Get matched with top concrete foundation raise pros in Reisterstown, MD

"These gentlemen were on time, explained what would happen and was able to raised our foundation basement floor more then we thought they would be able. Bryan, Tyrone, and Mike made a good team. They came, they raised, cleaned up and left. Very good job. We were very pleased."

"I was having some issues with water coming into the basement through the foundation and walls during rainy weather. Not flooding, or even shop vac-able volumes, just enough to be annoying and require mopping. Dominic and his crew were here today to install an under-floor drainage system and a new sump pump. I was dreading the demo (I have a concrete floor) and the mess involved, but these guys came prepared for everything! They used dust abatement measures to protect all my basement-stored items, and they removed and hauled all the debris away when finished with the excavation. What really impressed me was the concrete restoration upon completion. I've previously had a sewer line replaced through the basement floor, and the contractor really "botched" the floor repair. I can't describe how different this experience was! The concrete installed today is immaculate! Dominic takes pride in his work and with good reason! The new concrete is perfect! I am thrilled!"

"Great. I have an old house built in 1905 with stone foundation walls and another part with cinderblock walls. After learning the difference between their WaterGuard and crack repairs and what other companies do, I chose them because their upgraded products and ideas really made sense and I was willing to pay a few bucks more for better stuff and a good company. They ended up being the middle guy in cost, but way better quality I think."

"A+ in every area. The owner called me within about 30 minutes. We talked for 10 minutes or so and I answered his questions about the size, location, frequency, etc of the cracks. He told me there was no need to come out that this was standard and there were no structural issues, but that I should do whatever I could to get the heavy rain water away from the foundation. We discussed some remedial actions that I was considering and he supported them. He would not charge me for his service, saying that it was minimal impact on him. If only everyone was this honest and co-operative."

"The entire process, start to finish with All-Ways Dry Basement Waterproofing, went extremely well. The estimate process, the work performed, and the finished product were all done at a professional and courtesy level. And, in addition, the price was under market. I highly recommend this company."

"The crew completed a concrete walkway for us. Luke gave us a very fair estimate, and scheduled the job the same week. The project was completed quickly and the team communicated well throughout the process. Would definitely use their company again."

"I hired East Coast concrete to repair a concrete slab in my backyard as well as cracks around the entire perimeter of my exterior walls. These guys did a superb job! They completely waterproofed my exterior walls and repainted everything. Everything looks brand new and I'm completely confident that it will hold up well with this crazy Maryland weather. I would definitely recommend them to any of my neighbors or anyone who needs concrete work."

"If you're selecting a contractor to do thousands of dollars of work, you'll probably do a lot of research. I tend to over think things, and I had a lot of contractors come to my house to give an estimate. I wasn't just looking for the lowest bid (after the first three, I pretty much knew what the price range was) but I did not want to pay a ton of money and then find the work was inadequate/insufficient and I'd have to pay even more to have it done right.
My issue started with a leaking sunroom. After rain or snowmelt in my newly-purchased house, I discovered that water leaked under the concrete into the floor and soaked my carpet. Several contractors came and tried to figure out the problem. Most of them initially focused on the roof, but the water wasn't leaking from the roof. So evidently it was coming through the foundation, but was it a leak in the joint between the sunroom and the house, or a crack in the concrete? They all told me this sort of problem is tricky to diagnose; in some cases you'd need to dig out the entire foundation to be sure. But basically, all the waterproofers I spoke to agreed that I needed one of two things: (1) A French drain and sump pump installed inside the sun room along the leaking wall, or (2) a French drain + speed drain on the outside (more expensive). The most expensive option yet was to dig out the foundation and waterproof the outside of it with tar sealant, particularly a problem since I had a concrete pad on the exterior of the leaking section.
So, with the general consensus being that what I needed was a French drain and sump pump on the inside (this seemed the most logical, and also most economical solution), I got a range of estimates and pitches from waterproofers who do this kind of work. My top picks were the ones with good Angie's List ratings. The price range for the basic job I have described ranged from about $2300 at the low end to $3600 at the upper end.
Now, I was leery of a large franchise operation like Ameri-Dry. They have a very slick website, of course, and their sales reps are very polished and can describe in great detail why they are the best company for the job, what makes their methods superior to others, etc. I found that nearly every contractor was happy to contrast themselves with everyone else, swearing they stand by their work but "you can't trust those other guys" (in so many words). I can't blame them, and I hate to be cynical, I'm sure most of them are sincere. But my natural inclination was to go with a smaller firm with good reviews on Angie's List. Still, there are some advantages to going with a large, established company, and Ameri-Dry has very good ratings, so I had them come give an estimate as well.
Not one, but two men came to my house to look at the problem and give their pitch. The senior rep who I dealt with for the rest of the job was named Carlos. I'm not sure if sending two men for an estimate is standard practice, but they seemed to have practiced their presentation, which made me a bit wary (I hate being "pitched" to or feeling like I am being subjected to a sales routine). Also, they tried to do that thing where they'll offer a discount if you sign a contract that day, which I said I hated -- I like to think over big financial decisions at length. They did back off once I made it clear that I was not going to decide that day.
However, the things they said made sense and conformed to what other contractors had said. Moreover, Carlos was the first one to ask to see my basement, even though the problem I called about was in my sunroom. So I showed them my basement (where I had a sump pump already) and he pointed out that the floor drainage was very shoddy work and that I had mold and efflorescence indicating water leaking through the porous cinder blocks, probably from external pressure.
Now, of course this made me a little wary as well -- "Oh, naturally they're trying to get me to have even more work done!" -- but in fact I had noticed this myself and knew I'd have to do something about my basement sooner or later. At this time, all I wanted to do was get water out of my sunroom, spending as little as possible. But I gave them credit for looking over the entire house. And when they gave me an estimate, the cost of putting in a French drain and sump pump in the sunroom AND at the same time putting a weeping tile drainage system and a larger, improved sump pump pit in my basement, was pretty reasonable.
I still had a couple more contractors give me estimates, this time for both the sunroom and the basement. Ameri-Dry's estimate was in the upper range, though not the highest bid, but certainly not the lowest. I vacillated. There were one or two other guys that seemed pretty solid, and a little cheaper. Was it wise or foolish to go with a big company? Ameri-Dry's Angie's List ratings were very positive, which spoke well of them (and was what ultimately weighed against another company that otherwise I probably would have chosen, since they had no Angie's List track record), and the "life of the structure" warranty Ameri-Dry offers was also very attractive (though a couple of other contractors also offered a "one-time transferable" warranty, meaning it would last as long as I own the house and could be transferred to the next buyer). But the Ameri-Dry warranty is supposed to transfer to anyone who buys this house, ever.
So, when Carlos made his follow-up call, I was still vacillating. Well, it turned out there was a little room for negotiation on the price, and I ended up pushing him a little harder. We settled on a modest discount off their original estimate, and he came by the next day with a contract.
They were able to schedule a crew to come out the following week, at a day convenient to me. These guys were a very organized team that had obviously done a lot of these jobs, and they were quite polite and professional. Now, one thing to be aware of: they were subcontractors. They told me they do essentially all of Ameri-Dry's jobs in this area. Several of the other contractors who gave me bids touted the fact that they don't use subcontractors. I guess this can be significant for insurance and licensing purposes, though if the subcontractors are also properly insured and licensed (which these guys were-at least the paperwork I looked at seemed legit) then it probably doesn't really matter if the crew doing the job works directly for the company you hire or was subcontracted out. It's the quality of the work that matters. So I wasn't really upset by this.
The basement job was done quickly and without a hitch. The guy in charge even asked me if I wanted the sump pump moved to a more convenient corner location, and I said yes. So they put in the drainage system and filled the old pit and dug a new one. I feel better about the basement now; I am hoping this will extend the life of my basement and the foundation by many years and forestall further seepage problems.
Now for the complication: remember they were supposed to dig a French drain and sump pump in the sunroom up above? Well, after pulling back the carpet inside the sunroom, it turned out that my sunroom sits on a single concrete pad without a footing. So, they COULDN'T dig into it without undermining the structural integrity of the sunroom! The foreman was rather annoyed at Carlos (who had said what I needed was a French drain) and they called him out to my house to discuss the matter.
So, what I actually needed was that exterior water-proofing job and a drain along the outside, with a speed drain in front of the door. And to do that, they had to get a concrete saw, saw a chunk out of the external concrete pad, then dig down and properly waterproof the outside wall of my sunroom, then fill it back in again with concrete and install the drain.
This was, of course, more expensive than the job originally planned, and Ameri-Dry wanted me to pay more. I was pretty upset by this, since once the foreman pointed out the issue with the concrete foundation,"

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"Floodbusters did an excellent job sealing the water out of our basement. They installed a sump pump and drainage system which they check annually. We were very happy with their service. Employees were polite and knowledgable. We highly recommend them."