Frontier Foundation & Crawl Space Repair

Great--Josh was friendly, informative, very professional.

Frontier Basement Systems / Dr. Energy Saver did an amazing job with our attic! Our house is 95 years old and was in desperate need of insulation in the attic and around our second floor. The summertime temperatures made the space nearly unusable in the afternoons due to the high temperatures. Consequently, our air conditioning system could never keep up. We consulted with a handful of companies before deciding to go with Frontier. From the beginning, they involved several different project managers, foremen, and technicians to assess our job. After a couple of design proposals and revisions, they crafted the approach to insulating the attic to include it in the conditioned space, as well as spraying the walls of our second floor knee walls to complete the enclosure. This proved to be a complicated and challenging project and required the use of multiple types of material to do it correctly. We have to give huge compliments to their “spray foam specialist” Dakota Brown. Dakota used his expertise to develop the perfect plan for our project; he then went to work on executing that plan. His task was not one for the weary since he had to work behind walls, in the attic, and in some VERY cramped spaces, in the heat of the summer. The end result has met our expectations. We’ve had a few hot days in the 80’s and low 90’s since completion and our air conditioning system seems able to keep the space at the desired temperatures. I am sure we’ll experience the same result when it comes time to heat the space this winter. We met with several companies who proposed multiple ways to complete our project, at a range of costs. In the end, we were confident in Frontier’s ability to deliver on their proposal and achieve the results we sought. They aren’t the cheapest option; HOWEVER, we do believe they are worth the investment. We definitely recommend this family owned and operated business based right here in middle Tennessee! Thanks to Dakota, Dustin, Layne, Judy, Russ, and the rest of the team at Frontier!

Logan is an excellent technician. He checked out the unit that was not working and explained it would need to be replaced and the cost for a new unit. The unit is expensive, therefore the B rating under cost, it does a good job so it needed to be replaced. The new unit was installed and we were up and running in one visit. Logan is a pleasure to work with on time, considerate, knowledgeable, and professional.

Great!! Tristan was extremely professional and kind and did the work actually faster than what was projected.

Pump was checked and rubber sleeve maintenanced. Moreover, with moisture ratings excessively high, had a dehumidifier installed and as Logan had noted, the basement is now completely dry! Fantastic results - I appreciate Logan's insight and guidance on how to arrest the moisture challenges I have dealt with. He provided some great suggestions for long-term solutions. He was very thorough and explained all of the steps during the maintenance visit.

Excellent. Logan came early- always a good thing in my book! He is very personable and professional. He displayed great knowledge and was very informative. We learned some things about our system that we hadn't known before. Would not hesitate if he was our service tech again.

Great! The guy that came and performed the work was Josh. He was amazing!! So great to have such a nice guy, who really knew his stuff! People like Josh will keep us as customers for a long time, and I will send anyone I know that way!

Frontier basement does excellent work and we really appreciate their followup service to verify pumps and drains are at 100%efficiency.

They show up on time, they were neat, and they cleaned up after them selves.

These guys are great from investigation and discovery of the issues at hand, to implementing the systems needed to stop the leaks in basements. They were very helpful in helping us decide what to do, based on what was needed, and at the end of the day, made sure that we had everything in order and the work is top notch. Roger was an awesome foreman!

Dylan and his crew were professional, courteous and worked quickly and efficiently.

We continue to be glad we had the encapsulation done (cleanliness, moderate year-round crawlspace temperature, lowered humidity, etc.). Technician Allen E. called when leaving Clarksville, arrived a few minutes early, checked the area thoroughly, found a couple of holes in the liner apparently chewed by mice, repaired the damage, added a bit of reinforcement to some taped edges, took before and after photos which he showed me, remembered to turn off the light (!), and gave me a clear report on what he had done. Look forward to having him do our next maintenance visit—probably in 2 years.

FBS utilizes a proprietary set of products called CleanSpace. Before my consultation, I received a booklet in the mail that was full of before/after photos, product descriptions, but no prices. It felt like a sales pitch was coming. The inspector was on time, and polite. However, the actual inspection didn't reveal the issues I expected at all. The inspector tried to convince me that the small amount of mold I had on the joists (the house being over 30 years old), was going to cause catastrophic events including termites if I didn't fix it asap. The moisture levels, which he took photos of on his meter, were below what termites need to thrive, which I happened to know before he told me this. So that was untrue. There were product videos as part of the sales pitch. The tactics FBS uses are to instill a false sense of urgency to try to convince you to spend high amounts of cash on a product that (on further review) may cause more harm than good. On top of this, at the point in the pitch when I told the sales person he was over double my budget and that I wasn't interested, he asked me if "I had a boyfriend who could help pay for it". I told him that I was his client, and he had no business dealing with anyone but me. He called his supervisor, who when informed the proposal was overbudget ALSO (unprompted) asked if I had a boyfriend to help pay for services! I could not believe this misogynistic treatment IN MY OWN HOME, as their potential client! After telling him that his offer, products and prices were unreasonable, he tried to haggle. They offer 5% off if you sign up to begin work, but you have to agree before they leave. Not even 24 hours to consider the proposal to get the 'discount'. He began removing services to try to nickel and dime the cost down, but that would eliminate products and services that had been "essential" moments before. I told him this still far exceeded my budget, and I wouldn't be using their company. Within a week, they had mailed me brownies...which admittedly was a nice sales gesture, but I declined while he was still in my home so I'm not sure why he bothered. Then I received a text from him, at which point I declined politely again. THEN I got an email from his manager. I politely declined yet again. A 2nd email from his manager later, I finally lost my patience, telling them exactly why I would never choose their company. Today I have received my 3rd email, and this is getting downright harassing. Their company employs unethical tactics, and has no respect for me (and undoubtedly) other women who would be their clients. I have told them nicely, and my patience is done. BE AWARE. BE CAUTIOUS. And if you're a woman, don't even bother calling them.

Needless to say I was upset when told that our install date was the following day. Someone from the office had called earlier in the month to ask to change the date from the 13th to the 12th. I said that we could not do that and that I wanted the original install date. Whoever I spoke with then changed the install date to the 14th. They then proceeded to explain how this was my fault. As I'm being put on continuous hold, I ironically hear the hold recording asking "Are you tired of contractors not showing up?" It wasn't just the mistake that they made, but also the poor way they handled it. No apologies or soothing sounds of any kind. They just wanted to make me believe it was my fault. No one wanted to speak to me initially because I told them I was upset, not that it wasn't obvious, so they just kept putting me on hold. I want my money back and I will find someone else to do the job, even if I have to pay more. Again the biggest indictment isn't that they screwed up the date, although that was bad, but how they handled the mistake.

Jason Atkins serviced our Waterguard system. He was punctual, arriving at the exact time of appointment. Jason is by far, the most personable and professional tech from Frontier in the eight years we have had the system. Jason is very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. He explained every detail as he went along and even showed us a few things we can do to get ahead of any problems before service next year. I would not hesitate to recommend Jason and Frontier Basement Systems to anyone.

The provider was kind enough to offer a convenient Saturday time to meet us, look at the basement, and give us an estimate. We received materials prior to the meeting explaining the solutions available and the gentleman had us watch a couple of videos to understand where the water is coming into the basement from. I like the sump pump solution that Frontier offers, we just want a couple more estimates and have not had the work completed.

My wife and I were not happy with having to take on this project. After all, who wants to spend a bunch of money on their crawlspace? However, we do like knowing the air we are breathing is free of radon and mold and that our foundation and crawl space area will be kept dry and solid for years to come. I want to say right away that we were very pleased with how this project went under Frontier Basements' oversight. This project started with the work of Aaron W. and his assessment of our crawl space. He took me under the house and showed me all the issues we needed to address. He was thorough in his explanation and his presentation of all the options for how to address our issues. He made us feel confident in their abilities to correct our issues right from the start. The project went great. Matt T. was the crew leader and he and his team were professional and great to work with. They completed the project on schedule and checked in with me for my input on it as the project progressed. The initial plan for the relocation of the crawlspace entrance didn't end up looking great when they actually started all the cutting so Matt developed a new entrance plan on the fly for my approval. Matt took the problem as an opportunity to develop a creative solution and we were very pleased with the outcome. A rep from Frontier Basements contacted me multiple times throughout the week to make sure I was happy with the team's work and to check if I had any concerns. I was impressed with their customer service. The only thing I wasn't initially happy with was how they did the floor joists portion of the project, but after hearing my concerns they sent Matt back out with a team to correct the issue to our liking. Their responsiveness to our concerns was appreciated. In hindsight, the only thing I would do different on this project would have been to request that some of the rough grading under the house be smoothed out more. (It may have been an option they offered and we missed.) We have some un-level places in the crawlspace area that aren't easily seen now that the crawl space area is completely sealed and it can hurt to hit them with your knees. They literally make the crawlspace area of your home "clean space". Our radon has been tested and is no longer an issue. We have already begun to store bins of clothing down there. I've even joked with my wife about putting a TV down there for my boys and I to have a true "man cave".

Maintenance on our basement drainage system.

This is the first time that I've written a negative review, and this is only because Frontier Basement Systems (FBS) has left me with no other option. To date I'm down approx $2,343 through my involvement with FBS; but in addition to that, I also feel a duty to warn others about what are, in my opinion, the unacceptable business practices of this company. What follows is a summary of my personal experience and my opinions on the behavior, competence, and professionalism of FBS. Your experience may vary. In September of 2015, we invited bids which included FBS. In October of 2015, FBS gave me their assessment. During that visit, I explained that we observed paint blistering, white powder on the walls, and some water behind the electrical panel. The FBS salesman said that the problem was due to hydrostatic pressure caused by water which penetrates and fills the voids in the concrete blocks and that if he drilled a hole in any of the blocks, the water would pour out, and that the FBS system solved that problem using weep holes that they would drill at the base of each column of voids in the blocks. He also said that the weep holes would drain that water into a plastic channel installed along the perimeter which would transport the water to a sump pump. He said that once the walls were emptied of water, I could repair and repaint the walls without concern for future problems. FBS product claims (along with the videos) were very convincing and after a few days we accepted the proposal and the crew was scheduled to begin work. The crew arrived on 1-25-16 and began jack hammering the affected wall perimeter. Near the end of the day, after the slab along the entire length of the two affected walls had been opened up, the foreman showed me a problem which prevented them from continuing as planned. He explained that when his crew had attempted to drill several weep holes in the wall, they found that all of the blocks were filled with concrete. He drilled several more holes along the walls, high and low, and all points tested were core-filled. The foreman then called the FBS office and returned with an offer to add a plastic barrier over the walls (gratis), which in combination with a dehumidifier at substantial added cost, and exceeding street price by approx $800, would contain the moisture and hide visible defects resulting from moisture penetration. I called a professional geological engineer to ask for additional guidance. He advised me not to accept the offer because it would create a breeding ground for mold. I later learned that building codes effectively require that masonry unit basement walls be core-filled whenever there are more than 8 rows of block and that this standard is or should be known by virtually all contractors in this field. In our last face to face meeting, the FBS owner told me that he was aware of this standard. The wall of my basement visibly falls within this criteria. In my opinion, at the outset, FBS should have directed me to another solution. At minimum, I believe that I should have been warned of the greatly reduced efficacy of installing perimeter drains alone. At the time of the original assessment, FBS did not even bring this matter to my attention. In a later meeting, the owner said that if they drilled enough holes, they would find at least some voids in the wall. Why would anyone knowingly accept a solution wherein there is a strong likelihood that only a small percentage of the problem would be corrected? I subsequently met with both FBS management and with the company's owner. Neither admitted any responsibility. Although the FBS crew and salesperson have been very professional, virtually all phone conversations and face to face interactions with FBS management subsequent to discovery of the mistake have been met with varying degrees of unprofessional, aggressive and even combative behavior; the worst of which was surprisingly and disproportionately exhibited by the company's owner. Not surprisingly, written communication, i.e. on the record, has been civil. In conclusion: FBS sold me a solution that cannot be completed. This resulted in a cost to me thus far of approximately $2,343 and serious cosmetic effects on my property. Conveniently absent from the written agreement is any reference to the weep holes and their purported benefit. If you decide to do business with FBS, make sure that prior to giving them your deposit, *absolutely everything* that was discussed and promised is included in the written contract. Customers that are considering using Frontier Basement Systems should be aware that, in my experience, this company's leadership behaves professionally ONLY up to the point that anything goes wrong. Based on my personal experience and opinion, customers should probably expect that any problem that arises out of poor execution on their behalf will be handled coarsely and fully at the customers expense. I will never do business with Frontier Basement Systems again, and I certainly would not recommend FBS to anyone else.

FBS completed the jobs in a timely, professional manner. I could not be happier with Matthew and his crew. I would highly recommend using FBS for any basement or crawl space need.

Overall, the job went well - almost ENTIRELY due to the very professional and detail-oriented foreman, Mathew Todd. Our crawlspace was a challenge in terms of negotiating the tight space and maneuvering around HVAC ducting and size. Very narrow height/elevation at front of the house. The hiccup? We believe the company underestimated the challenge and scope of the job and allotted only 3 days for this job with 3 workers. (We waited 2 months to get this job scheduled and underway) The crew was great and worked very hard every day. Everyone was aware that the job would take longer than 3 days, once they got underneath the house and the job commenced. We were a bit irritated then, that the company pulled the foreman off the job on one of the days, to go elsewhere before our job was finished. We don't think the schedulers realize how insulting it is treating a client with this sort of disregard - especially when the customer is spending such a great deal of money. It was a slight set back as the two other workers seemed to need continued direction from the foreman (perhaps they were new to this work?) However, as most things do, it all worked out. Matt was the glue that kept it all together and earned our trust and confidence. We ended up having some plumbing problems - problems unbeknownst to us - that this crew brought to our attention (THANK YOU MATT) and we had to work around that for one day. Although we ran into a few inconveniences, all in all, it seemed the company did work with us as best they could regarding completion time. I certainly appreciated that an administrative rep phoned daily to check on our satisfaction. But every single day seemed a little excessive and perhaps redundant. But it was fine, she was very nice. Better a call than none at all, right? That's good business. It took nearly four weeks for a quality control inspection. I got the impression that the inspection would not have been scheduled had I not called to talk to Production Rep Rachel regarding an invoicing matter. (Rachel was always very cordial and helpful). Can't be sure that I would have gotten a call eventually, but no one called me in the interim... I called them. When the job completion inspection was finally done, the inspector found a few small items that needed attention. Matt, the original foreman, was here the following Monday to attend to them. He was apologetic that this job was not completed absolutely perfectly! He then took care of the items quickly, and re-inspected the entire job. Done. Would I hire them again? Of course I would. Even with the several 'hiccups', this is the best contractor experience I've had in a LONG time.

Representative was very friendly and knowledgeable. While this seems like a house improvement worthy of consideration its cost makes it difficult to justify w/o more information and estimates from other providers.

I no longer feel a draft on my kitchen floor and the bedroom is already warmer. I loved the fact that this was so cost effective. Since my home was built in 1929, I had been terrified that all kinds of a big overhaul (like replacement windows, etc.) would be suggested--i.e. that I would be oversold. Chad even showed my handyman some places where caulking under old windows would help. Again, Fernando and his crew were terrific!

Andrew was the service technician. He arrived on time and was very polite, friendly and professional. He checked to make sure my triple safe sump pump system was operating correctly and determined that a new battery was required to power the backup pump in case of power failure.

Service provider was polite and professional. Cost was outrageous.