go. There was no pressure. At the last minute I decided I wanted to change the scope of the project and without another on site visit, BWS agreed to the change and we were on. The BWS team showed up at my house and a five man crew ripped thru the project. They showed up at 8:20 and by 1:30 pm the job was complete. I was impressed with how quickly they did the job but more importantly I was impressed with the energy and teamwork atmosphere. There wasn't any horseplay or tomfoolery but the guys seemed to enjoy the job and had fun doing it. There was a lot of laughter going on as they worked. I even observed a "rock, paper, scissor" contest to see who would haul the cement buckets and I had to laugh to myself. The "loser" went to the task without complaint. Everyone knew what needed to be done and they did it. From the initial putting up plastic to the jack hammering from the laying of pipes and the pump and from the cement mixing and finishing touches, the guys stayed on point. These guys are good. A special kudo to Josh, the on site manager/foreman. I asked the stupid home owner questions and he took the time to explain exactly what he was doing and how the system was going to work. I always appreciate when things are explained to the dummy level and his explanations were clear and concise. He kept the project moving and it was obvious he knew what he was doing. The group who came to my house were polite and professional as were Ed and Damian and everyone I dealt with. If I ever have the need again, which I think and hope I won't, I will use this company again.

They were quick. I needed it done before I went on vacation and they were out in like 2 days and finished up in 2 days. They’re very professional. They actually went into the crawl space and looked at the issue when some of the other companies I’ve looked at wouldn’t even get into the crawl space. Their price is pretty right on. They're really good.

During the estimate stage of the progress, the salesman came out twice to address our questions about the job. The work crew arrived on time on the scheduled day. They did the work well and kept us informed during the process. They performed the work as contracted and completed the project on time. At the completion of the work, the foreman walked me through all that was done and explained the operation of the sump pump and the dehumidifier.

They had a 6 man crew, completed the job in about 9 hours. I was pleased that they did not charge extra when they discovered that our basement had a double thickness cement floor. The crew was fast and courteous, and left our basement and yard clean. It has been about 8 weeks since the work was completed, and we are very happy with the job (basement stayed dry through heavy rain storms, except for condensation from humidity). We had asked several questions while the crew was there, but I forgot the answers to some. I had called their office to confirm a couple of things, and the receptionist promised to get back to me. She was very nice, and did send an email telling me she hadn't had a chance to talk to Scott yet. I sent 2 follow up emails but never heard back from her (which is why I did not rate a 5 for responsiveness and professionalism). I could call the office again, but it's always after hours by the time I get home. The question was about when we could turn our dehumidifier back on, as you need to give the concrete time to set before using it. We have decided to play it safe and not turn it on until after 90 days, which my wife remembers was the magic number for 'doing anything' (like painting and such).

Do not use them! Scare tactics to the EXTREME! The rep is also very pushy and almost did not leave our house unless we signed the contract. He also advised us to do things in the basement that other mold remediation specialists did not recommend, such as moving our sump pump.

Project almost did not happen (we were ready to cancel contract) due to salesman (Ed) who, like another reviewer noted, came into our house and immediately started out with saying that we did not have so much of a water problem but rather a mold problem. As the other reviewer noted, that was hog wash. We wanted the system installed because we had gotten some water in our basement 3X over almost 20 years. The last time was in 2011 after 8 inches of rain in August then Tropical storms Lee & Irene. When Ed went down to our basement, which we use everyday, he stated that he was becoming overwhelmed due to all the mold (he could not breath, and so on). In that we often lose electricity, we wanted a water powered backup pump rather than a battery powered backup pump. It became evident that he had no knowledge of water powered backup pumps. I will say this, I liked the details identified on the contract proposal. Better than anyone else's I'd seen. Now for the job itself: About 6 men showed up bright and early on the agreed upon day. I had assembled a lot of cardboard to help ensure my walls and floors were protected. In that we have only glass block windows in the basement, all excavated materials and new materials had to be hand bucketed via the basement steps and though my house. Hard work, do doubt about it. They hung plastic sheeting along the corridor between the front door and basement. The plastic was about as thin as U can possibly get. This plastic tore quite a number of times and if I had not been present to keep making repairs, it would not have been done. Ed the salesman had stated that they would be using an exhaust ventilation to help remove the dust they would be generating. They brought 2 ventilation units. As the dust was flying, I went down to see how the work was progressing and to take photos (I recommend that anyone having work done do this). I immediately noticed that only one vent unit was even setup though it was not even turned on. When I questioned a worker as to why it was not being used, he tried to tell that it was on but I could not hear it. After I convinced him that it was in fact not on, he did turn on the blower. Subsequently I had to show him that the exhaust ducting was not even fully attached to the blower. He finally get some tape to secure the hose to the unit. I don't get it. They are the ones who were exposed to all the concrete dust. But regardless, with the vent not working the dust had nowhere to go but into my house. Additionally I went outside to make sure the vent ducting was clear but I found that it was aimed straight down into the window well effectively blocking any chance of flow. After the removal of the original basement slab and underlying dirt, they started to install the perimeter piping. This piping needs to be pitched downward towards the sump pumps. I found one worker attempting to force together two sections of pipe that were at 90 degrees to one another with the downstream section being higher than the upstream section. When I questioned him about this he yanked up the upstream section to get it just barely close enough to meet up with the downstream section. After the pipes were layed and stone put down they put down a thin top layer of concrete. I don't know exactly what they did wrong but for the next 2 weeks most all of the concrete had sand coming up, like you were walking on the beach. They did finally come back to spray on a sealer that seems to have helped. Their first response to this issue was that the concrete was not dry though everyone I spoke with (who are knowledgeable about concrete) stated that this condition was absolutely not right and that something had been done wrong. When the leadman came back to spray the sealer on the concrete as well as address other deficiencies such as leaking piping, he was not a happy camper and tried to shift fault to me regarding the concrete. I will say that with all the rain we just got the system appears to have done its job. I heard the pump kick on and discharge water. Having a detailed contract helped with resolving issues and was one of the main reasons we went with BWS. Having the Co. agree to delaying final payment for 30 days was also a help in that you have the company's attention since they had not been fully paid. I would also recommend that, with any contractor, pay with a credit card in that it gives you rights that would be difficult to exercise otherwise. Lastly, I believe that a company should conduct, at the very least, a follow-up call just to be sure that they have a satisfied customer. Never once did this company call except as the result of my calling them. Just does not seem like a good way to do business. I will also say that they came here early, worked hard, and were out the same day (for better or worse I'm not sure).

Everyone was very professional and helpful. The person providing the estimate made sure he understood what my goal/objective was and then provided the available options. He worked with me to get the best system for my available price range. The workers were very friendly and professional. They installed the system within a few hours, and the affected area was cleaner than it was before they started. I would definitely use this company again!

We had a long crack in the basement wall on the outside below a window well. We would have water in the basement through the crack when it rained hard. They dug down about 5-6 feet to the footing of the house, sealed the crack with a tar, sealed it with heat, used a stainless steel plate and bolted it over the crack, then refilled the dirt. Our house was built over a quarry, so it is full of large rocks in the soil. It took them a long time to dig the dirt out. They then cleaned up all of the mess, were very professional, and we have had NO water in our basement since. AWESOME company.

They had to come out twice. The first time, he charged $2400-$2500. Then the basement still leaked and then he came back out and that was another $2200. That was like over $5000. I thought it was a little on the high side. They did a lot of work. The owner had promised to give me a warranty on the work and he was going to have his office to write the guarantee for me so if I sold the house it would go to the next owner because I do have a real problematic basement. I never got that from them. When I told them about the second leak, they came right out. I kind of feel as though they should have anticipated what they were looking at the second time around when it was leaking. It's like the wall between the basement and the crawlspace, there's like a 2 1/2 foot wall of concrete. It was jeopardized and has holes in it I guess from erosion. I just think that if they're in that kind of business, they should have anticipated a problem. I don't know if they could have or not. They were very punctual and very responsive. The lady in the office is very good and I spoke with the manager/owner. They were very professional in the way they approached me and the property. They did a couple of extra things for me, too, which the owner said they would do, which was nice.

We first met with Ken from Basement Waterproofing Specialists at a home show in our area. After speaking with SEVERAL waterproofing vendors at the home show, Ken was the ONLY provider who actually listened to our description of the problem we were having (which was NOT a flooded basement, but rather was what appeared to be the seeping of outside water through the basement cinder block walls in the middle of the wall). Ken did not try to offer a solution to a flooded basement (sump pump, etc) as all the others on that day, since we had NEVER had water in our basement and made that clear to all the vendors we spoke to. Needless to say, we had Basement Waterproofing Specialists come to our home for an estimate as soon as possible. The estimate was thorough, and although the cost for the work needed seemed to be high (I had never had this kind of work done in the past so had no frame of reference for the costs), we negotiated a bit and were provided with a full breakdown of all the costs and a complete understanding of what work was to be completed and why it was necessary. Never once were we "upsold" or made to feel that we had a dangerous situation in our home. (scare tactics that I hear sometimes are used on homeowners were NEVER used on us by this company). The estimate process was informative and thorough and we felt confident that the job would be done well by this company. We were also assured that there would be no "additional" costs once the contract was signed. The company stayed true to this promise and we never paid one cent more than what were were quoted! We agreed to have the work start as soon as possible and the crew arrived 2 days later. Although they had to travel almost 3 hours to our home, we live in NE PA, they arrived in the morning and worked well past 5 each day (one day they were here until 8PM!) We were told the work would take one week and it was completed by noon on the 5th day. The crew that was sent to my home were professional, pleasant, respectful, and very hard working (it was as cold as 10 degrees outside, yet they worked all day digging and even shoveled some snow one morning to clear the driveway for their vehicles). I was home during the entire job and at times, I could hear them singing while they worked!! They discovered when they dug up the ground to waterproof one section my home, that the sewer pipe had been leaking (despite the fact that I had the water company had come out in september to check for leaks) and showed me the leak. I contacted the water company who sent out a crew to address the pipe, since I pay for sewer and water line protection insurance. Scott, from Basement Waterproofing called me to discuss the situation and gave me valuable advice for my discussion with the sewer company repair contractor. The foreman on my job from basement waterproofing (Tom) worked with the sewer contractor and coordinated the work efforts so that I did not incur any additional costs or delays in either job. Again, it was a pleasant experience for me! Although having your front yard dug up at this time of year is stressful, I have to say that I had the most positive experience dealing with ALL representatives from Basement Waterproofing. Scott, from the office called me regularly to check on the job and Tom and the crew working here were fantastic! When they worked inside my home, they were clean and I never had to clean up any outside dirt from them when they left. They stuck to their quoted work and actually completed an extra item or two at no additional charge that came up during the job. I have already recommended Basement Waterproofing Specialists to my friends and neighbors and will continue to do so! We are VERY satisfied and would like to thank them for a job well done!

They were in and out in one day. They were very clean and friendly. I was amazed by the work that they did. They spell out everything they are going to do in the contract and they stick to that work. They were very neat and they were careful around our belongings.

I was very happy with everything with the exception of the day they were supposed to come, I took off work and they didn't show up until the next day. There was a miscommunication, but besides that I was happy with the service, it was a good investment and they cleaned up after themselves.

They did a very good job. I was surprised that they could find a way to stop water that I have had for years.

They did a nice job of tying the sump pumps together so that if one were to break the other would be able to handle the increased work. They did their very best to keep the dust at a minimum and they were as neat as they could be. If I had one complaint, it is that work done around our water heater was not done as nice as I had hoped. The system worked well during the hurricane and did what it was supposed to do. I would recommend using their service.

Didn't go at all. We cancelled before they even began due to unethical salesmanship.

The process was painless. the obvious do's are move what is breakable and pack away, don't get in the way once the process starts.

They were courteous, on time & efficient. About 2 weeks after the job we had a torrential rain that would have usually resulted in wet basement. The basement remained bone dry! We are very happy!!

The foreman Pete was amazing! He layed plastic down so the guys wouldn't track dirt in and he even brought me down to the basement to show me every step of the job.

I HAD A CONTRACTOR WALK OFF JOB SAID IT COULD NOT BE FIXED, I WAS REFERRED BY A CONTRACTOR THAT SAID THESE GUYS ARE THE ONLY ONES TO CALL - HE WAS RIGHT. I HAD A BAD WATER PROBLEM AND IN 4 DAYS THE JOB WAS DONE I AM DRY. MY WALLS ARE REPAIRED AND I HAVE NOT HAD A DROP OF RAIN COME INTO MY BASEMENT SINCE THE JOB WAS DONE. PS THEY DID NOT EVEN TAKE A DEPOSIT AND I ONLY PAID THEM WHEN THE JOB WAS DONE. OUTSTANDING COMPANY.

BEWARE...The experience was horrible! I was told the work would take about 3 days because of treatments and drying requirements of the process. When I came home after the first day I immediately noticed they seemed to get much further than they should have in the first day. I also noticed that one of the workers must have cut himself because there was dried blood left on my back door, as well as my back door was damaged and would not close properly. I tried calling them immediately and got no response. First thing the following morning I called again, I was told I would be called right back by the supervisor. I also questioned if the pictures were being taken (i felt at least i had that security). Still didn't here from anyone and tried again and some response we will call you right back, then nothing. Then later I did receive a call saying the job was complete they would be by for payment later that day. I told them there would be no payment until I saw the pictures showing all steps were complete. When I returned home to see for myself everything was completed per contract. I was shocked, they had removed support beams in my basement while working and did not return them, they were laying on the floor. The pump was put in the opposite corner of the basement and about 40' of pipe was above ground wrapped around the room for extracting the water from the house and the basement was filthy it was supposed to be cleaned and power washed. The list goes on, when the guy (barely able to speak English) arrived for payment he conveniently only had pictures from after my first call when the job was close to done and I pointed out all the things that were not complete. He had lots of excuses and put me on the phone with another guy (english challenged) just giving me hard time. I demanded to speak to the salesman that wrote up the contract but he couldn't be reached. Approx. 10pm a knock at the door it was the salesman, I told him to go away and come back at a decent hour. This unfortunately drug out in dispute for another 2 weeks and me contacting a lawyer for advise. Every encounter with these guys they were condincending. But with everything written specifically in the contract they had no choice but to come back and complete the job. Just to mention, one of there excuses for the beams being down was the cement wasn't dry so they couldn't put them back up yet. Yet there hands were out for payment because they were done.I stuck to my guns nd made it right, but no one should ever have to go through that with a contractor.

Workers used plastic to shield the kitchen from the dirt and dust that occurred from jackhammering, when removing the plastic paint was torn from the wall along with a section of the border along the top of the wall. We were not informed that this had happened, we saw it after they had left. Our basement was never cleaned after the work, we had dirt everywhere. While they did cover some items they did not cover a TV, elliptical machine and our washer and dryer. These items were covered with the dust created from the concrete being jackhammered out. They also left a shelf uncovered that we stored food on, the food and a few pots and pans were filthy We were told our basement would be cleaned thoroughly before the workers were done, this never happened.. The workers ate some of the food we stored in our basement without our permission. The workers brought in stones to use in the basement and left many behind including alot in our neighbors yard. Because of our concern for possible damage to his lawnmower we had to clean stones out of both his and our yards. While cleaning we discovered the workers had used one of our shovels because they failed to return it. They also borrowed a screwdriver from us that we never got back. They showed up very ill prepared. Perhaps if the supervisor would have been on site at all times, per our agreement with the salesman, some of these things may not have occurred. We did attempt to call the salesman twice with questions while the work was being done only to have our calls go unreturned. The salesman had promised us if we called him with any problems they would be resolved immediately. I guess that was part of his sales pitch. This overall has been a horrible experience. We are waiting for the company to resolve some of these issues with us but they have been unwilling to come and see firsthand what kind of mess was left. They tell us that our basement will get cleaned up, I say it never should have gotten this way.