Basement Masters Waterproofing

Great! Would hire again.

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We contacted Basement Masters Waterproofing to resolve a persistent issue of water entering the basement during heavy rains. Randall Butterfield showed up for the estimate. We showed him the area and gave him a general idea of where the water was entering. He recommended solving the problem best through an exterior system that entailed fully waterproofing the outside of the house where the water was entering. We knew an exterior approach was the most costly option and asked if there was a cheaper option that would solve our problem. He explained an interior approach that we were more comfortable with, primarily due to cost. Randall took a few days to work up the proposal. They started the work a week after approval and the entire job was completed in one day. A lot of contractors in the area have scheduling difficulties. It was a relief to have the work started on such short notice and this was a serious factor in choosing this contractor. Everyone showed up on time and Randall introduced the workers before heading off. Randall came back later in the day to check on things and he called after the work was completed, to check if I was satisfied. This was a nice surprise - how often do contractors call you to ask if they messed up? Walter and Denny handled the waterproofing work. Quiet, methodical, hard-working guys. A pleasure to deal with. They think on their feet. They encountered an existing drainage pipe while digging the trench and tied it into the new sump basin. Their work is immaculate and they hid everything within the wall cavities, so when the drywall goes up, you see nothing! Travis handled the support column work. Really friendly and polite. He worked very efficiently and completed the work in a short amount of time. The work is superb. I placed a digital level on the new column - 90.0 degrees all around, plumb within a 10th of a degree. The guys did a great job cleaning up after themselves, in regards to the materials they were working with, but I do have one minor reservation. I asked Randall during the estimate and again before the start of the job, how they would control the dust kicked up during the job. He explained that they would hang plastic sheeting around the work area to keep the dust contained. However, no plastic sheeting was used, resulting in a thin layer of dust covering the entire basement at the completion of the job. Note: Please read this section in full to understand why you should choose Basement Masters Waterproofing. The day after the work was completed, we noticed water starting to pool in an area very nearby the work they did. It was dry outside, so the water had to be coming from somewhere else. I called Randall to let him know about this. He scheduled Walter to come back the next day to take a look. Walter arrived on time, thoroughly investigated the area, and determined that the water was coming from a leak in the adjoining bathroom. Let me emphasize that this leak was completely unrelated to the work that Basement Masters Waterproofing performed. Randall called back once again to make sure that I was comfortable with the final product. A+ for Responsiveness.

The project manager, Randall Butterfield, was phenomenal! He was professional, thorough, timely, clear, and extremely helpful. Walter (the crew leader) supervised the job with no problems whatsoever. His crew was appropriate, well-trained, and respectful of my home and lawn area. There was little to no noise (and this was important for me since my office is in my home). They arrived every day at exactly the same time. The job was completed in the time frame indicated, even when they had some additional work to do. The possible extra expenses were explained in advance and were very reasonable when completed. They ran into one problem, and were able to accommodate it in the time frame stated. My home looks *beautiful* in the crawlspace, with a new entry way and door. Mr. Butterfield, Walter, and the crew were exceptional. The work is top notch! I had my son crawl under there several times and he was very pleased at what had been done. I recommend them highly for anyone who needs to waterproof their crawlspace. You do not want to miss the opportunity to have a Class A company like this handle your project.

The price they gave me was kind of high. I did not find anything unusual about them. I wanted to find some other alternative before I went ahead and tore out an entire basement.

Rnadall Butterfield contacted me about providing an estimate, showed up on time on the day specified, and gave me an extremely competitive price. He was great to work with throughout the process and was extremely nice to my kids (he even let them read him a story). He was helpful with pros and cons regarding different options, and I valued his expertise. His workers showed up on time on the day specified and even stayed late so they could complete the project in one day. I was impressed by the professionalism of everyone I dealt with at the company.

Randall came and met me and my mother on a Friday, and had an estimate back to me in a few days' time. They were able to fit us in before a large project, enabling us to get it done within a week or so after signing the contract - very fast! He explained the process and options to me in detail. We walked around the outside of the house and decided that although exterior work was better, with all the obstructions, it would be very labor-intensive, so he recommended interior work instead. They dug a trench around the entire perimeter of the basement, and move the sump pump to the corner (out of the way). They removed some old shelves that were in the way. They removed and re-poured the exterior staircase landing and connected the drain to the drainage trench. They installed vinyl sheeting to seal the walls (he explained that painting would not work because of the age of the block and the fact it had been painted previously) and routed them down into the floor drains. They worked around all of our mechanical equipment (saved us money detaching and re-attaching). We did not price other companies' services, but their price seemed reasonable for the work and equipment they were including.

It was a very positive experience. Randall spent the time to determine the causes and provide recommendations for correction. He did not try to sell me on very expensive repairs to fix minor problems. He provided some lower cost alternatives that other contractors which I could do myself or get help with. The result is I will do some of the work myself and save several thousand dollars. I will probably have the contractor he recommended do the sidewalk repairs. I would certainly do business with Basement Masters Waterproofing if I have any future basement problems.

First a little background information - this work was done just a few weeks after the epic 1,000 year flood of September 2011. I spoke to some companies that couldn't even come out to give a quote until December let alone do the work. One plumber told me his minimum was $10,000. I had heard horror stories of waterproofing rip-offs, and the climate (no pun intended) seemed ripe to fall victim to a scam, or at least sub-par work at inflated prices. I obtained four bids before choosing Basement Masters. Randall, the owner, initially gave me a verbal ballpark estimate that was several hundred dollars higher than another quote I'd received. When I explained this, he said he'd reconsider and get back to me with a written proposal. To my surprise, he not only matched the lower quote but came in several hundred dollars lower than it. His proposal was extremely professional and thorough, with detailed diagrams of the proposed work. He initially wanted to use a store-brand pump (due to Zoeller shortages caused by all the flooding), but he was more than willing to accommodate when I insisted on Zoeller. He also upgraded me at no charge to smooth PVC pipe rather than the usual black corrugated pipe. I am a tough customer to please, and I felt that he really bent over backwards to make me happy. The Basement Masters crew, led by Walter, was extremely pleasant and hard-working. Inasmuch as a man digging through mud and rock under a basement slab can be meticulous, Walter is meticulous. The trench he made was smooth and tidy. He was careful to lay the pipe just right as if he were working in his own home. When inferior drain tile was accidentally delivered, he drove to Maryland to find the good stuff. The inferior material would have worked similarly, but he was set on doing it right. Although I know they had no shortage of work at the time, they didn't rush the job or cut corners. I do have some parting thoughts for anyone looking to have this sort of work done. First, you should know going in that this is not for the faint of heart. It can be very disturbing to have a foot-deep trench around your basement and to come face-to-face with the dirt under your house. If your basement is finished, the framing and drywall along the bottom foot will have to be rebuilt (by you or a contractor). The dust will be intense - shut of your furnace and seal everything with plastic! We created a "bubble" of plastic around the work area and also used a fan to vent the air out. Second, test the system. I poured water into the sump pit to test the primary pump. I then cut the power to both pumps to test the battery backup. An alarm should sound when the battery backup kicks in. You want to make sure everything is working right! We have had several rains since our system was installed. I have seen and heard my system doing its job. So far, so good!

A home inspection revealed some evidence of previous moisture issues in the crawl space of the home we purchased. In addition to encapsulating the crawl space, we also wanted to replace the sump pump and put in a dehumidifier. After doing a lot of preliminary research online about what each process entailed and getting a feel for prices, I called three companies for quotes. The first called to confirm the appointment, but never showed up, the second was ok in terms of the rep they sent out, but their price was through the roof and the third was Basement Masters Waterproofing. Third time really is a charm! Randall Butterfield called to confirm the appointment and showed up on time. He inspected and measured the crawl space and also looked over the outside of the house to survey how water drained away from the home. He explained how the installation would work and was great about answering questions in a way that was very easy to understand. Within a day, I received a very detailed, professional project proposal that included diagrams and photos that again explained the process. We were scheduled within a couple weeks for a Saturday. Randall had a crew of two with him (Walter and Dennis I think) and all three worked so hard in less than desirable conditions (July heat/humidity in Washington!). They were very respectful of our home and time and did a great job of protecting the floors and cleaning up. After just a few days we noticed a marked improvement in the way our basement smelled and now - a month and a half later - the damp, musty smell is gone completely. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking to encapsulate a crawlspace, replace a sump pump or install a dehumidifier.