Why am I taking a bunch of pictures of my grass in the winter? Because this grass used to be very muddy. We recently installed French drains through Exterior Waterproofing Experts after getting four estimates total and I will say outright this company is the most knowledgeable of any I had interviewed. One of the owners is a hydrologist and he is part of Clifton Contracting. They brought up how you shouldn't do a runoff close to the street because it causes ice on the road which no other company had mentioned. He told me how they install legs in the ground and addition to the main ditches to help distribute water better. And we made a plan to do a u shape around the house with two pits underground that replace above ground stone pits we had before. They installed pop-up drain outs near the front and after two heavy rains I'm already impressed of how well the system dries out compared to before. They also do a lot of outdoor landscaping, patio work, outdoor spaces and more. I was incredibly impressed with them. Feel free to DM me if you want me to discuss who else I interviewed. Also now is the great time to do it because it's "winter" and prices are lower than when they would be during normal times. Highly recommend. Contact Evan at 571-599-0528. He texts too. read more

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Evan and the onsite service team, led by Santiago, were fantastic. I would not trust anyone else to address my exterior drainage and landscaping issues. We live in DC and have a sump pump that exits our basement into our backyard. Over time, poor drainage, the sump pump outflow exit location, and a few other poorly executed landscaping design issues (put in place by the previous owner) rendered our backyard and side yards useless. Evan was quick to diagnose the root causes of each issue in each location and went above and beyond in his suggestions for remedies. His proposed solutions were functional and creative - he knows his stuff! His pricing was fair for the work scope as well, IMO. Santiago and team were excellent. They arrived timely and worked insanely hard. Further, they were so clean in their work. The hosed down and blew out the workspace after they finished each job in each space - this was very much appreciated. In addition, Santiago and crew went above and beyond my expectations in that they used leftover mulch to touch up a few beds not originally contemplated in the initial scope of work. Finally, upon final inspection, we noticed a few very minor items requiring additional follow up. Evan agreed to address each issue and sent his crew the same day to fix. I couldn't be happier with their work and hopefully, the pictures do their craftsmanship more justice than this review. read more

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Update on my previous review: Evan reached out immediately to let me know that the sprinkler had actually been fixed behind the scenes- which I quickly confirmed to be the case, leaving me a bit embarrassed. In response to some of the photos, Evan also personally came out to inspect the work, and recommended a few improvements including adding sod and re-doing the pop-up top area. The follow-up work was completed promptly and went well beyond my initial ask of fixing the sprinkler head... Evan even threw in some mulch for some of the sad-looking trees. To summarize: 1. Did they solve my drainage issues? Yes 2. Did they do this without introducing new problems? There were a few minor issues, described in my previous review 3. Did they follow up or resolve the problems they introduced? All issues I raised, and some I didn't, were acknowledged and fully fixed to my satisfaction. The sprinkler issue I had not heard back on had actually been fixed by the time I wrote my review (and I just didn't know it) 4. Would I use them again or recommend them to a friend? Unreserved yes (I am having Evan give me an estimate for an egress window this week) 5. For the price, am I happy with their work? 5 out of 5 read more

Exterior Waterproofing Experts - All issues identified in my previous review, and more, were satisfactorily resolved - Waterproofing Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Evan and his team did an amazing job. I noticed I had water coming into my basement this summer. After conducting a lot of research I contacted Exterior Waterproofing Experts; a division of Clifton Contracting. Evan came out to asses the damage and determine the cause. He thought he found the issue, but did advise he wasn't 100% sure, but wanted to start with the first plan as it was much cheaper and did not want to unnecessarily overdue what would be needed. I appreciated his honesty. Unfortunately, the initial resolution did not correct the problem. After re-contacting Evan we determined a full excavation would be necessary. The project was slated for 2 days and the team was great. They worked diligently on the first day and were having trouble finding the cause of the leak. They refused to leave until they found it and right before it got real dark and after digging probably 12 feet, they found that the entry was at the very bottom of my foundation where it met the ground and poured footing. Even better was that Evan through in additional buried drainage on my neighbors simply because it was in the best interest of our property to keep away further water erosion next to the foundation. This was not part of the original project quote. My neighbor's yard and mine were completely torn up. But I knew that the contract stated they would be everything (plants, shrubs, landscaping, etc.) back as it was before the work so I had my fingers crossed. After the team completely all the necessary restoration work on the second day, their clean up work was immaculate. You could not tell that it looked anything like it did before. The work was extra hard due to heavy clay soil and the depth that it took to find the damage, but the guys were great and got it all completed in the planned 2 days. read more

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These guys were the light at the end of a several year tunnel of our basement stairwell drain getting overwhelmed and flooding in our home. We had rigged a very unsightly tarp/plywood contraption to keep the water our thinking the cost of a permanent solution would be out of reach right now. Wrong! We were so shocked at the fast and affordable estimate we received. Evan assured us they had done dozens of stairwell projects just like ours. He worked quickly to come up with a solution and the price tag was about 1/5 of what we had in our heads for a solution. A few days after the job was done (removed existing drain, installed a basin and 4" pipe running 35 feet graded down to the corner of the property) we had a series of torrential down pours day after day. And the drain held! No water in the basement! I can sleep at night now not worried about our basement flooding and I'm not embarrassed to have neighbors see our stairwell previously covered in a very ugly lean to contraption. Highly recommend Evan and his team. read more

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We have a basement condo in DC, the first summer of ownership every heavy rain we got flooded. Tried another waterproofing company to fix but the next spring/summer every heavy rain we still flooded. We contacted Exterior Waterproofing and they came in and recommended a sump pump and drain out to the ally way. We are 2 years in now and we have had no flooding!! So happy with their work. Evan is great at communicating about the project/work and schedules. This past rain we had one of the PVC pipes break and phoned Evan. Within days they were out to fix the problem which was still covered by the warranty. Highly recommend this company if you are struggling with water issues. Don't waste your time or money elsewhere. read more

I am thrilled with the job Exterior Waterproofing Experts did! I was required by my city to install a drywell in my front yard. Evan came by and gave a reasonable estimate and promised his team would have my yard looking perfect afterward. The team showed up exactly on time. They were friendly and knew what they were doing. The project went extremely smooth. I was surprised to see when they finished they spread grass in the areas where the yard had been damaged - that was going above and beyond! Overall I was very happy with the entire project and the quality of their work. If I have another drainage project there wouldn't be anyone else I would call. read more

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I had been living with a flooding backyard for a while, and was finally sick of it. Our patio is on the low point and it was constantly underwater after heavy rainfall for days. Evan came and found a fix for it, installing french drains and an external sump pump to clear all the ground water. It worked magically, and the area looks great! Evan is very professional, extremely responsive (sends you a quote from his truck just minutes after the initial consult), and goes so far as to give you a call when he's running even just 5 minutes late. The crew that came to do the work was respectful, efficient, knowledgeable and very professional as well. I've loved working with them so much so far, I'm contracting them to do some basement work as well. read more

Evan and his crew came out to even out the grade in our front and back yard. Evan gave me a great price for the work. They removed existing plants, added dirt, fixed the grade, added plants, and added mulch. His crew was on time and hard working. Highly recommend! read more

Exterior Waterproofing Experts - Waterproofing Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I'm not sure where to start with Clifton Contracting/Exterior Waterproofing Experts. On one hand, the end product met my expectations and every deficiency was followed up with accordingly. On the other hand, QA/QC is at the owner's risk. A review from August 2021 summed up the initial communications quite matter of fact. Good team, great price, but communication to them about your exact expectations is key. You want a window at a certain height within AHJ code requirements, it's imperative you state this. All told, Chris did communicate daily and the project did get completed. I've never taken on a home project of this magnitude, but I'm completely happy with the end product and I'm sure you will be too. Highly recommend. read more

Evan and his team did an incredible job fixing a water issue we had for nearly 10 years in our Alexandria Verizon Retail location. They could not have been more professional and efficient. We will continue to use them in our stores across VA. Their ability to take care of a large commercial job at a fair price makes them our go to drainage and water guys. read more

My crawl space was leaking. The team came out to the house and determined the cause of the problem. They replaced and redirected the downspouts and underground drainage. They placed a French drain in the crawl space and secured loose cement blocks. We I'll definitely use them in the future, if needed. read more

After trying other contractors to address a basement window leak in my Fairlington townhouse, I called Clifton. Evan was easy to schedule, prompt, and he correctly diagnosed my problem. I regret that the fix it not fall within their wheelhouse, but he did not charge me for the visit and diagnosis. I would happily call them again if I have a problem that requires their services. Deborah S. read more

Evan and the team did a fantastic job waterproofing my window wells and installing an external sump pump. Best customer service among contractors that I've seen! read more

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The water-proofing is in the massive rain storms and my neighbor's overwatering. Chris came out, listened to my soggy yard issue, carefully inspected the area and shared his first thoughts on the best solution. He generated a written estimate detailing the specific work to be done and the time line (1/2 day). Submitted 1/2 the cost for the job. Crew arrived (on one of the hottest days this year) and went to work. They quickly went to work, cutting the sod, trenching, laying pipe and terminating the French drain in a dry well. Upon completion, the crew put the sod neatly back in place, had me (and my neighbor) verify correct operation of irrigation systems and packed everything up, very neatly and departed. It was like they were never there! And now with all the big rains, I've had the opportunity to check on the effectiveness of the drain...PERFECT! Mowed today after a big rain last night and normal summer watering this morning. Simply excellent. Much, much thanks to Chris, Company & Crew! You have water problems? Clifton Contracting has your customer solution! read more

We had water coming into our finished basement during heavy rains. Exterior Waterproofing were extremely knowledge on all aspects of waterproofing, were flexible based on our specific situation and came up with solution. The crew did great work on a tough job, and we were all amazed by how well they put our yard back together after (including landscaping). We have had plenty of torrential rains since then, and not a drop has come in. Beyond that, they have been highly responsive on some follow up questions I had. Highly recommended. read more

I brought these folks in to repair a leak in my basement which ended up being a sizable crack in the foundation. I'm not going to say they did the job right the first time. I'm not an expert. They were polite. They were clean. They were professional. What mattered to me more was that when my basement leaked again 6 months later - they stood by their customer satisfaction guarantee. I called Evan on his cell and had a speech prepared about why he needs to come back. He didn't even give me a chance. He didn't make me feel like I was being a "demanding" customer. His attitude was simple and refreshing - "We'll be right there". Things go wrong. Stuff is complex. I can absolutely understand when someone tries to do a job and they don't get it right the first time. But what matters is the proactive desire to make it right, second time, third time. And when doing so, not making the customer feel like they're in the wrong. Thanks Evan (and team) for taking pride in your work! read more

We bought a new home with visible mold issues in the basement utility room, as well some additional drainage issues deeper into the backyard that caused water to pool in the middle of the yard. To do our due diligence, we got estimates from 6 different companies. The problem was, however, that we got back at least 4 different strategies for addressing the issues at 6 different price points. Since we know nothing about drainage, it was really hard for us to understand how to move forward. A friend recommended Evan and his crew. He came out and got us an estimate right away, and was honest about what he thought we did and did not need. His solution was different in kind, and was one of the higher estimates we received but it felt like we understood why we needed to take the steps he was outlining. It took a while for the work to get started, but that's understandable given demand. Once it did start, it was completed quickly and his staff was extremely conscientious-- they left our yard looking great, and even swept the excess dirt off the street near where they had parked their truck. Evan came by and explained everything they had done and gave us some things to look out for to determine whether we'd need to do anything additional. We're anxiously awaiting the next rain to see the difference in the yard, but we're happy with the process and confident we'll see great results. read more

Evan called and come out again giving me an estimated quickly. I APPRECIATE his effort of trying to correct the mishap. I updated to the meduim rating for recognition of his effort and the outcome of the overall experience. read more

Had a leak in my foundation. Price wasn't the cheapest but the quality of service was excellent. I expect no further issues with my home. Evan was informative and honest with timing, especially as rain derailed the schedule read more

very pleased with the job that was done, my basement had a leak and they came to remedy the situation. Little did we know how much would be involved with the project, didn't matter the guys were never phased and continued to plug away until they got to the problem and figured out how to fix it. The original quote was also the final price, I know the job I contracted for was not what they ended up having to do. There were surprises throughout the project but again they guys were not phased by anything and just made sure that they would get to the cause and get it fixed, I was told not to worry about additional costs because it was just a part of the job. Very impressed that Josh also came out in the AM to introduce the crew to me and was back in the afternoon to inspect the work that his crew did. Very professional outfit. I would recommend them to anyone I know! another big plus...they came out the day they said they would, no delays!!! Paul M read more

I have had water entering my basement near the rear stairwell during torrential rains for some time and could not figure out why. I contacted three drainage/basement contractors to determine what the problem was. Each one was baffled as to the source of the water and ultimately guessing that I needed an interior drainage system along with a sump pump to try and solve the problem with no guaranties it would work. Evan at Exterior Waterproofing fortunately was my last meeting and he immediately and with confidence ascertained what the problem was by noticing mud trails on my steps coming from holes in my rear stairwell. He determined that there was a void under the stairwell that needed to be filled to prevent water from entering the house on the side of the stairwell. He also proposed a diverter pipe connecting to my existing downspout on that side of the house that would lead away into a pop-up emitter 30" away from the house. The work was performed in mid-December and my basement has been dry ever since (and we certainly have had plenty of torrential storms since). During yesterday's storm I noticed that the connection from the new drainage pipe installed was not fully connected to my existing downspout allowing water to leak out on to my patio. I contacted Exterior Waterproofing earlier this morning, heard back from Evan within a couple of hours and he's coming tomorrow to fix it. Great work and great customer service. I highly recommend. read more

Cannot say enough about the service I received from Exterior Waterproofing (division of Clifton Contracting). I had seeping water show up in my basement guest room closet and within 24 hours Evan came out to inspect the issue. He was prompt (actually called to see if he could arrive early) and professional. He took about 5 minutes to discover that my issue wasn't a foundation/waterproofing issue, but the main water shutoff was leaking two rooms over. He didn't charge me anything and said a quick visit by a plumber would fix the leak (which was correct). Would highly recommend this company's great service! read more

I had an egress window and window well installed at my house to officially add a 4th bedroom. Then I had 8 ceiling fans installed in the house (three where there was no wiring or fan box before). I also had three extra electrical circuits run to the kitchen and 4th bedroom. Finally, I had a pocket door installed to be able to close the 4th bedroom in the basement. Then we passed a code inspection to ensure the city would accept everything. I had requested estimates from seven companies and only received estimates back from three. Four of the companies did not know how or did not want to do all three projects since they all required different expertise. The project went well. Clifton contracting had a window well digging and installation crew, a carpenter crew, and an electrician crew that all came in to work various phases of the contract over several different days. They did fast and good work. However, most of the workers spoke English as a second language (after Spanish) so there were a couple misunderstandings on the exact job description since we had three complicated different phases. The owner was true to his word and to his written estimate. He came and checked progress a couple times and sent his guys back when necessary to ensure his guys completed every part of the job estimate and that the work quality was high. read more

Extremely professional, wore mask the entire time. Walked me through the whole project and even did extra work without any hassle. Would highly recommend for any waterproofing job you may need. Great job. read more

Dave and his team did a wonderful job with a new trench and drain system. He tied in 5 new downspouts to the new drain and re-attached and cleaned out a few more downspouts ensuring my home will remain dry during the wet weather. The job was done on time at a fair cost. Excellent communication and overall job well done. read more

Evan and his team did a great job installing buried downspouts and regrading the soil around our foundation. Great communication throughout the process, Evan took the time to explain our moisture problems and answer all of our questions, and the team did the work with great attention to detail. Will call again if future waterproofing work becomes necessary. read more

Chris stopped by our property and even though the job was too small for his team, he was extremely helpful in telling us what we needed to do to address the issue. I really appreciated he wasn't trying to make us spend unnecessary amounts of money. read more

These guys are the best, seriously. Had a leak in our basement due to clog in drain in the window well. Evan diagnosed the problem right away, provided a prompt (and reasonable) estimate for the work, got it done on time and within the price quote. His crew cleaned up so well I could not even tell they were here. Very professional in all aspects of the business. They are a pleasure to work with, full transparency on cost and diagnosis. I highly recommend these guys, giving them a 5 star rating. read more

Evan came to my home on 12/31/2019 to provide an estimate for grading an area where water was pooling and install downspout extension. He said his estimate would be the lowest compared to other companies. His ballpark estimate was $4,775. I asked him to email me the estimate. When I didn't get anything, I called the receptionist to ask Evan to send me an estimate. Nothing. I can only conclude that Evan doesn't have a good base of knowledge about the cost of work and is intimidated by preparing a competitive bid, or this company is not competent to do the job, or don't need to make money. This lack of response was unprofessional and a wasted my time. I hired another company that did a great job. read more

We met with Evan earlier today to assess an issue with moisture penetrating through the brick walls in our basement. Our GC had suggested that we might need to look into a French drain and sump pump system, which would cost a pretty penny. Evan arrived on time, got straight down to the work of assessing the situation, and immediately diagnosed that the primary issue was damage to the first floor windows and other penetrations in the exterior walls -- luckily, issues that we had already planned on addressing. "I don't think there's anything for me to do here," he said, in words no other contractor has ever said, ever. He also looked around at some other places where we saw moisture penetration in the structure and suggested (easy) fixes our GC could implement to address them. Evan radiated competence and honesty and inspired extreme confidence. We will be contacting him for any waterproofing work in the future and will refer him without hesitation to friends and family. read more

Evan and his men knocked it out of the proverbial park. In my day job I work with many builders and contractors, and this company and people are superb. They handled an extensive drainage project and installation of multiple sump pumps. Very thoughtful design using common sense and experience. I would not hesitate to tout this company and/or call on them again tomorrow. read more

Very detailed and competitive proposal provided. We picked Clifton because we liked all the positive reviews online and their end project pictures were great. Unfortunately, our experience with Clifton was not positive. Agreements were made and scheduling the project was half a$$ at best. I had to follow up with their sales person 3 times over email and eventually call to find the status. Once the install date was picked, no details were provided about how long the job would take or time of start. COVID seems to be a main inconvenience blame factor for Clifton but interoffice operations seem to be the real issue. Wait times are long (probably valid for covid blame) and as for project communication (forget about it). Good luck guessing how your project is going to go because no staff member is going to give you any updates. The day of install was a "no show" and I expressed my frustration only to be convinced this would be resolved and attended to immediately. I understand issues can cause schedule problems and delays. Communication is important here. You won't be getting that from Clifton. In the end, the project was cancelled because we just couldn't handle all the interoffice/scheduling/communication issues. The work might be great, i wish I knew. I definitely gave them many attempts to unsuccessfully correct the issues. If you pick them, I hope your experience is better than ours. read more

I used these guys to do some waterproofing in my basement. They put two sump pumps in, waterproofed a section of the foundation, tore out ane repoured a concrete stairwell (with a new drain) and put a french drain in the yard. Their work solved my flooding problems until one of the sump pumps failed manu months down the road. I do not hold the sump pump failure against them because it happens and its not like they manufacture the parts. They came back multiple times on weekends and at night trouble shooting the issue at no cost to me. I actually think more highly of the company after the issue given the way they handled it. Thanks Dave and Chris! read more