Newborg Drainage & Landscaping Company

I had basement water problems. I had several contractors provide quotes. Two wanted to install a sump pump at a much greater expense. I talked to the city and they suggested that often the problem is related to exterior drainage rather than underground water. Newborg came out and identified a problem with the settling of the soil near the house creating a detention area for water next to the house. The quote included detailed drawings of what they recommended. I was able to use the drawings to obtain the permission of the homeowners association and neighbors. They were even willing to come back out one more time to go over the quote and work when I had questions. The workers arrived on time, got to work and finished quickly. They were polite and cleaned up before they left. When I noticed that they would plant the bushes back again after digging through the new graded soil, I asked them to raise it further before planting and they did. I had been warned that often, even when the slope is good, you can punch holes through the non-porous soil with the plantings. It wasn't a problem and they took care of it. I waited to post a review until after a hard rain and I don't see any more problems in the basement. It was a cheaper, common sense solution that appears to be working. It may not be right for every water problem, but the landscaping efforts appear to work for me. I put a B on the price only because it felt like a lot of money, not because they didn't do a lot of work. It was still one-third to one-quarter cheaper than a sump pump system.

They did a great job. We had probably nine different companies that we interviewed to come out to the house and make proposals. Newborg Drainage & Landscaping Company’s philosophy was to do it right and not to do any more than they had to do. They expected that they could fix the problem for me outside of the house rather than coming into the basement and tearing up the basement floor and spending thousands of dollars. They were professional. They did it when they said they would and they were done when they said they would be done. They followed through. They stayed in touch afterwards. Their price was competitive. We would use them again in the future if necessary.

I was very pleased with the experience. Richard, who did the preliminary evaluation, was knowledgeable and carefully analyzed my yard. He provided some low-cost options as a first step, which proved very effective. There was no effort to push expensive or drastic measures. The work crew arrived punctually, worked hard, and completed the work fast. They particularly excelled at removing every bit of the bushes they took out, so that nothing grew back from missed roots. They worked neatly and showed respect for my property. I was impressed that they had such diverse skills - grading, construction, heat pump unit elevation, and pruning. The crew were managed by a team lead who communicated well with me on how the work was progressing. I would definitely use Newborg again for this type of problem or for other landscaping services.

We had a basement wall crack repaired with Newborg. Pablo initially came out to assess where our water leak was coming from, he immediately said he believed it was a crack and traced the crack back to the root of the problem. We were told work would start no more than 30 days from the date of contract signing, but in actuality it started probably a week and a half after that, however, we did experience quite a bit of rain during this time so we were expecting the delays. The crew came out and worked from 10am until about 9pm NON-STOP. I was actually a little concerned that they weren't taking any breaks, they didn't even come in to use the bathroom! They were a VERY hardworking group! The only issue I had was that the guys worked until 9pm without letting us know they job was going to take that long. My husband and I both had to work the next day, and I think it would just be professional to have let us know they were going to be working that late. I understand they were trying to get the work done in one day because they were behind on their schedule but a little communication goes a long way. I can't speak fully to the quality of the work just yet, but the guys definitely did what we expected to be done based on our contract.

evious landlord. Newborg cut out the wall (which the waterproofing people refused to do) and athere was the problem! They fixed it up in a matter of 2 days and I haven't had any problems since. Just as Pablo said! I first saw them in the Yellow Pages and then learned about them through Angie's List. I would definately recommend them to anybody with water problems in their basement.

They seemed to know what they were doing and completed the job. It seems to be working.

The sudden appearance of a sink hole in your yard and driveway is disconcerting to say the least. The usual cause is a broken water supply line or a leaking sewer line, but after three trips by Fairfax County staff it was clear that the cause was something else. I invited four vendors to provide estimates on a project to fix the problem. One vendor simply walked away, two others proposed open ended efforts with the total cost determined by what was found during initial work. Newborg sent an "engineer" who provided a fixed price to do a series of things that made sense. The cost for this was $75, to be refunded if the work was done. Only in the event of the discovery of a much larger problem would additional cost be involved. The Newborg analysis was correct and the work described above was done.

They did a very thorough inspection before proposing the remedial work, which i thought was imprressive. The estimator spent at least 45 minutes out there. The work was done as scheduled. I was on vacation so I can't speak about how the work went. Everything was left looking impeccable.

NEWBORG DRAINAGE & LANDSCAPING COMPANY Newborg Drainage & Landscaping Company, has done quite a bit of work for me. They were completely successful in fixing the leak in the basement. They found cracks in the foundation of my house. Re-grated my entire lot, and built a beautiful walk way up to my front deck. I couldn't be happier, they are fantastic ! Call them first, and don't bother calling anyone else.

Their approach was very sensible and they did a really first-rate job. They did the job in two stages but we haven’t’ had a drop of rain get in since. I think the crews did a great job.

Previous owners had left flag stone and brick scattered around this area. They also removed that, discovered a concrete landing that former owners had covered up, and used the brick to extend this landing. The results look very nice! It is too soon to evaluate the moisture. They took a while to schedule after I sent in my deposit, but that was not a problem for us. They gave a two-day window, and then came on the third day. Again, this wasn't a problem for us.

I did not hire them to do the work.

The Newborg crew arrived expecting to spend one morning correcting a possible problem with the way the downspout was draining. Instead they had to spend the whole day digging down to the basement footings, installing a french drain there, and digging a 20-foot trench to channel the water down to the driveway. This was pick and shovel work, no heavy equipment used, and included breaking up some concrete on a path and rebuilding that. But even though the job cost more than the estimate, it was worth it. The basement is now completely dry.

Good consulting and report, poor responsiveness after thatn

Took a long time to get the estimate, should have been my first clue, but they came highly recommended. The engineer wrote the job one way, which was to smash the concrete at the curb which required county approval, but when the foreman came out he did not think this was the way to do it and halted the job until we got someone in the office on the phone who agreed with him. The question of why wasn't this noticed before was asked and the answer was the engineer was blind in one eye. I was a single homeowner at the time and found the engineer to be quite condescending of my knowledge of what they were going to do when I asked questions at the job site . At one point, asking if they should speak to my husband to better explain it. Two years later the backyard backed up with water and they came out and started digging (after calling for a week to get someone out with no response as to when) and said there were roots in the drain that they installed and it would be a continuing problem. My question to them was why not install a different type of pipe so the roots couldn't come in. Also, my put it near the birch trees that look for water. The answer, we don't use another kind of pipe. The fix they said was every couple of years to put my hand in the drain and yank the roots out. Really?! That sounds pleasant. I am now having another company put in a solid drain to do what should have been done initially. Oh, and they charged me again to come out and pull out the roots from the drain.

We used Newborg Drainage and Landscaping to put in a french drain after our neighbor intentionally put in a fence and new landscaping that caused an undesirable swimming pool to appear at the top of our basement stairwell. They were very customer-oriented and helpful in resolving our situation (they fixed the drainage problem, but unfortunately couldn't do anything about the neighbor). Overall, we were very happy with their responsiveness, the work performed, and the folks we interacted with that work for the company (at the office, during the consultation, the installation, and the results). Very professional and highly recommended.

They did excellent work and I?ve had no problems. They were very clean and professional and the yard was very tidy when they were finished. They were careful to cut the sod and replace it on top when they were done. I was very pleased with their work. It was not inexpensive but it was worth it.

They were very effective as far as their ability to fix the drainage problem and we haven't had any problem with wetness in the basement. There were some things that didn't go as well. When they rebuilt the window wells they didn't do a proper job the first time around. They basically had to fill the window well with concrete and they didn't figure that out the first time, but they did eventually. They do all right on masonry; it is certainly adequate. As far as the landscaping they had to reseed certain areas and they didn't put down any topsoil. They basically dropped seed on solid clay. You don't see that with people that have experience with landscaping. I would not recommend them for landscaping.

My problem was with communication. The call telling me they were coming came less than 2 days before they wanted to do the work. I had to be at work that day, but they told me that I didn't need to be there. That was a mistakeon my part, they may not want you there but you want to be there so you can see exactly what they are doing, what materials they are using, etc. My lot is small and I expected the work to be completed in 1 day. When I came home that night at 8:30 p.m., there were still guys digging under lights in my side yard! I have no idea what time they started and I found it difficult to communicate with the crew. They left at 9 p.m. and when I looked at the work the next morning, it wasn't what I expected. After calls to the company I was told that the work wasn't completed (but the night crew hadn't said they weren't finished). They came another day (unscheduled) and finished the work. I had a long conversation with a senior manager later and reserved judgement until the next big rain when everything appeared to be fine. Better communication and expectation setting on their part and more oversite on my part would have made this less stressful for all concerned.

Never did get the estimate. Had to hire another company.

I did not hire this company because another company proposed a solution I preferred, but Newborg's price was in line with other estimates I received for my drainage problem. When I made the appointment I wasn't told that the estimate cost $75 (applicable to the bill if I hired them) so it was a bit of an awkward surprise. I gave B for quality and professionalism because the estimator talked a lot about his many years of experience in the construction industry, but he didn't seem so knowledgeable about drainage problems.

The person that came to visit (Richard?) was very nice and thorough. We discussed ideas and options and finally agreed that he would provide two estimates. The first was to be a bare bones regrading and the second a more elaborate landscaping project, each with drawings. Ultimately we only received the latter and that was only after we called and hounded for the drawings. It was as if the person that came to our house was completely different from the person that was tasked with finishing the project. They explained the delay was because of a vacation. That's a totally valid reason except it should have been articulated before the vacation so we weren't left wondering and it does not justify why the first set of drawings were never completed.

They're an excellent company, but their estimate was a little high, so I didn't go with them.

We had used Newborg once before, for clearing exterior drainage, and were satisfied with their work. When they did the sump/pump installation, however, they plugged the opening with a piece of wood and put on top of it a plastic piece with what appeared to be drainage holes. Another company installed the exterior electrical connection (which worked fine). When the next heavy rain occured that area overflowed into the basement and caused extensive damage to the carpet, etc. When we contacted Newborg they blamed it on water flow from the roof, supposedly blocked by the eaves and downspouts. Several excuses. Then we removed the flat, circular plastic covering -- to discover that there were no drainage holes in the wooden plug! Of course water collected -- it had no way to go into the sump! We talked to the lead supervisor (Pablo) and left messages for Mr Newborg, saying they owed us the cost of the cleanup. No response. Then we deducted that cost from Newborg's final billing, providing them a copy of the cleanup company's bill -- and said they owed us an apology. However, not only were they negligent, causing damage to our property, but they also didn't have the professionalism to at least apologize!!! I wouldn't trust them again.

It went extremely well. They were very professional - very much like old world craftsmen, even laying the stones in the dry creek bed with great care and precision.They worked long and hard in the heat of the summer, hardly taking breaks and always striving for perfection.