Quote:
Originally Posted by bluewin888
basement has mold and water coming in..
quoted for $50 a foot plus sump pumps -- total $10K.
It is reasonable price?
Any good company in NJ you recommend with lifetime warranty?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr
You'll know when you get at least 2 more quotes-
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First there is no such thing as a true "lifetime warranty" when it comes to any kind of "french drain" / exterior or interior perimeter system because the soil into which they are laid can and often does change over time. That changing soil can literally fill even the most carefully placed drain tiles / pipes with silt / clay that renders the system useless. Best case an honest firm will install the system in such a way that they can send a camera into the pipe and determine where it is failing without charging for more than a service visit but no firm can afford to redo all labor over again without charge, especially in areas with established trees / shrubs as they'd end up also promising to cut those roots for free which could compromise a major tree and send that crashing through your roof or a neighbors. A solid warranty that specifies exactly what is meant by "lifetime" better include terms YOU are clear about and what happens when there is far more cost in "labor" than materials. Smart water proofing contractors can often lay out a system so future maintenance can be done with no / minimal excavation, but removing silt from inside the drain tiles is still not going to be "free". Find out up front what sorts of charges that might involve...
As to whether $50/ft is a fair price that too is extremely dependent on things that even an experienced and trustworthy local firm might have to revise once they begin digging. Is the soil easy to dig, with a loamy texture? What happens if there is solid rock ledge? Do they skip that part of the foundation? What if the soil has high percentage of clay / silt? Will they just backfill with that, dooming the system or instead tell you upfront "you might have to pay us an extra $xx,xxx for a couple truckloads of gravel and screenings or this ain't going to work"...
Frankly even if you do get two additional quotes, or more, you won't really know what is NEEDED for your situation unless you hire Superman with X-Ray Vision. I know the guys that run this firm, local to me in Chicago. Though they always like to talk to the home owner FIRST over the phone they won't ever give a quote over the phone.
https://www.accu-drybasements.com/faqs.html Sometimes they won't even give other than a "range of options" estimate when out in the field as they've seen too many situations where they cannot in good faith simply do things to standards without additional work that they suspect will only be revealed when they start excavation. One of the guys that used to work for them opened his own business, they are little younger and do have a bit nicer web site but they are also trust worthy.
How to know if you need exterior basement waterproofing
I know from experience of working with both firms at different times that either will specify exactly what they will do to the foundation itself, as well as how they'll lay the drain tiles / pipe and embed that in gravel, but if they see that solution is not right for your situation they will recommend alternatives, some of which may actually be considerably less costly...
Ask your neighbors who may have had similar issues -- if they have a recommendation follow up and make sure the same folks who did the work still own the company and have not sold the name to somebody else (that happens a lot, it is a weaselly way for firms to get out of "warranties").
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