Northern Basement Systems

I strongly caution anyone considering doing business with this company. I gave them a deposit of $4,428.65, and when I canceled a week later they kept almost $900 of it even though my service was not for another 6 weeks. You do sign a very simple, clearly stated document that says, “Should you cancel beyond three business days, you understand your deposit is non-refundable. Northern Basements may choose to refund depending on cancellation circumstances.” I fully acknowledge that I canceled a few days outside that window, but I hoped an honest company that cares about customers and referrals would choose to provide a full refund. I am a sucker for hoping that. They chose to risk my impression, referral and review for $885.53. If nothing else comes out of this, I hope everyone reading at least goes in knowing that this statement on their contract is a real threat and your deposit is hostage. Even Airbnb’s offer full refunds on deposits within just a few days of people’s arrival date. 3 days to cancel with service not scheduled for 6 weeks out, “C’mon man.” No materials were used. No service workers’ time was taken. The manager justified the 20% withholding as credit card fees, restocking fees, time and resources for the estimate, and administrative fees. I wholly accepted responsibility for the credit card fees and time of Paul, the gentleman who performed the assessment, and I offered to settle at 10%. I still believe any reputable company would have provided a full refund at this point in a project, or at most deduct the credit card fees, because nothing more went into this beyond what would have normally been a free estimate. The further arguments the manager made for the additional fees were the scheduling of their team and allocation of materials for my project. Complete nonsense, especially when the project was not set for 6 weeks away. Because they had my deposit hostage, they had control of how much they decided they wanted to keep, it was completely arbitrary, and they kept almost $900 of my money without providing anything. If they wanted to cover their credit card transaction fees, fine, at most 6%, but the rest is absolute robbery. The only solace I can find in this loss of almost $900 now is that I didn’t spend another $13,000 with them. I tried to call Paul after speaking with the manager to ask if he could do me a favor and try to reason with the manager on my behalf because he seemed like a nice enough guy. No answer. No call back. I will never seek out this company’s services again and I will actively discourage others from doing so but, based on my experience, I expect they really don’t care.

Corey and crew were fantastic. They did an excellent job, were prompt and courteous and did a great cleanup when the job was done. Highly recommended.

The crew did an excellent job finished I two days, left the job site cleaner than it was originally. Kept me informed on every step of the project.

Paul Swann evaluated our foundation problem and referred us to an engineer who provided a detailed repair plan. Unfortunately, the nature and scope of the proposed repair plan was outside the parameters of what Northern Basement System's themselves could provide. We appreciated their honesty and have been looking for a contractor to take on the project.

Excellent support and work quality from initial estimate through installation

Had waterguard sub floor drainage system w/sump pump and vapor barrier installed. Excellent job done by the 5 man Crew That was Headed by ( NEIL ). Went over the project end results with me and Thoroughly answered all my questions. Kudos to all the Team.

We received an estimate from the NBS representative which seemed excessive for the minor water issue which comes in from only one area of the basement. The company requires a 30% down payment for work that would not be started for a minimum of six weeks, but more likely eight weeks or more. When we asked the representative if a building permit is needed, his response was for us to contact the local city hall for information about that and for us to procure the necessary permits, but he didn't know if it is needed. Having worked with other contractors in the area, 1. The contractor knows if permits are required, and the contractor obtains the necessary permits. 2. An initial downpayment of 30% many weeks before work would be even started seemed very high. (This would be over $2,200 for the downpayment.) 3. The excessive design plan was to provide security to the contractor more than the customer. 4. The lack of reviews by current homeowners who have had this company waterproof their basement, was a concern. Only now, has a recent review been added, but it was for a system check up, not an installation. Even on site the representative had a list of 4 to 5 year old reviews. We do not know if this company would do good work, but is the extent of the work their representative has suggested accurate for a minor water problem?

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My house dates back to the 1850s with a stone foundation and dirt floor basement. I had significant humidity issues in the house in the summer, along with a generally musty smell. I called Northern Basement Systems to ask about possible solutions. Salesman Tom and Foreman Matt came out to evaluate the situation and make a recommendation. Matt in particular was very thorough, explained everything, and inspired great confidence. Despite the hefty $8,000 estimate, I agreed to proceed with the job. Not only would this treatment address my humidity issue throughout my home in the summer, but they pointed out that also the sealing of gaps and cracks in the foundation plus the installation of the Cleanspace liner would significantly reduce heat loss and cut down on my heating bills in the winter, as well as improve the general air quality in my home. The team led by Neil arrived on schedule and completed the work in the planned 3 days, including the removal of a significant amount of debris. My previously scary dark basement is now clean, bright, and dry. Since we are now in cold-weather season, I have not yet been able to see the impact of the work on the humidity level in my house in the summer, but I'm confident there will be a big difference. This company was pleasant to deal with from start to finish and I would recommend them without reservation.

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Northern basements was able to fit us in quickly, pulled our crooked cement wall back in-place and sealed the wall to prevent future leaks. The work was timely, communication was friendly and detailed, and price was as to be expected for the large amount of work that needed to be done. We are very pleased with the whole process as well as the results.

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Provider (Chad) arrived approximately 20 minutes late. I had informed the person on the phone that I am taking a partial day off from work and it was imperative they arrive on time (9AM). Provider failed to notice structural failure of the wall before going ahead and giving me a quote for bracing and did not measure the bow of the wall, which is over three and a half inches in a couple of places. When I pointed out the fact that the middle of the wall is now moving independently of the top and bottom course of blocks he went "oh" in a surprised voice and then continued to ignore it. I also mentioned that the wall had been leaking badly since the spring melt started, mainly at front of a jog in the middle of the foundation wall where the sheering is the worst. He did not offer a solution when I asked how they would fix that problem with the repair he was proposing. Attempting the straighten the wall would only make this worse without repointing (they do not do masory work) and without straightening the wall the brace will not be holding the parts that have sheered which will now have more pressure exerted on them as the pressure on the bowed part of the wall (which would have a steel i-beam against it) is redirected in other directions. This is basic high school physics. He also made several comments regarding the house and my situation that were uncalled for "Why would anyone put a porch on the front of the house? So they can sit and look at the neighbors?" "I've never heard of a home inspector paying for something they missed during an inspection". After receiving a survey from the company and mentioning this I did not receive a single followup. Also not included in the price was the removal and reconnection of my back patio to the house which is necessary for excavation. I would need to hire a contractor and a large piece of machinery to move the patio and put it back after or demo the current patio and have a new one built in it's place. Both of the masons included removal and reattachment of the patio in the price of the repair. The biggest problem, and the part I have the most problem with, is that Northern Basement Systems sent a salesperson without the expertise required to tell if the wall could in fact be braced. If you look around you will find that most of the companies offering these bracing solutions are nothing more than franchises of Foundation Supportworks. I would not recommend using this company for anything without a second opinion based on the fact that they sent an unqualified salesperson to my house to perform a free "inspection" and provide an estimate for repair. Taking a measurement of the length of the wall with a laser tape measure is not an inspection. One final note regarding the warranty on the Powerbraces: It's worthless, according to the provided information it only covers replacement of a failed brace, it does not cover additional repairs if the wall continues to move and may not cover anything if the homeowner adjusts the tension bolts in an attempt to straighten the wall further. My reason for the low marks are: failure to show up on time when notified in advance of needing to be there AT 9AM and not offering apology or explanation, making unnecessary and/or demeaning comments about the customer's property, not responding to a less than stellar followup survey, and not providing a person who is qualified to determine if the products and services they offer are a reasonable repair for each individual situation before suggesting it and providing an estimate.

Our house was built in the 1890's. The foundation is stone with multiple generations of mortar in various states of disrepair. Our original plan of interior foam insulation was disrupted by some dramatic seepage on the north side of the foundation. Northern Basements came to provide us with a few options for repair. The diagnostic visit was very informative and the estimates reasonable. We chose the exterior drain option and sent in our deposit. The team that completed the work was amazing in what they accomplished and their very professional demeanor. We also purchased a dehumidifier system from Northern Basements. One year later all systems have worked very well. The basement is dry and we have had no other issues.

So far the wall was removed - the outside area grated and water piping to remove water installed. As we were unable to stay for the completion of the job (the basement floor and the "water guard system") we left it to Matt and his crew to complete with complete confidence that it would be handled correctly. Matt and his crew were 100% professional and worked very hard to make us happy with the job. UPDATE: This is a follow up report - a few weeks ago Cabot had 5.5 inches of rain. Our basement was dry, yes dry! Matt Basement fix worked! I can not express my amazement at the now workable basement. Any little item that might have normally caused me to write a lesser review certainly got over shadowed by this. Sure there little odds and ends that might have have been done a tad better but going from what was a disaster to this! It was outstanding to see a dry and workable cellar after years of flooding! Well done Matt Clark and crew~!

Northern Basement Systems did a great job. The men were professional, hard working,and certainly qualified for the work they did. They cleaned up at the end of each day. They wanted the customer (me in this case) to be satisfied. I am glad that I chose this company for this huge job.

The crew was very professional and courteous and we are extremely pleased with the results!!! They did a great job of explaining everything and cleaning up afterwards, including replacing any of the grass that was removed during excavation. Had a minor issue a few months after the job was completed where the pressure treated frame was absorbing water on the interior after rainstorms. It took about 2 weeks of calling every few days to get a response. They do have a clause in their contract that says they have a 60-day window to respond to customer problems, which seems a little ridiculous. Overall we were pleased with everything except their ability to effectively communicate in a timely fashion.

Learned of Northern Basement Systems at a NY home show; were referred to VT franchise; Mike Dougherty came to review the job for estimate; the work was done quickly and efficiently on 2/18 and 2/19/13.

They gave a really thorough estimate and seemed to know what they were talking about. I contacted them with a million questions after the estimate and they patiently went through them. Then they came back for a second estimate with my brother in law there who pours concrete and reduced the price of the services. They worked quickly and seemed to do a very good job. So far we have had no problems. The Sanidry dehumidifier is an amazing piece of equipment.