We live at the top of a hill, and we've all heard water runs downhill so we shouldn't have a leaky…read morebasement problem, right? Ha! After watching the (ground level) window well in my front yard fill entirely with water one incredibly rainy day about three years ago when I happened to be in the "cellar," and then let go with all of the water seeping around the frame and down my wall... well I finally understood that damp & musty smell my basement always had. Btw, the spot is not directly under the window but off to the side which is why I always thought water was seeping in through the foundation on the side wall where the stain mostly is (water does move downhill haha). Pioneer Basement responded quickly, gave me several options and quotes, and made financing easy. We decided about two years ago to waterproof only part of the basement since that's the area that is usually damp. We also went with the thermal vapor wrap on that part of the wall, and added the dehumidifier which was optional but recommended. Completely solved our problem - and ended the musty scary haunted basement stink entirely. Fast forward to now. I'm again randomly in the basement (for an internet wiring issue) and notice the absolute faintest but-still-I'm-not-imagining-it damp smell. Yup, after another of the crazy rains we've had this year, and... not at a wall but once again about a foot away from another ground level basement window, a small puddle. Of course, it's at a spot without the drain, sump pump, vapor wrap we'd invested in for part of the basement. Once again, Pioneer Basement sent an estimator over within a day or two - polite, knowledgeable, and quick to deliver multiple quotes (finish the full perimeter, do a smaller portion, consider adding window enclosures to tie into the drainage system...) and financing options. This is a company that delivers a high quality critical product, with a great warranty, at a fair and equitable price. They offer exceptional customer service. Your basement will thank you for having them do your waterproofing. And you'll never need to be scared of opening that cellar door again.

Exceptionally poor, slow-to-no response in simply scheduling an appointment. Took the time off of…read morework only to receive a call just before the difficult-to-schedule appointment to inform that the appointment was cancelled, claiming the one person in the entire company who could do this work was out sick. They would not return the (steep, expensive, overpriced) deposit via the card they charged upon our request, instead saying they could send another person same-day as the appointment after all -- despite supposedly having only one staffer specializing in the particular work we had scheduled out sick (the things that make you go hmm...). Gut feeling told me not to trust their work at that point. The company being too cheap to pay the transaction fee to refund the card they charged for the deposit, instead they issued a refund check needing to be cashed at their specific bank. Absolute refusal to refund the card we paid the deposit with. We cashed the check same day, questioning whether the company had even enough cash on hand to refund us (not a joke). Instead of apologizing for the whole miserable ordeal as business and customer service etiquette would dictate, instead they demeaned us for becoming upset over some really seriously bad bad bad customer service.

I called Hammer Basement Waterproofing because we have a unique situation in the basement of our…read moreold house. Emilio came right out and assessed our situation. He was honest and did not try to sell us products that we do not need. He has many years of experience and is extremely knowledgeable in all things related to basement construction. I would recommend him to my family and friends! - Shannon M.

My sump pump let go and my basement flooded. Emelio came over, assessed the situation and told me…read morethey were booking into May, but he would come after hours to install a new sump pump if we were to experience a weather emergency. Needless to say, we were under a flood watch last Saturday. Emilio was in New York on Friday, he and his brother came to my house at 8:15 pm and installed a new pump! I cannot express how appreciative I am to Emilio for his commitment and integrity! I would highly recommend Hammer Basement Waterproofing!

Alvin was great! This was the first time I had Alvin as my annual service and maintenance for my…read moreFrench drain (sump system) and backup battery. He was professional and knowledgeable and explained clearly and thoroughly. We would not hesitate to recommend Alvin. Ron C. West Roxbury

If there were a negative star (Charlie Sheen?), that would be the rating. This would take far too…read morelong, so I'll number it and try to be concise: 1) Sales Rep told us "no demo required" and drafted a plan for somewhere between 9-11 galvanized steel piers to be driven into "bedrock" (later explained to not be the case). 2) $10K deposit already processed when the crew showed up. a) "This diagram is inaccurate." "We need to go under the deck and rip up the first 8-10 planks". b) Wrong - we can't go under the deck. "We need to chisel out the floor at the rear of the garage to install 4 piers there". 3) AFTER I was told they had to go in through the garage floor, I told them not to come back, and I needed a day to review all changes, send me a new contract, and drawings. After digesting all the changes, I called and asked if I should grab some 12 mil plastic sheeting to cover up everything in the garage. Digging, cement dust, dirt = headaches. "The crew will take care of all of that for you". After you read this, LOOK at the garage pics, and EVERYTHING the crew DID NOT cover. Free of charge, I get to take everything from my garage and remove the layers of cement dust and dirt off all of it. All my tools, the kayaking equipment, all chairs, the 9 ft high shelving - EVERYTHING. They only had to say "yeah, probably a good idea", and they'd be off the hook. But not Ground Works. It's a DNA thing to just tell anyone what they want to hear. That would have taken me 45 minutes, but now I get to spend hours on another Keystone cops outcome. 4) This 3-4 day job, tomorrow am, 23 Jun, will be day 14. 5) They had an excavator, all the dirt, boulders, and other loose stones parked on the side of the lawn for 13 days before removal. 6) AFTER finally removing the excavator - 22 June - the crew told me I was supposed to remit payment. a) They haven't addressed the large crack in the corner of the garage, and b) I financed 60% of the job through their 3rd party finance company, GreenSky. There is no money owed them, once they finish - it's now on a payment plan through GreenSky. PS - Their office has NO IDEA how this works. Called 3 times to ensure billing would be applied to the account we were approved for. NO CLUE AT ALL. 7) They also had to dig to the foundation on the R side of the garage (known). They dug it up to spill over the retaining wall into the neighbor's driveway. The neighbors couldn't use half their driveway for the same two weeks due to dirt and stones falling into their driveway. Read GROK (preferred AI), & their BBB ratings (33 W Bacon St, Plainville, MA specifically). There is always an excuse, and it's death by a thousand cuts with these guys. I NEVER WANT ANY COMPANY TO LOSE WORK, because there are too many people who lose business because ppl want their butts kissed. Absolutely not the case here. LOOK at the pics, and imagine this is your yard, your house, and all the extra work you get to do after they've left. This is only written so no one else has to go through anything like this, and I'm kicking myself for not trusting my gut. When you see the images of their dump truck in my neighbor's driveway, that's when the home office told the kid to run to Home Depot and jack in some hydraulic cement into a large foundational crack. It was exposed when digging, but they never addressed it. Now it's "sealed" only from the ground up. Good riddance, and I'll dig it out myself to not have them come back. THAT'S how they completed the job. Remember, this company told us 3-4 days. The ONLY reason I agreed to ripping up the garage floor was that I would have it back in a few days. The left hand never knows what the right hand is doing. I hope they read this, and refute it - I'll be happy to elaborate further, this is enough for now. Again, use your preferred AI for reviews, prompt it for follow-ups, delays, service, complaints, and the longer list of complaints for return calls. Prompt for BBB issues with Ground Works at this location. No pun intended, but DIG DEEPER. You do not want this experience.

Bob and his crew installed an underground drainage system for a downspout at my house. I had had…read moreproblems with basement flooding when the previous downspout drainage system became blocked. Bob recommended a new type of drainage system and did an excellent job installing it. The way it is designed, it is highly unlikely that my basement will ever flood again. It looks very good and is hardly noticeable. They did a thorough clean-up after the work was completed. All this was done at a very reasonable price. Bob and his crew were very pleasant and easy to work with. I highly recommend Global Basement Waterproofing and would definitely use them again.

I had my basement waterproofed by Global Basement Waterproofing in 2013. They did an amazing job…read more They always respond and arrive during scheduled timeframes, including annual service appointments. Not only do they do a great job on installation, they use great equipment/products and they help educate home owners on the system and its maintenance. It's a huge relief not to worry about my basement flooding! I highly recommend them.

Great job.Great communication. Always got communications about what the next step was from…read more Christina and Robin. Crawlspace looks new.

Worst Contractor Experience Ever - Avoid DryZone Basement Systems / All Things Basementy…read more I had the single most egregious contractor experience of my life with DryZone Basement Systems (the local All Things Basementy provider) on my Massachusetts property. I hired them to clean out my crawlspace, which had an older vapor barrier, and upgrade it to a new vapor barrier system. Their sales pitch and materials specifically promised that the space would be thoroughly cleaned before any new material was installed. On the first day the crew began laying the new vapor barrier directly over the existing dirt, debris, and old vapor barrier without cleaning anything. I immediately stopped the project and contacted management to request a different crew that would actually do the job properly. Management promised they would send a project manager and that he would be on site the whole day on day two while the crew cleaned. What actually happened is that the project manager was only there for about 20 minutes. While the crew was supposedly cleaning out the old material, they only cleaned a small section and then covered up all the remaining old debris and old vapor barrier with the new material -- doing exactly what I had already complained about on day one and had been assured would not happen. To make matters worse, the crew spray-foamed rodent bait stations directly into the side of my house. It was obvious this was done deliberately and in a retaliatory, vindictive manner after I had complained and stopped their work. At that point I fired them. I lost my entire $6,000 deposit and had to hire another crew to rip out everything they had done. The cost to remove their improper work and start over was more than the original contract amount. I ultimately had the crawlspace properly cleaned and the vapor barrier upgrade completed correctly through the Mass Save program. This company showed zero respect for the homeowner's instructions, broke their promises about oversight, and acted dishonestly even after management got involved. I told them in no uncertain terms that they would never be allowed back on my property again. Strong recommendation: Do not use DryZone Basement Systems or any All Things Basementy contractor under any circumstances. They charge double the competition (or more) while promising quality but delivering substandard work. If you need crawlspace cleaning, vapor barrier upgrade, or encapsulation work, hire a dedicated cleanup/restoration crew separately (Servpro or equivalent) to get the space truly clean and ready, then have the new vapor barrier installed through Mass Save or a reputable local contractor. You will save yourself an enormous amount of money and avoid massive frustration. This was by far the worst contractor experience I have ever had. Learn from my mistake.

I recently purchased a new home with some sump pump issues and wasn't sure if the builder was…read moregiving me a runaround about fixing the issue. I wanted a second opinion from a professional. I called Watchman and spoke with the owner who gave me his opinion. He then offered to come out and take a look. Upon coming out, the owner gave me his opinion and recommendations which I could use to go back to my builder with. Watchman did not charge me for this and did not attempt to sell me anything. They simply advised me of some changes I could ask the builder to make as part of my new home's warranty. It's refreshing to encounter a company and owner that genuinely want to help people.

As I take a break from mopping up water and watching my husband dump 16 gallon shop vac buckets of…read morewater out one after the other from vacuuming the water that is pouring into my finished basement, I am reminded of the time I tried to get Tim, the owner of Watchman Waterproofing, to make good on his "lifetime guarantee" of waterproofing. After spending over $80,000 on a full perimeter system with a sump pump and finishing our basement, I am left with a vendor that refuses to make good on his guarantee, and a house that STILL gets water. Tim told me to "go ahead and sue him" vs. making good on his work. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY if you care about your property ACTUALLY being waterproofed.

C&M was extremely professional, friendly and helpful during my process in finding a waterproofing…read moresolution. I appreciate their willingness to work with me and find something that would work within my budget. Maxsuel was great to work with!

From the owner: I specialize in basement waterproofing. I work with permanent solutions, using proven techniques,…read moreexperiece, and top-quality materials to eliminate leaks, moisture, and mold in a safe and lasting way. My commitment is to deliver real results, not quick fixes that's why every job is done with attention to detail and a focus on adding value to your property.

Called them because my elderly aunt was getting water in her basement anytime there was heavy…read morerainfall. I explained that it was a fieldstone foundation and the guy I spoke with said "no problem." The gentleman showed up when he said he would, which was great that I didn't have to waster 2 hours in traffic for nothing. However, the oddness ensued quickly. Every time I showed him a part of the basement, he'd say "Great. I'll take a look and find you if I have any questions" but his "inspections" would only take 2 minutes. So, we'd walk to the next part of the basement, he'd say he'd let me know when he was done, then I'd wait a minute or two and then proceed to the next section. (I swear I'm not making this up.) It was really odd. After his inspection, I said "what do you think?" He said they don't really do much with fieldstone foundations (which would have been very beneficial to tell me over the phone) but that he was going to talk with his boss and that I shouldn't worry because they wouldn't "leave me high and dry" (no pun intended.) He then excused himself once again to call someone and then a few minutes later comes back to tell me there isn't really anything they can do and we should contact someone who specializes in fieldstone foundation repair and then leaves. I don't know how long I scratched my head after that encounter. Drycrete might be a magnificent company to do business with and their work might be first rate but, from my single encounter with them, I was not remotely impressed and it was a grand waste of my time.

The work performed in our bulkhead was dramatically perfect. Besides the work being done, the crew…read morewas the most professional we have ever had. They were thoughtful, clean and very polite. Also, they are honest. I can't say enough about them in every way. I would not hesitate to recommend them for any waterproofing job needed. They go beyond the job and actually do more than was in the contract without charging for it. No one is better and they are truly perfect.

Recently my chimney was damaged from a storm on December 19th extremely high winds and heavy rain,…read morethe wind was so strong it lifted the metal insert in my chimney and removed it w/ the bricks still attached. I immediately took to the internet to find a high-quality specialist w/ a 5* rating and reviews to back it as I had installed a high-quality metal roof installed 8 years ago by interlocking roofing at the time the cost was $ 35,000.00 now that same roof today would cost approx. close to $ 100,000.00 so I needed a professional with knowledge with working w/ a metal roof that looks like slate. and wanted to do the proper assessment of damage cost etc. prior to placing a claim w/ my insurance company. As that would give me a good idea of cost repairs what would be involved as it would be a lot different than dealing w/ your normal asphalt roof where they could just go up on the roof where in this case you cannot. You would either need a lift or specialized staging set up as that come at a higher cost. in order to not compromise the integrity of the metal roof and to avoid liability, so I needed to do my do diligences in getting the right company to assess and do the job once the claim was put in. Because it was the weekend, I filled out the information online and in less than a 1/2 hour, I had a response from Brian from Safe Sweep Chimney. Extremely professional and set up an appointment on the 30th of December to come out and assess the damage. Now I had a professional I then went online and filed my claim w/ Amica who I have had for many years and are the Best of the Best when it comes to insurance companies, after filing I was notified that I was assigned a claim representee, and a claim person would be coming out on the 31st of December, so now I have done what needed to be done. Now as stated Brian showed up like he said he would at the time he had stated and was here for well over an hour did a complete assessment, cleaned the chimney and the fee was very reasonable of $ 300 as stated during our first conversation. and wrote up a report in his findings. During his time at my home Brians communication was in terms that I could understand and the process that would need to take place, and yes, a specialize staging company would need to come out and set staging w/ stairs in order to not compromise and damage to my roof but also for the safety of his employees. and the roof would have to be tarped to avoid any scratching etc. Brian also asked me if I had ever had the chimney ever cleaned, I told him no, that I had been told back when I purchased my home back in 1978 that because I didn't have a fireplace it was necessary, that may have been the case back then only to find out not to be true, to my surprise. the cleaning the chimney is one of the things Brian insist should always be done regardless this way it ensures the integrity of the bricks and shows if there are any cracks etc. that can be repaired that can avoid any future expensive cost down the road and avoid any carbon monoxide from seeping into your home. This to me is what sets Brian apart from other his willingness to take the time to educate someone like me of the dangers that could arise, as Brian put it, though it is a costly repair that it's his job to make a homeowner aways of any hazards that could arise in the future, regardless of whether I went with him or not, That was all I needed to hear, I was relieved in knowing that hiring Brian would be another one of those best asset's I would be investing in knowing the job for one would be professional, two I would never have to worry about it again at least not as long as I remain in my home. one of the best choices I could have made by doing my homework and not just hiring anyone, and the second-best thing I ever did was having one of the best insurance companies to protect me with my Home, and Auto and Liability Insurance, Amica I could be happier w/ my decisions and I urge anyone looking for reputable insurance company, reputable Chimney expert call Brian, at Safe Sweep Chimneys as well as Amica, oh one last thing to Brian's credit, who in today's world does this. Brian made it a point to call me the next day to see how I was doing, knowing how frazzled I was and to insure me everything would be alright. but was more concerned about me as a person. Sure, made me feel a lot better. I can only say Thank you Brian, so much appreciated the time and care you took to spend w/ me the day of my crisis. Joseph St. Jean

Brian Burkhead and his sons did a great job- from the initial call to setting expectations to…read morearriving on time and finishing with a superb clean up as if they were never here. It was great to call Safe Sweep Chimney and have the owner pick up. Brian and his sons were very respectful of our house. He showed me the camera footage from his top to bottom flue inspection. He gave a couple of price quotes depending on what we wanted to do. In the end we got the chimney cleaned and inspected for $300. We decided to close/cap it for $200. 5 star experience!