Perma-Seal Basement Systems

It went well. They inventoried the entire basement. They explained things toughly. They are excellent and have the best price around.

did not do work, took too long to get visit for estimate

Worst experience ever. I have a two page report on each interaction with them from the first back in April 2013 until now August 2013. Not one contact has gone well. First they contract out sales people who do not even work for their company (mine was even from another state - they brought him in to deal with the high volume of calls). Obviously when he left my house he was gone. Could not get returned calls or emails. Should have been red flag number 1. Calling me on a late Friday afternoon (my appt is Tuesday), telling me "we need your signed drawings to us by tomorrow (Saturday) or we will cancel your Tuesday appt." Really? You didn't know you did not have everything you needed sooner? I call back asking if they could email me a copy of what they needed signed (my drawings) and they have NO COPY OF IT, no copy of my contract either. I should have ran at this moment. The guys were supposed to be out here between 9-1:00 on Tuesday. Lady who calls the day before says since it is drainage they almost always come first thing in the morning so that is when your apt will likely be. At 12:45 I have to call THEM to find out where they are. The lady tells me ?they will call you a half hour before they come!? I tell her they were supposed to be here by 1:00 so how is that possible now? She puts me on hold for 10 minutes while she calls them to find out there was a problem at the job before mine and they won?t be here until around 4:00. NO ONE COULD CALL AND TELL US THIS? They had to have known for sometime they would not get here on time and no one could call? And she was as rude as can be. Guys finally get here and ask us for the drawing and info. They have never seen the drawing before this and do not have a copy of it themselves????? They put in a smaller drain then was there before. I test it and sure enough the water comes pouring in our house. I call to complain and finally get some sales manager who is baffled by what they did. I get another appt for a month later. Rude customer service also tells me that my warranty will be void if the drain is not properly maintained by the homeowner. I say "you mean like taking up the grate and cleaning out the debris in the drain." To which she says "yes." I tell her that is hard to do since your guys CEMENTED in the grate so it cannot be removed. They say they will come fix it. Many lies along the way and rude customer service calls like while trying to get a hold of a sales manager I was told sorry he is not in the office today. When I pressed for someone else to talk to low and behold he is in the office. This happened often. I finally got fed up and sent an email before the next time they came out requesting the following in writing: what their understanding of our flooding issues are and a diagram and explain exactly what they plan on doing to fix the problem. They would comply with neither request. Instead I was told their Foremen/Crew chief will come and resolve my issue. "His name is Francisco Morales and they would speak to him in person explaining your situation. Francisco has been with Perma Seal for many years and I have full confidence that he will be able to address and resolve this issue." Guess who did not come out here? Fransisco. Instead I got the same idiot who came out the first time. So this guys comes out for the 2nd time, barely a plan in hand, no idea of our situation they were coming to fix. Could barely answer our simple questions. Only did things if we asked them to like adding a second drain and fixing the seepage issue. They left at 9:30, by 11:30 water was coming in under the door that they just fixed. When I called to complain about the water coming in they were as rude as could be and tried to blame it on me. Now I am trying to solve the problem with the owner. Terrible customer service and they cannot even fix the water issues and they made a new water issue for us!!!! EDITED ON 9/2 TO ADD: Had an engineer out today to look at the work they did. We did not even get to discuss our water issues. He noticed they drilled a hole for drainage (in our house not outside), completely missed the drain pipe and drilled into our foundation and that is where the water will drain! The guy made a mistake obviously and did not even tell us or fix it. So now our foundation will be damaged AND we have the potential radon seeping up through this hole they made into our foundation. They told us they were sending out their crew chief/top foreman to do the 2nd fix on the job. THIS IS THEIR BEST AND BRIGHTEST!!!!!! I have no words for how bad this company screwed this simple job up.

Actually getting an appointment took about 2 month. Glad I did not have an emergency. The appointment took way too much of my time. It was a surreal moment. Hard to believe i actually spent 2ish hours of my day off listening to this down talking, pontificating salesman Chris Hayden. He quoted drain tile for a concrete crawl. I have a dirt crawl. To explain why Perma Seal was three grand higher than another contractor he explained it was because they use PVC versus abs. Hello I am reasonably young and female but I was not born yesterday. Both are cheap plastic and not that divergent in price. Plus closing my crawl space door is tricky. He man-handled to force the latches closed and left a 2 inch gap on both sides - which I noticed a day or two later. Hope I don't have critters now. The upside is that the Perma seal proposal is very complete and does include material specification.

It was a two day job, and it turned out very well. The workers did not speak English, but the Foreman did. Everything went better than I expected and the basement is wonderfully dry now.

We decided to contact Perma Seal to obtain an estimate and more information regarding their crawlspace encapsulation system. Chris Gordon came to our home on 5/21/13 where we discussed having our crawlspace encapsulated to reduce humidity, vapors/odors, insects (spiders), and to be more energy efficient (insulation). Went we informed Chris that we were also looking at having a concrete crawlspace he stated that it would be a bad idea do to the concrete being susceptible to cracking as well as possible dust build up during installation. We were shown various Perma Seal videos stating the company?s mission statement along with their expertise in the water management industry, although it was clearly a marketing tool. After a lengthy meeting of approximately two hours, we were confident that Perma Seal would be able to provide us an upgraded crawlspace that would be worth the expense. Besides being able to use our crawlspace for storage the main selling point was that our home would be more energy efficient after encapsulation system that included providing insulation throughout the crawlspace walls. One of our concerns during the decision process was deciding whether or not we really needed to install a drain tile system with sump pump within the crawlspace. Chris Gordon strongly recommended installing the system and to obtain peace of mind we decided to proceed with the installation of the system. However, we decided to get rid of the battery backup pump in the Super Sump System package to save money. Another concern that we brought to Chris Gordon?s attention was that there were several items, including a large concrete block (approx. 2?x2?X4?), that were left behind from the house?s renovation. Chris reassured us that Perma Seal would take care of removal of these items, including the large concrete block with no additional cost to us. During the proposal write up we made sure to tell Chris to indicate this with notes in his write up (this turned out to be a huge deal breaker as will be explained further down). The following is the breakdown of the services we were supposed to get done on our crawlspace: Super Sump System ($1,095 w/no battery backup pump) SilverGlo Encapsulation System ($2,819.40) Dirt Crawl ABS Drain Tile ($980) Ice Guard Kit ($47) Lawn Scape Kit ($26) Electrical Double Circuit Outlet ($420) In addition to the services indicated above we also discussed and showed Chris Gordon our concerns with a crack between the foundation of the home and the driveway. Chris Gordon told us that there were signs of previous work being done in attempts to seal the crack (such as concrete and other plastic like material). Chris Gordon then stated that Perma Seal had a product that would provide a solution to our problem. Chris Gordon told us that this product was called Perma-Bond and that it would be perfect for our issue since it wouldn?t crack/fail like seen through the evidence of prior repair attempts. We were told that unlike concrete or other non-elastic plastic sealants that the Perma Bond was thick and flexible and excellent for exterior use. Trusting Chris Gordon?s expertise we decided to add Perma Bond to our contract, Chris Gordon then measured the length of the exterior wall along the driveway to determine that we would need 39 feet of Perma Bond. Thus, we added the following service: Perma-Bond ($156 for 39 feet) Finally, we were approved to receive financial assistance through Perma Seal?s ?good as cash? credit program through their partner Enerbank. With the recent flooding in our area due to very heavy rains we decided to also look at adding a battery backup sump pump in our laundry room for protecting our basement. During his consultation visit Chris explained to us the work that would be needed to be performed in order for proper installation of a basement battery backup sump pump. Chris stated that they would need to drill our cinderblock wall to provide a second penetration for the battery backup sump pump?s discharge line. Chris stated that this new wall penetration would be located next to where the existing sump pump?s discharge line exited our home. Once outdoors, the existing drain line and the new drain line would be provided with ice guards prior to being connected together into our existing drainage system (I want to point out that our existing drainage system consisted of 2? PVC line routed approximately 15? away from the house within backyard to lawn pop up). Thus, we added the following services: (2) Ice Guard Kits 1 for existing line and another for backup up pump discharge BOSP-Perma-Sump 2011 w/Additional work Electrical Double Circuit Outlet Existing Line and New battery backup pump discharge line would be connected to existing discharge system After signing the contract for the work to be performed we were well aware of the financial burden it would bring, but we were happy with our investment to improve our home. We signed our contract on 5/21/13 but Perma Seal stated that they had so much work due to the recent flooding that we weren?t able to be scheduled until 8/8/13 (Please note that we were informed that all work associated with our contract would be performed on 8/8/13). We had complete confidence in Perma Seal?s expertise and ethics based on their Better Business Bureau rating and their name being well known throughout the water proofing industry. However, our troubles and headaches with Perma Seal started when we received a call from Perma Seal?s customer service informing us that we needed to schedule a date for the Electrician to come install the electrical outlets needed for the work installation. We received this call about a month after we had signed and scheduled an installation date. Upset we called back customer service to find out what had changed and why the Electrician?s work had to be separate from the 8/8/13 date we had scheduled back when we signed the contract. We were informed that Chris Gordon had never set up/scheduled the Electrician?s work in the system. After asking if we could schedule the Electrician for 8/8/13 we were told that none of the Electricians were available for that date and that we had to choose another date. Having no alternative we scheduled the Electrician for 8/2/13 and had no choice but to request another day off work (Please note that we had almost no Paid Time Off left from work since we had requested several days during the closing and moving process for our new house). Well 8/2/13 finally came, and this is when our confidence and trust with Perma Seal went straight down. The Electrician showed up to our home, he was friendly, but after familiarizing himself with the location of the electrical panel and areas of work he was quick to ask whether the initial consultant (Chris Gordon) had informed us of the possible need to cut holes in our drywall to provide access for the electrical wiring. We were shocked to say the least, Chris had never once mentioned the possibility that there would ever be a need to cut wholes in our drywall not to mention the fact that Perma Seal did not repair these holes after the fact. Seeing our reaction the Electrician was apologetic and stated that it made him upset that customers weren?t being informed by the salesman/consultant. The Electrician stated that it always made his job harder when customers weren?t informed of the possible need to cut drywall and stated that he had experience the same situation with other customers as well. We informed the Electrician that we would not want any work done if it meant cutting the drywalls of our brand new house, especially if we were going to be left patching up approx. 12?x6 holes. Even the electrician stated that Perma Seal was only trying to sell us services we really did not need in order to make more money as he thought there was no need for drain tile. So, as the Electrician attempted to find alternate routings for the sump pump and drain tile, we called Perma Seal?s customer service. We wanted to cancel the whole deal at this point and were told we would not get our deposit money back. After several calls into them since they hung up on us and kept placing us on hold, we were able to at least negotiate a battery backup sump pump for the one we already have so our deposit wouldn?t go to waste since they were not returning it. This ended up costing us close to $1500!! Even our neighbors told us we got ripped off. When Perma Seal arrived on August 8th to put in the battery backup, they sent out another electrician early that day to do the work the first one had already done! He ended up going home and we had the others to install the batter backup later that day. They took about 3 hours and ended up making another hole in our basement to put the backup sump pump discharge. They could?ve just connected it to the existing discharge! Well, when they placed the drain guards on the outside, they went on to say that they did not fix them correctly to the existing pipes because it wasn?t on the contract so they just put them on different size piping without caring that it did not match the existing underground pipe. They asked my husband to pay an additional $100 for them to come out another day to fix this on their own outside of Perma Seal?s work. My husband ended up having to dig up our existing gutter drains and buy new pipes to use. He was out there til 10pm and ended up having to take off of work the next day to fix their half done work. We could write pages of their mistakes but overall would never recommend this company to anyone. Nevertheless, I would never use them again. This was the worst company we have ever dealt with. A few weeks later, we got other quotes and found that Perma Seal was indeed truly ripping us off. $8,000 worth of ?work? they were going to do was an average of $3,000 with other companies. Shame on you Perma Seal!

Full payment was required when the work was completed on December 10, 2010. I had difficulty getting the company to respond to a leak which occurred following the first heavy rainstorm about six months after the completion date. After repeated phone calls beginning on June 1, 2011 without resolution, on October 7, 2011, I sent a Certified letter to the owner of the company. When they finally sent someone out to fix the problem I was told that I needed to replace a window well at additional cost. When I stated that the original repairs were meant to be the solution, their representative said "well, we repaired the crack". During this period I had to pay someone to remove and replace a section of my finished basement wall paneling, drywall, and trim twice because the amount charged by PermaSeal did not include this service. The leak at the bottom of the window has never been repaired and I declined to pay them for additional work.

It took a while to get an estimate. Once I got the estimate I was pleasantly surprised by the cost of the job considering other reviews. They were very flexible with our work schedule and were able to get the job done in a timely fashion.

First of all, Robert came to assess our situation. He explained everything he suggested we do and gave reasons why. He was very professional and, we feel, honest. Having heard nothing but good things about Perma-Seal, we accepted the quote that day and an installation date was scheduled. On the day of the scheduled service we received a call from one of the technicians advising they could arrive 1/2 hour earlier if that was okay with us, and it was. (We are used to companies calling because they will be late, so this was nice.) They were very polite, performed the work to our satisfaction, explained how the battery backup works, and cleaned up after.

Great company, very professional and knowledgeable personnel!

Everything went fine until it rained two days later. I called them and a troubleshooter came out immediately. The problem was that the white foam they used to seal the cracks in the walls didn't work. The man then jackhammered the crack, after removing the foam, and filled it with epoxy and filled it with cement. There were also a couple of holes in the foundation that were missed and he filled them too. The troubleshooter was very upset when he saw the problems, and I am sure he reported it to the company. Because of their concern for excellence, I would recommend them.

Showed up on time and provided good proposal.

Don't remember the charge, but felt it was appropriate

Conclusion: I recommend the crawl space encapsulation (great for storage) but not the exterior crack repair. exterior crack repair = $530 x 2 = $1,060. (Read from bottom up.) May-June 2014 - Since the remaining seepage was coming in the front of the house facing the village main line, I approached it as a plumbing problem, not suggested by Permaseal. I hired Four Seasons who installed a pump system in my front yard, another $10k, and problem solved. 4/28/14 to do "warranty service" in the spillover. Service by Tony Lira: He did the water hose test again, no seepage again. Recommended that they expose & dig out the base of the south wall from the inside. Only from the inside can they see the exact source of the leak, plug it, & install drain tile. Next step: Call for an estimate. 2/20/14 - More seepage, as much as before the service. 2/1/14 service call with Marco Botello. They need to redo the spillover. 10/31/13 - Got seepage. 10/30/13 - Installation completed. Hard rain started that night and continued through the next morning. 8/8/13 estimate from Jim Montalbano, $9,819.30, down pmt $1,968. This covered crawl space encapsulation, crack repair (2 exterior, 1 interior), & a super sump pump system. Different company: $2k to upgrade my electrical service for the pump's dedicated outlet. I called for an estimate late May 2013 and was scheduled July 8, their next available appointment. My house is tri-level, i.e. half of the "basement" is finished, half is a crawl space. They sent out a guy who was nice but seemed very unprepared. He found a crack in the wall of the unfinished crawlspace but had no idea what to do about the finished part since he could not see behind the drywall or the foundation wall on the exterior. I never got his estimate.

They were running late and called to tell us so fairly early into the originally scheduled time. They did not show up until after the appointment window but I appreciated knowing what was going on. We got a 2nd call when the employee was on his way to our home. The inspection was thorough except for the fact that the employee brushed off our concerns about the backyard, which is part of the reason we're having problems. The solution Perma-Seal presented to us only seemed to mitigate the symptoms, not solve the actual problem of keeping water away from the house. My husband and I asked some questions via email but did not get much of a response. No one answered the second email we sent. I asked for more information about the warranty (they really push the warranty) and didn't receive anything. I would still consider working with Perma-Seal, but I would not implement the solution they suggested.

Cut a "V" groove insert plugs and cemented around same. Injected high density foam. Cleaned up very nicely.

They can't get out to see me until August 28, that is a 6 week waiting period. I realize this is the busy season but 6 weeks seems like a really long time

Well except after the first installation I was still having some water come in. I recommended drain tiles to be placed inside the underground ducts and would have liked if they - bring the experts - would have come up with a solution. Now I have water filling the other two ducts that go into my finished basement so have them coming out today to try to resolve...but I'm afraid it is going to be very expensive.

If, as a customer, I give the courtesy to be there within the time window, I would think that as a service provider the same would be true, if not at least a phone call informing us that the service call would be delayed. Now, I am supposed to make that same time window commitment and that is not fair for both us with our schedules. I sent an email complaint to them and did not receive a response until I emailed again. To which there reply was that they are busy and at times fall behind and try as much as possible to give a call but are not able to do so all the time. And, that I will have to make another time frame made available to them. After the amount of work i had done, and making myself available to them on their first request, I am very disappointed with their response when something goes wrong. My batter still needs to be replaced and the prior seal still needs to be reworked, but I would rather pay another service who is not so busy as to respond to situations when they fail to be there at a given time.

I was worried about the mess they would make and I have to say they were very clean and respectful. I asked them to put tarps down in the basement and they did even cleaning each day before they left. The foreman (can't remember his name) was excellent! Any request he was all over. They made sure there were no mud tracks on the driveway or basement stairs. When they finished he made sure everything was done to our satisfaction.

I was pleased with the quote as well as the work that they did. The project turned out well.

Just terrific!! Smooth from beginning to end! My Agent, Don was kind, thorough and provided great information and education regarding my basement. He well prepared me for the work that the installation crew would complete. There were no surprises and the project was well done by a team of two super guys, who were professional, courteous and did a great job!

all work was done on time and as stated. will have to wait for heavy rain to see the results.

Had some water leaking in my basement when I ran the sprinkler in the front yard. Called Permaseal and Jim Burlison came out to a**** the situation. Jim was GREAT - very friendly and professional. Gave suggestions to other repairs around my glass block windows that did not involve their services. He did find a hairline crack in the foundation wall near where the gas line used to be, and recommended epoxy injection. He was able to schedule everything right there, and the work was performed on a Saturday! Very convenient. The tech who came to do the work was also very friendly and professional. Everything was cleaned up and no mess was left behind. Have had no problems since!

The person that provided the estimate was prompt and very professional. Provided a clear explanation of the work that would need to be completed along with the cost. Advised of warranty and product guarantee Gave an approximate time frame in which the work could be completed The company called to confirm the appointment and was willing to adjust the schedule to an earlier time The service tech were professional and neat. They explained what would be done and to call if I had any questions. I would definitely recommend.