RJY Waterproofing

Ok, to be fair, our problem was not as easily fixed as I originally thought. Turns out, there were several things going wrong with the window wells, but one well, in particular, had a malfunctioning drain. The RJY guy was correct on a few of his assumptions, namely, that our exterior drain system had been at least partially compromised by dirt and rock. We did, eventually, need a partial interior drain system, but only because we had to tap the window well into the house to drain off water. This also involved installing another sump pump.
I still give RJY the same rating, because the man never touched anything before coming to his $ 6000 assessment. It doesn’t matter that these guys do this every day for a living, they have to understand that I don’t overhaul my drains every day. I don’t expect to have to pour thousands of dollars into a 3-​year-​old home.
Finally, had we gone with RJY, he never would have found or fixed the actual problem, which was still the window well. An interior drain system may have been able to handle any seeping groundwater, but the well would still have filled up with water and gushed through the window. At that point, we would have been sick to our stomachs at what we would no doubt have concluded was a completely unnecessary procedure and gutting of our basement. The well needed to be TAPPED.
In the world of Basement Waterproofing, you’ll find the good, the bad, and the ugly. Do not settle on the first person you consult. Here are some tips:
1. Get at least 3 — 5 estimates. Enjoy as each one of them diagnoses a different problem and prescribes a different fix, all involving a new interior drain system and at least $ 5000 in cost.
2. Go with experience. Does the sales guy know what he’s talking about?
3. Ask who does the work. Value Dry doesn’t use subs; they’re all employees.
4. Does the fix make sense? You may not be an expert, but this stuff isn’t rocket science. Water flows through tubes. At least two of the waterproofers we consulted prescribed fixes that didn’t seem like they would address the problem.
5. Fix the problem thoroughly, but don’t agree to overkill. Sure, while you’re down their jackhammering hell out of your basement, it’s tempting to fix things that aren’t broken. You should be balanced between addressing the problem right and for good, but not agreeing to thousands of dollars of unnecessary repairs.
6. Chase the cheaper fix, but not for long. Chasing a cheaper fix cost us over $ 1500, plus during that time our basement flooded badly and cost over $ 2000 more to fix. Then we still had to go with a Waterproofer. If you’ve got a systemic problem, waterproofers may be the only ones who can help.