Dave Marcotte Foundations

We found a small water leak under a basement window this Spring and we called 4 companies. Three of them came and could not find any cracks nor figure out where the water came from. However all three of them told us our weeping tile system was defective since it's common in houses built around 1950. They gave us quotes ranging from 5,000$ to 20,000 +.
Dave came to check the problem and he told us our weeping tiles were fine since the water was coming from the top of the wall. He suggested to monitor the situation for another Spring or two since this wall was not in a finished room and the leak was minor in order to be able to tell where the water was coming from. I will do as he said and if further problems arise will call him first and not waste my time with companies overselling their products. And by comparison, his quote for a window well repair is 1,800$.

It was a pleasure working with Dave Marcotte Foundations...I recommend the company without hesitation. They came when they promised, did what they promised, and finished when they promised (earlier, in fact, despite bad weather), and they minimized the inconvenience for neighbours. Dave was knowledgeable, practical, skilled, and helpful. His guys were just as good. The project could have been a nightmare with a less ethical team, so I count myself fortunate to have had Dave Marcotte Foundations.

When I discovered a crack in my basement foundation, I wanted it to be fixed as soon as possible and done properly. After calling several companies, I found that they all did about the same thing: what I call the "quick and dirty" method for roughly the same price. When I finally got a hold of Dave, he explained his procedure which is exactly the procedure I was looking for. Better yet, his price was the same (in some cases better) than the competitors! Dave is very pleasant to talk to, very organized and his crew is outstanding. I would definitely recommend Dave to anyone who needs the same foundation fix.

We contacted Dave Marcotte to do our foundation inspection for the sale of a home in Arlington Woods. Despite being extremely busy he showed up on time & did a thorough inspection of the foundation and was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable in his field. We very much appreciated his help & will be recommending him to our future clientele.
Jan Halliday
Gordmay Construction Services Inc.

When I finally decided to do something to my somewhat leaky basement by calling around for quotes, Dave's quote came right in the middle - not the cheapest and not the most expensive. However, Dave came right on time to look at the problem, provided a detailed and professional advise on the issue and emailed a detailed quote that very evening. The other companies/persons I called for quotes showed up a day late or never at all. One guy even suggested that it would take him half a day to calculate the cost of the potential job but finally gave a ballpark quote, after I pressed him for one, of "at least $48K maybe more" even without taking any measurements - buddy didn't seem interested in the job at all so I figured he wasn't going to be feeding his kids or grandkids on my coin. The only positive about buddy was that he arrived on time to look at my basement, which is what Dave did. In retrospect, if I had known what I do now, I wouldn't have bothered wasting my time calling around for quotes; I would have just called Dave to schedule my job into his work schedule.

When Dave came over to look at my basement, he took one look and told me what the problem was - weeping tile failure - and suggested that I get rid of the existing leaky cold room. Dave came two days earlier than scheduled (Spring 2010) to start the work. He removed the old crumbling precast concrete porch, tore out the cold room, dug a trench around the whole foundation, placed a waterproof coat around the exterior of the foundation, covered the whole exterior with platon membrane AND styrofoam as an added insulation barrier, filled up the trench with 3/4" gravel, replaced my fence and patio stones, built a new footing for the new precast concrete porch, and replaced fresh topsoil in the areas that required it. Complications arose with a thicker than usual foundation footing but Dave and crew worked hard to get things done correctly. Most importantly, Dave and crew trucked away tons and tons of the clay soil that was dug out and they replaced the excavated clay soil with 3/4" gravel and finally with fresh topsoil where required - he did not attempt to maximize his earnings by doing it the easy way and backfilling the trench with the clay soil. The job took approximately 7 or 8 days and was messy as heck as we had at least three rainy days. The guys, however, worked their butts off and never complained about anything.

When a "problem" arose a month or two after the completion of the work, Dave came out promptly (and right on schedule as usual) and demonstrated that it wasn't a problem after all. When an issue arose early this year(2011), Dave came by and fixed it. I quote Dave saying "I'm not happy, this should not be happening, I'll get it fixed" - he was by in less than a week to fix the problem. My basement is now dry, it no longer has a somewhat musty odor and I can finally get it finished. I also did notice that my dehumidifier didn't kick on as often as it did in the past.

It is good to know that we have contractors in the Ottawa area who will not compromise their reputations by having too many work crews (some not even properly trained for the job) in order to maximize profits. Dave Marcotte Foundations has one working crew with Dave Marcotte in charge of that crew. In doing so, Dave controls the quality of every job he does. More importantly, Dave stands behind his work and his reputation. Now I wonder if I can convince Dave to get back into basement renovations..... perhaps in the winter......

I cannot say enough good things about Dave. He is a dream contractor. My house is 110 years old and when he started digging much of my foundation just crumbled away. It was an awful project, but he was such a pleasure. He kept me informed, he was bang on with his price. He really is great. I found him through a friend who did a lot of research before deciding on Dave. He loves Dave too.

We hired Dave to replace our weeping tile and waterproof our foundation walls after we had water coming into our basement. He was able to diagnose the problem quickly and correctly. There was a bit of a wait for him to be available, but he started before he said he would and finished well within the 5 day window that he had allowed himself to do the work. The work was done in 3.5 days - everything was done as promised. They cleaned up our yard and you could hardly tell they'd been there 4 days after starting work. After having several terrible experiences with other individuals / companies in the construction and general contracting industry, we were pleasantly surprised by Dave Marcotte's professionalism, honesty and excellent work ethic. We would recommend Dave Marcotte to anyone without hesitation.

Similar to many others facing major foundation repairs, we were confronted with a large amount of money to be spent and sought several estimates to ensure we did what was necessary, and that it was done right. When we met Dave Marcotte we were both impressed by his knowledge of foundation repair and his non-pressure sales approach. His estimate was similar other companies, but as other reviewers note, his company did things others did not. In particular, replacing the excavated soil with proper stone to ensure drainage, tarring by hand, and insulating around the foundation.

Our foundation is stone rubble constructed in 1890 that required excavating to the bedrock and cutting below to lay the weeping tile and sump pump. We did not know what condition the 1890 stone walls would be one they were un-earthed. Dave’s expertise and experience was reflected in his estimate, as it identified the work required and there were no major ‘surprises.’ Dave had understood and identified beforehand the issues pertaining to such foundation repairs.

What makes Dave Marcotte Foundations stand out is that Dave and his crew made a difficult and intrusive job easy because they focused on only one job at a time; completed it within the estimated time and budget; were very respectful to our property; employs a very courteous and friendly staff; and Dave genuinely was concerned we were satisfied with the final product.

Furthermore, Dave is a great resource to other professional contractors, such as masons, painters, carpenters ect.. He only works with others who share his professional work ethic. After seeing the quality work Dave did on our foundation we sought his recommendations for other work and have now engaged his brother Paul Marcotte to construct our front porch, and his associate Mario to replace our basement windows. We will also have Merco back to do more repointing inside the house

Dave did an amazing job restoring to its former glory an 1890 stone foundation that neighbours now all ask – who did your foundation? followed by, can I get Dave Marcotte’s number? We would highly recommend Dave Maroctte and, in fact, have already done so to friends requiring foundation work.

Great job Dave, thanks so much!

Sean and Audrey

After receiving a number of quotes and a variety of conflicting advice and proposed solutions, I engaged Dave on the basis of a very strong recommendation from a friend who is the owner of a very reputable company in the fire and flood restoration business. I was extremely happy with the result. Dave and his team went above and beyond under challenging site and weather conditionsns. He fit me in on short notice, arrived when he said he would, and stayed until the job was complete. He diagnosed and addressed the problem, patiently answering my many questions and explaining everything to me step by step. He and his team were knowledgeable, took a problem solving,thoughtful approach and were willing to do what it took and go the extra mile to get the job done properly. He and his team were courteous and friendly. It was a pleasure dealing with Dave and I would highly recommend him and his team for any foundation issues. Than you Dave. Much appreciated! Andrew Lieff

After receiving quotes from several competing (and heavily marketed) foundation repair companies, my neighbour and I selected Dave Marcotte based on his knowledge of the trade and a very reasonable price. The work consisted of waterproofing our foundations and laying weeping tile which was done (for 2 houses) in 1.5 weeks without any breaks in the work schedule. Throughout the entire process, Dave and his friendly crew conducted themselves with utmost professionalism and integrity - even assisting with tasks unrelated to the job. Our basements are now dry as a bone after nearly 1 year since the work was done!