7 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Basement Waterproofing Contractor

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Water damage is many homeowners’ worst nightmare. While many homeowners blame the roof for water damage, your precious basement can sometimes become a culprit. Basement water damage can destroy the floors, walls, and the entire home.

Before this happens, you need to waterproof your home starting with the basement.

Well, waterproofing your basement is a huge decision and needs a team of experts to do a serious job. You need to hire an experienced basement waterproofing contractor to ensure you get nothing but the best services.

But not all those companies that promise gold to deliver the best waterproofing services for your basement. You must carry out thorough research and come up with someone worth paying every penny. 

To ensure you achieve that, here are seven important questions to ask.

1. How Long Have You Worked as a Basement Waterproofing Contractor?

Even if you’ve gone through your contractor’s website and seen the year they launched, it’s good to confirm this. Let them tell you how long they’ve been in business and the experience they’ve gained so far. The longer the work duration of your contractor, the more the experience they’ll have on their job.

Let them tell you the system they’ve used over the years and one that worked best. They can also tell you their achievements so far, and failures if any.

Knowing your contractor has many years of experience with waterproofing gives you peace of mind and a sense of security. Avoid those with few years of experience as they have limited industry exposure, and they’re likely to do shoddy work.

2. How Long Will the Project Take?

Your contractor should tell you the exact date they plan to start the work and the duration it’s likely to take. An expert waterproofing contractor should not take too much time nor be in a hurry to finish. No matter the kind of work it will need to waterproof your basement, they’ll need to come up with a proper timeframe.

Don’t be too happy with a short duration because this can even mean they’ll do shoddy work. If your contractor mentions a longer duration, it should just mean that they’re taking their time to ensure quality. You can both negotiate the work duration and come up with an appropriate timeframe that suits both of you.

3. How Will the Work Affect My Home?

It’s important to know if you and your family can continue living comfortably at home with all the work going on. You must know that waterproofing work in your basement can be messy, and your contractor needs to prepare you for that. You must know exactly what will happen to the interior and exterior of your home.

Creating drainage inside your home may require cutting the concrete slap and drilling the cinderblock. You may need to do a lot of repairs after the work is done and even redo your landscaping.

4. Are You an Insured and Licensed Basement Waterproofing Contractor?

You’re going to do a great injustice to your home if you can choose to work with a contractor who’s neither licensed nor insured. If they don’t have any insurance cover and do not adhere to the basement waterproofing licensing requirement, then you must remove them from your list.

A contractor with a license and insurance is legally certified to do their work and will ensure quality. When they’re insured, it means you’re covered against any liability in case something unexpected happens. Never forget to check these two before hiring.

5. Do You Have a Warranty?

Of course, it’s crucial for a serious contractor to have a warranty for basement waterproofing work. But that doesn’t mean you should assume things. Make sure your chosen contractor has a favorable warranty.

Check the warranty duration and all the things they cover. Let them explain if they charge any additional fees for their services and warranty. This way, the company will be liable if anything goes wrong.

The warranty should also explain what they do in case they experience failures. You should know that you have nothing to lose if the contractor doesn’t deliver as expected since the warranty will have your back.

6. Do You Have Any Referrals or Reviews?

Having been in the market for long, it’s crucial for a good contractor to have some references and reviews. You need to see the kind of work they’ve done previously and verified that their past clients are indeed happy. They must have a good portfolio that meets your needs.

Also, positive reviews on their website should show that they indeed have happy clients. One thing about online reviews is that they’re usually honest. Take your time to go through them and see what others are saying about the contractor before hiring.

7. How Much Will My Basement Waterproofing Cost?

It’s good to understand how much you’re going to pay when the work is done. You don’t want to be slapped with a surprise bill and some absurd additional charges that you can’t account for. Your contractor should explain where all the money goes into.

They should give you a complete quote before starting their work, and both of you should agree that it’s a fair deal. But before you agree to work with the quoted amount, do some comparisons with other companies to see what they charge. Make sure that what your contractor charges you for waterproofing is worth the investment.

Waterproofing Your Basement Needs the Best Contractor

Well, there are several questions to ask your contractor that may not be covered in this article. But you should know that hiring a basement waterproofing contractor takes a lot of time to research in order to come up with the best. Talk to the contractor and ask all the questions you have in your mind.

But you don’t really have to spend a lot of time searching around and interviewing many contractors. Save that time and get the work done as soon as possible with Armored Basement Waterproofing. Give us a call today, and our friendly team of experts will be at your service as soon as possible.

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