Friday, April 8, 2016

Things To Consider in Hiring A Waterproofing Company

Waterproofing is only required by the IRC "in areas where a high water table or other severe soil-water conditions are known to exist. Waterproofing is usually required by building codes for structures that are built at or below ground level. Waterproofing is defined as the treatment of a structure or surface to prevent the passage of water under hydrostatic pressure. This post will talk about ways that waterproofing can be used.

Hiring a Basement Waterproofing Company - Top 5 Things to Consider

When hiring a basement waterproofing company, there's many things to take into consideration.

What To Look For in a Basement Waterproofing Company:

1.  The Solution

There are multiple ways to solve a basement seepage problem.  Look for a full service basement waterproofing company offering a wide range of services.  Stay away from those who only offer a one-size-fits-all solution.  If all they can offer you is Interior Drain Tile, run.  It certainly has its applications, but you don’t need to buy a new car if you only have a flat tire.

2.  Years in Business

Most basement waterproofing solutions come with a warranty.  If they haven’t been in the industry for at least 10 to 15 years, they haven’t had the experience of surviving our erratic weather patterns and economical cycles.  Many companies have only been in business for a few years.  What good is a “lifetime warranty” if they’ve only been in business for 3 years?

3.  Online Reviews

Anyone can get an ad in the Yellow Pages (especially these days!).  Or a savvier company might even have a website.  Don’t assume just because they have slick marketing that they make good waterproofers.  At a minimum, check out these websites:
Better Business Bureau:
The BBB does not provide customer reviews, but it does provide a A-F grade for each company.  It’s relatively easy to maintain a high grade, as long as you respond to your complaints (we’ve seen companies with hundreds of complaints that still have A+ ratings).  The number of complaints are somewhat relative to the size of the company.  Over the past year, we’ve had only 5 complaints.  Compare that to the TENS OF THOUSANDS of customers we’ve done business with.  The odds probably fall somewhere between getting struck by lightning and the Cubs winning the World Series!  Click this link for a more in depth look at the BBB's rating system.
Angie’s List:
Angie’s List is a terrific website providing thousands of customer reviews of service companies.  You must, however, pay a fee to join.  We are a multiple year winner of their Super Service Award.
 Google:
The big “G” needs no introduction.  Type just about anything you want to into the search bar and all the information you need is right at your fingertips.  For example, try googling “(company name) + complaints”.  If you can’t find much about the company, chances are they haven’t been around very long…  or just not many people have used them!  Show of hands for those who like eating at empty restaurants?

4.  Industry Recognition

Try contacting those “in the know,” such as builders, realtors and home inspectors.  Good work travels fast; bad work travels even faster.  We’ve conducted seminars for home inspectors and realtors educating them on how foundation waterproofing relates to selling homes.

5.  Company Infrastructure

It’s pretty easy to get into the basement waterproofing business.  Yellow page ad - check.  Some store bought materials and a rented truck - check.  Sounds easy.  There’s so much more that goes into being a successful basement waterproofing company.  Computers, phone systems, inventory, vehicle fleet, office staff to name a few.  You’d be shocked at the facilities some of our competitors work out of.  We’ve even gone as far as installing a back-up generator on our roof.  Why?  Chances are we’ll lose power exactly when you need us - when it’s raining!  Before hiring anyone, you might want to make sure they’re not working out of the back of their truck. 

This should be enough to get you going in the right direction.  We take a conservative approach to solving basement waterproofing problems, and as a result, have built a network of referrals second to none.

 Accordingly, the benefits offered by waterproofing are far more important than the cost. The material used by us for waterproofing are of high quality standards. The experienced professionals at AAA Waterproofing Pros are here to help.

No comments:

Post a Comment