Real Dry Waterproofing - Holyoke

Called to schedule a consultation and was informed they do not cover northern western Massachusetts - even though the website says they cover "all of Massachusetts." He was polite about it. But FYI.

Steve and his crew did an outstanding job!

Steve is the best. It has been a while since he did the work and I told him, at the time, that I intended to write a review. Unfortunately time passed and now I am finally writing the well deserved review as promised. Steve is the master. He knows precisely what to do and how to do it. He also was able to analyze a problem with the drainage and resolved it appropriately. He is most knowledgeable. He knows what he is talking about. He is experienced and professional. I will always call Steve. Do not waste your time or money with other companies,

My experience with Real Dry was exceptional throughout the whole process. Last year, we were getting water in our basement whenever there was a heavy rain. Steve came and assessed the situation, and recommended digging wells around our basement windows and door and filling them with gravel for better drainage straight down (rather than toward the house/windows). We initially talked about also digging a well in the front of the house, where water would pool due to our lack of gutters and then come in through the foundation. So the initial estimate included all of that. When Steve arrived on the actual day with his crew, I told him that I didn't think we needed to have a well in the front of the house because I was planning on getting gutters and that should take care of that. He adjusted the estimate accordingly with absolutely no hassle. The work itself was done quickly and professionally and the basement has been bone dry ever since, despite some incredibly heavy rain. I HIGHLY recommend this company for basement waterproofing projects.

Steve came right out and built dams on each side of the tree belt piping, using pebbles and earth. Again, a very creative and skilled solution. By the time the health inspector came out, our storm water was flowing right into the street storm sewer, as required. The inspector's only comment was "whoever did this knew what they were doing". So this firm has demonstrated over several years just how effective they are. They stand by their clients years after a job is completed, and possess knowledge and expertise to solve thorny problems. An exceptional firm and team. I highly highly recommend them.

Took care of the water and without having to do the entire perimeter. Steve did exactly what he said, on time and on budget!

Steve called me back the same day and came out the following day to look at the situation. He immediately saw that my window well was not deep enough and during a heavy rain the water was coming in and traveling down between the foundation and the wall of the finished basement - seeping out onto the floor. His diagnosis make total sense to me. He quoted me a very reasonable price to 1) dig out the window well and line it with stone 2) install an extension of my downspout that takes the water several feet away from the house underground. He even designed it around my unground sprinkler system. Excellent service! I would highly recommend this company.

Steve from Real Dry is a consummate professional. He is honest, trustworthy and punctual. I was very very with impressed with my interaction with him and real dry. I wish all contractors, providers, vendors and service people were as upstanding as Real Dry. I highly recommend them for solving any water problem.

After Steve gave an estimate and after reading the other reviews on Angie's List, I was convinced this was the company to go with. Decision was not based on price alone but the text of the reviews read, it helped influence my decision. Good for his word - Steve described what they were going to do, kept the quote given and the amount of time needed to complete the project. (They finished ahead of schedule.) Even though electric jackhammers were used, the noise level was low, the project went smoothly and they cleaned up afterwards. Highly recommended and they stand behind a guarantee. Thanks again.

The work went very well. The men worked non stop for Three days. They were very professional but friendly. Curt was always responsive on phone when they discovered additional work to be done. The added cost was reasonable.

After contacting them I received a call and a visit within 48 hours. It was determined that this was not the problem. I greatly appreciated the quick response .

Steve Wall and Real Dry Waterproofing were fantastic! Steve came out and checked over my basement very soon after I called him and started working soon after that. Steve is a very nice person. He explained in detail what the problem was and how he and his crew would fix it. They did a great job. A few days after doing the repair I noticed that there was still a very small leak that was coming from the very corner of the hall where the larger pool of water had initially appeared; this area was virtually hidden by a large bookcase that went almost all the way up to the ceiling at that location. When I called Steve he came out right away and surveyed the situation and a few days later moved the bookcase and slightly extended the drainpipe he had originally placed before and covered this extension with new concrete. This extra work was done at no additional cost to me. Thus in summary: I am extremely pleased with the work I had done and Steve Wall is one of the nicest persons I have met. I give him and his company my very highest review. (As a university professor and research scientist I don't undertake reviews lightly.)

This was a wonderful company to work with.

Without exaggeration if Steve and his crew could not fix my problem I was ready to sell the brand new house I had just bought. My house and property sit on a very high water table and besides having the foundation leak every time there was a heavy rain, the sump pump cycled every three or four minutes, was very loud and the backflow was loud enough to keep me from sleeping as the sump system is nearly directly under my bed. I emailed Real Dry Waterproofing using their web site's form. I described a desperate situation and Steve Wall called the next afternoon which was a Sunday. I once again described my situation and Steve said he would be here the next day. I must say I was a bit emotional when describing my situation to Steve. As a recent widow having purchased a brand new house and receiving very little cooperation from the builder, I felt angry and taken advantage of. My builder said all building codes had been met but that was little comfort when both my basement and property flooded during heavy rains and I couldn't sleep in my bedroom. Steve listened patiently and made suggestions. When I starting having these problems, I did a lot of online research and had talked to a local site developer and from what I had learned Steve's suggestions were thorough and the price he quoted was fair. The next day Steve, John and Brian arrived on time and Steve had giving my situation further thought and came up with an alternative that saved me $700.00. Steve and his crew did the work quickly with very little disruption and were super careful of my two cats. At the end of the day, the new floor drain was installed to prevent the water coming in the bulkhead stairs, the new perimeter drainage system installed to keep water from pooling against the foundation and the new sump setup was quiet. However I have very good hearing and to reduce the last little bit of noise I suggested that insulating between the joists and added ceiling board would reduce the noise to nothing. I asked if Steve knew of anyone who could do that kind of work immediately. He said that he, John and Brian could do it if I would understand that that is not their business. I didn't care what it looked like as long as the last of the noise was eliminated. The next day Steve and his crew showed up and began the insulating and installing the ceiling board. They needed a few more hours the next day to finish. Both the price he charged me and the work itself was wonderful. The ceiling looked fine and it was a blessing to be able to go to bed and sleep without tossing and turning because of the sump system noise. I am very impressed with Steve's knowledge, skill and compassion. He and his crew respected my house, my cats and me! I consider what he charged more than fair, in fact a bargain indeed. I would certainly use Steve's company again but I know that it will be many, many years before I need to. I will recommend Real Dry Waterproofing to any and all I come across who need these services.

Steve was very prompt and professional. He was very honest about what work we did or didn't need to do in our basement. After considering our options we decided to start with a new sump pump and some gutter work to see what effect that has on the amount of water in our basement come springtime. Bring on the snow so we can test out the pump!

We had a significant water problem in our basement as the house is located on top of an underwater spring. Each winter, spring, and summer, water covered most all of the basement floor. Real Dry Waterproofing gave us a thorough evaluation and estimate of the cost of the job, and delivered the service effectively, on-time and true to the estimated cost. We now have a dry, clean basement which is terrific since we are in it often for laundry, etc. Their services also included assistance in cleaning out our cluttered basement in preparation for the job. This was important as we couldn't do the clean-out on our own. The total job, including one day for the basement clean-out, took four days. Their crew was professional and courteous - a pleasure to deal with. Mr. Wall answered all of our many questions both before and during the job. They arrived on-time, and went above and beyond providing this work. They left the basement broom-sweep clean, and no more musty smell. Now, after several hard rains the basement remains dry. Another subsequent contractor working on the basement stairs actually asked who had done the waterproofing job - one of their crew members had a basement needing this work. I have no hesitation in recommending this company. Wish we had done this waterproofing sooner!

My experience with Real Dry couldn't have been better. One of the owners came by for an estimate, and was very generous with his time, explaining the options available, and the trade-offs in cost and reliability for each. In the end it helped me make the right decision for my home, and the installation went smoothly, including a minor upgrade to the plumbing. Reasonable price, too ? I'd use Real Dry again without hesitation, and recommend them whole-heartedly.

Steve and Curt appear to be knowledgeable and experienced in their field of work. Moreover, they are friendly and very easy to communicate with. Although the work has not yet been started, they have given me good information and reassurance that there is a workable solution to a significant problem. (This is an old stone cottage that was actually built on a spring. ) Steve and Curt were candid about potential approaches that would or would not be a good use of money for me, the consumer. Although I have not yet seen the end result, I worked in the construction trades for many years, and I believe I have a "true read" on these guys. Plus, they seem to actually care about what they do (!), and that goes a long way. Still in the estimate stage of the project, they have already been extremely helpful.

In my first call to them I was treated rudely and unprofessionally. After reading my bad review here, the other partner called me, and it went much better. He apologized, visited my home and gave me a quote that I am now considering.

Two days to complete with no complaints and/or delays...very efficient! They dug on all four walls a ditch which held piping/stones for drainage, and cove with a finish concrete surface; replaced my sump pump and moved it to a more convenient place filling the large hole that was there that was an eye sore...a water damaged peg board wall was removed and the wood cleared from my basement. A great bunch of guys...I am very pleased with the outcome

Real Dry Basements is a company any consumer can count on! I recently moved into my home only to learn I had quite a serious water problem that required an interior French drain. I interviewed 6 different companies along with their estimates and found Real Dry to have competitive prices, quick responsiveness and no sales men pushing at you! Steve Wall's professional courtesy and hard work made my investment worth every penny and I have all the confidence that my basement will remain dry, dry and dry! Thank you to Steve and his hardworking crew for their exceptional work! Sarah, Holyoke MA

This is a family business, and I worked with Steve. I left a message with the office and Steve called back the next day. We set up an appointment for the following day, which was a Saturday. The basement floor of the sunroom addition is a step down from the rest of the basement. It was always dry before the two hurricanes (Irene and Sandy) but it flooded during the storms, and this year even with normal rain it has been flooding. Steve looked at the problem and said he would need to trench the perimiter of the floor, put in drain pipe and a sump, then repair the floor. There was built-in wooden shelving against the wall that Steve said had to be removed, which is work he would not normally do. He gave me a firm price for the waterproofing and took a guess at the shelving. On that Monday he called back and said he had a carpenter friend who owed him a favor, and he gave me a firm price for the shelving - a price to remove it (only $150) and a price to replace it (also only $150). I scheduled the work for about a month later. The crew showed up on time, got started in the basement and very quickly called me at work. When he did the estimate Steve had not noticed the insulation and stud wall behind the shelving, and it needed to come out too. I told him to just go ahead and tear it out and not to worry about replacing it because I figured it was probably moldy and rotten (it was). Steve honored the $150 price quote he gave me, even though the studding was a lot more work - like three hours more work for four guys. He just charged the price he had quoted for shelf removal and did not charge the replacement price - peanuts for all the work it took. Then, once the walls were bare they installed the sump, and discovered there was already drain pipe under the slab. Steve called me again, told me about the drain pipe, said there was probably a 50-50 chance the system would work with the existing pipe. At that point if I had let him just use the existing pipe I would have saved a bunch of money and Steve would have lost a ton on the job, but he told me he would not be able to sleep at night without giving me all the facts and letting it be my decision. I told him to go ahead and do the whole job as planned, which was the right decision because once they did the trenching and pulled out the old pipe they found it was totally clogged, and I would have lost the 50-50 bet. If you need waterproofing work do not hesitate to give these guys a call. They are professional, polite, they bust their behind, and most of all they are extremely honest. I recommend them highly.

Excellent. Finished in two days with a hard-working crew. Owner was working there with his men until job was finished.

It turned out wonderfully well. It so happened that I caught the owner of the company just as he was very close to my town. He came right over. He came within half an hour and he was there. What was extraordinary about it is this is an old house. It's 70-years old and I only lived here a couple of years. There has been water problems in the basement prior to my ownership because there's a sump pump down there. It's dark on the walls a little bit. It's fungus; that's what I thought. I've been really concerned about it. I had landscaping design in the hopes of preventing any water damage when I bought the house a couple of years ago. I haven't had any but I'm worried about it. I felt like I have more done in the basement. He pointed out that there was not a water problem at all. There was no need to do anything except to get the walls cleaned up. The word was it was all in good shape down there. I was dumbfounded. He went through it carefully. He spent about an hour down there looking at everything and said that there is nothing that I need to do. I thought that was the most amazing thing. He is the person who could have told me anything if I have known any better. As he was leaving, I asked him to come back out. I told him that I have these three little old windows. They're up high and two of them are broken. I just jammed some plastic up through the winter. I forgot to mention to him if he did windows and if he could replace the windows. I wanted to give him some business. He said yes and he took the measurements. He called me today to say that the person who does the windows for his firm, he had to call in from Boston. He told me that he was sure I could get a handyman to do these windows much less expensively than it would cost for me to have the specialist come out from Boston to work on the windows. He was the most honest and forthright person to work with that I've ran into. He didn't charge me more than the big deal purchase.

i had difficulty reaching the right person to schedule an appointment, but once i did, he came promptly. He seemed honest and did not try to sell me something I didn't need. I benefited from knowing my cellar is not prone to water damage. thank you.