The rear foundation of my townhouse excavated and waterproofed. They corrected the grading in the brick patio at the back of the house and the surface drainage at the rear of the patio. A lager downspout was installed to improve water flow.
In life, generally one thing leads to another . . . and so begins this story. It all started with mold which led to finding a contractor to fix the water entry before the inside work could be done. Several estimates later, enter Dan of Archer Contractors. Impressed from the start, I felt he summed up my needs quickly and accurately. We signed the contract, waited for good weather and then the digging began. Dan is definitely not afraid of hard work or getting dirty. He was present for most of the time, providing professional oversight of the hand dug excavation, nine feet down. According the crew, it was a particularly difficult job as the dirt was compacted and dry. From my perspective, I was tired even thinking about it. Dan is easy to work with, flexible and amenable to change. He politely listened to my 'non-professional' suggestion, acknowledged that it was a good idea and gently suggested another option - which obviously was better than my idea. We went through 3 different revisions - gravel, bricks and cement slab - to come up with the best choice. Note: If your job includes installation of membrane (black goop), it is quite stinky. I suggest you close up your house before it is installed. For those of you considering a job like this, I'd like to share a bit about the emotional impact of seeing all the dirt and hard work that went into this project. Dan tried to prepare me by saying that I would have a big pile of dirt in my backyard. Oh yeah, I thought, it would be big. The actual dirt pile (aka 'mountain of dirt') was far more shocking than I expected. I was stunned to see the real life massive pile of dirt and despite their apparent fatigue, the willingness of the men to keep digging until the excavation was done. The ground was so hard in some places that they had to use a jack hammer. Results . . . I have a beautiful back yard now with water flowing in the right direction. The best part is that my basement is watertight. Would I use Archer Contractors again? Most definitely, but it's probably not likely as Dan and his crew did a great job of correcting my water issues. Although they delivered what was promised and I paid for the work, I still feel grateful to all those individuals who made it happen. Thanks Archer Contractors! It was a pleasure working with you. Just a final note, Dan is sometimes a 'bit busy' with juggling many calls, texts, site visits and monitoring the weather. If you find yourself wondering when he's going to get to your job (like me), do be patient. He's worth the wait. The actual work went quickly. Waiting for the proper day/weather was what took time. He also has a great sense of humor which is useful when you are stressed, as in my case, about the mess and the big smelly hole in your backyard. Final moisture meter testing indicates that the moisture issue in my basement is resolved. Thanks Dan!