Home purchased from builder/owner in 2011. After the first water issue in 2013 we had a contractor come in and dig around the whole exterior of the house. It was at this time that we found out that the previous owner ( also builder of house) was not forth coming with all pertinent information. We installed new weepers around exterior as well as tarred basement wall and put the brown plastic dimpled membrane on exterior walls. We back filled as per building code requirements. The contractor also added a few french drains at the back of the house to divert surface water. At a cost of 22,000 After first contractor completed his work, we had Clarke's Basements come in and install their system in the basement. Clarkes came recommended to us via an insurance adjuster that was assessing the damage. We researched the company an felt they could be the ones to help us resolve our water issues. I contacted the company and Claude scheduled our first meeting. Feeling confident we are making the right choices, I had Claude come out a second time to go over the plans in the work order as we added more secondary work such as a window well, humidifier, cement block cut out to crawl space and vapor barrier to the crawl space. Claude also determined based on our observations of the initial flooding that we are sitting over a limestone crater thus creating hydrostatic pressure as the build up of water pushes upwards and through our basement floor. Claude convinced us that Clarkes had the solution to our problems and assured us our water issues were resolved once the work was completed. As for the basement itself, they performed - installation of interior weeping system which means they chipped the perimeter of the basement floor near the foundation and a line down the middle of basement and installed a weeping system. All weepers lines returned to the sump hole. In the sump hole they installed their triple safe pump system, this included three pumps, initial pump is a quarter horse, second pump is a half horse and the third pump is a battery backup safety pump. Clarke's also put a plastic bubble wrap type of insulation on all interior walls the the tune of over 36,000 After hearing our story, some of the workers commented that what we've done to date was going to be overkill after they were finished installing their products. As we felt comfortable by 2018 that the Clarkes system was effective, we continued with renovations in the basement. In 2019, Easter weekend we had another flood in our basement with water damage ruining all the work we had put into the basement thus far. Insurance was contacted for the same issue. Pumps were ineffective at keeping up with the amount of water surging into our home. Clarkes was contacted and they sent out Kayden touted as the expert in these matters. Once Kayden made his initial observations of the basement and it's damages, he claimed to have the solution and the fix to our woes. We needed to add another triple safe pumping system at the opposite end of the basement. He claimed that the distance was to great of a span between the first pumps and the weepers and we required to purchase a secondary set of pumps. Questioning as to why this wasn't offered during the initial install , we received the answer that it was obviously missed by the production team and the rep that assisted us. Claude our Rep had since left the company on bad terms. We offered a suggestion to dig up the outside the house underneath the foundation/footings and have a drainage system put in to ease the water accumulation underneath the foundation which was quickly dismissed as expensive and overkill. After more discussions had with Don at our kitchen table, showing him video and photos taken of the pumps in action, the suggestion of the outside dig was offered up and Don suggested that the idea of a second system was the better alternative. So here we are with walls we had to tear down, more construction and electrical work to be completed prior to Clarkes return with the secondary triple safe system. All things that could have been taken care of during the first round of work had their mistake been caught plus the additional cost of over 6,000 dollars we needed to come up for the second pumps. After their reassurance that the two triple safe systems would be more than adequate, we restored the basement to existing state. In early January 2020, a rain storm caused flooding in our basement with all 6 pumps working at their max and alarms sounding for hours until the water began to recede in the basement late into night. We stood in our rubber boots in the basement watching all our hard work and dreams and money be destroyed yet again. We called Clarkes and left a message advising of our plight and frustrations with what had occurred. That was our breaking point with the company. We wanted nothing further to do with them and were devastated by the lack results and promises. We contacted another contractor from Fenelon Falls ( whom I would recommend to call first) in January 2020, who performed more work for us in Feb. 2020. This work included, chipping out cement floor from sump hole to exterior wall, chipping out bedstone beneath floor and foundation from sump hole to exterior of house thereby creating a drainage trench from sump hole to exterior of the house. In the trench they back filled with clear stone as well as installed a six inch drain pipe from bottom of sump hole tub to exterior wall. On the exterior of the house they dug down to 1 1/2 to 2 feet below the foundation and installed a dry well, the trench and the six inch pipe both drain into the dry well. From the dry well the contractor dug a 225 foot long trench to the front of our property and installed a 10 inch drain pipe and back filled with clear stone. This pipe drains by gravity as there was the required slope to allow the water to move away from the house. We also installed a 225 foot heat line in the 10 inch drain to prevent ice build up. The cost for that work over 33,000 dollars. From the moment the drainage pipe entered the trench water flowed into it. Spring came and the pumps that normally ran continually never saw a drop of water in them. Once the thaw was over, I contacted Clarkes to have them come back and remove the second pumping system that now was redundant. After some communication with Rob, we decided to accept an offer of receiving half the payment of the second pumping system and leave the triple safe pump in our home. We just wanted to be able to move forward from 5 yrs of water issues. Total cost for all the above mentioned work is close to $95,000.00. Now with that all being said, we are faced with being dropped by our insurance carrier for the flooding that has occurred no thanks to Clarkes. We are now having difficulties securing a insurance company that will insure our home and if they do the premiums are sky high. Why for mistakes Clarkes made with our repairs... I wouldn't recommend this company to anyone based on our own experience.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $95,000.00
- Company Response
Hi Lise,
It’s when things go wrong that you really learn how good a company is and how much they care, and I must say, we really do care about our customers and their homes.
When our inspector comes out to meet with clients (homeowners), we take the time to learn about the customer’s situation and ask a ton of questions. From there, together, we come up with a plan of action to meet your needs.
Our inspector had no idea had that your basement was sitting in a bowl with a limestone field around you, as you stated. That only came up after your basement flooded, and I personally came out to assist. Your husband had spoken to the neighbour who had more valuable information about the construction of your home.
It was at this time you asked me at the kitchen table if our solution would solve the problem. I was very, very clear that it should, but we could not warrant that. We didn’t know how much water to expect. You could potentially be taking in water from a large 20-acre area due to the fracturing of limestone under the ground.
The TripleSafe sump system we installed does a fantastic job and can pump 6,000 gallons of water an hour out of your basement. We've installed thousands of these systems over the years and have peace of mind knowing our customers are protected. But again, we were not aware of your very unique situation of sitting in this limestone bowl until this time. It was at this time we all agreed that a second sump system, with a separate 40’ discharge, should be installed downhill. It should also be mentioned that at your request, we connected the discharge line to a very long, buried discharge that we were told works and was something we couldn’t be held responsible for.
We understand your disappointment when your basement flooded again and your decision to hire another contractor. But this was not a realistic option when we were at the table.
To jackhammer a 7’ to 9’ deep trench that needed to go some 200 plus feet to get it to gravity feed was not a realistic option on the table at that time. To assume it will always work is also an assumption that we were not comfortable with. We are responsible for many homes that did have a working gravity feed system that failed, or they don’t even know where it exits the property anymore. We've helped previously denied customers be able to obtain insurance, and have stood behind our TripleSafe sump system through written letters to insurance companies explaining how the system works.
It was a great idea to put in a large (10” diameter pipe); however, even they can get clogged if wildlife or debris gets lodged in there and plugs the exit. That is why we felt it wise to keep the sump pumps in place for a back-up of your gravity feed system.
Again, we apologize for not keeping your basement dry. We believe our communication was excellent all the way along. We do not run away or hide from our clients, and we do go the extra mile to make it right.