Good only if willing to supervise
Job was waterproofing down to the weeping tile around 40 linear feet. This was a job where it was necessary to watch the work being done to make sure it was done as quoted and done fully. Don't get me wrong it was all done, but there would have been a number of crack that would not have been grinded and filled in had I not pointed it out and made sure it was done.
In the quote:
Protect work area - a number of areas were not protected and I had to go in to make sure they were. A neighbors AC unit was very close to being hit with dirt, a neighbors basement window was going to have a lot of soil load on it if I didn't step in and a downspout was pretty badly dented and would have been worse if I didn't put something there to protect it. *EDIT* the downspout was rectified by the owner after the fact to make things right.
Things were thrown on the bushes and flowers without a second thought. When excavating they kept hitting the shovel against the foundation to clean it, but this kept making 2-3in dents/slices in the wall. Luckly I was doing parging after this so it wasn't a huge deal but this might not be the case with everyone.
Prepare Foundation (power wash, wire brush) - not really. They used a scraper to remove some of the noticeable debris but that's pretty much it. *EDIT* - spoke with the owner and while this is in the checklist, this is done in extreme cases only.
Blow Torch - in a few cases the foundation was wet, but nothing was done to dry it. Was told it was fine. *EDIT* - spoke with the owner and while this is in the checklist, this is done in extreme cases and the aquablock is good at sticking to relatively damp surfaces.
Apply 2nd Layer of Aquablock - NOPE, was told only one is needed.
*EDIT* - spoke with the owner and while this is in the checklist, the way it was done was with one heavy application rather than two. end result is the same amount.
Install new 4" plastic weeping tile pipe (with filter cloth) - this was done but they did not install filter cloth in the first segment and only by looking at the quote did I notice that this needs to be done. They were not planning on doing this had I not brought it up so a good 7 ft segment does not have this installed.
Cover Weeping tile with gravel - yes but its a tiny amount. They replaced maybe a few inch worth of 3/4 gravel where there was about 12in before.
Look, overall did the work get done? Yes. Do I have confidence that it will protect against water and everything is protected? Yes. Did they leave me with a feeling that everything would have been done great without any input and nothing would be damaged had I not been there? Absolutely not and that is the issue. If you are willing to supervise and make sure things get done right, by all means. If you are a hand off type of a person, then I would not recommend this to you.
*EDIT* - Spoke with owner and changes were put in place that certain things don't happen on future jobs. Banging of the shovel will be fully removed form the process and only done on nearby rocks, checklist will either be adjusted or the process adjusted to suit the checklist of items that would be done. Further care regarding protecting the property within the work area to avoid any damage. Overall very responsive company and willing to do things to make it right if possible.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1.00
- Company Response
Dear Janko,
First of all we would like to thank you for your business and taking the time of your busy schedule to review our company based on your experience. Every review that is posted here is taken very seriously and we make adjustments along the way if need be. We are happy to read that you have confidence in the end result that your basement will remain dry for the next 25 years and look forward to servicing your needs in the future if need be.
With Best Regards,
Aqua Tech Waterproofing