Feliz Waterproofing

I hired Victor (Feliz Waterproofing) to resolve a water leak we were having in a finished basement, which he and one other employee installed on 3/25/2019. The agreement was to install 30 feet of corrugated pipe along the three walls in a section of the crawlspace bordering the basement. A Drummond ½ horsepower sump pump would be positioned inside a basin nearest the inner wall where the leak was occurring and would be surrounded by gravel. Additionally, waterproofing would be applied to the inner wall (crawlspace side) which was leaking, as well as a delta drain core protection board. And, I was promised a 10-year warranty on groundwater in the crawlspace and basement floor, and a 5-year warranty on the sump pump and basin. Finally, I was promised detailed photos of everything they did so that I could review them and have them available for future homeowners. The work was scheduled to take two days but was finished in only 4 hours. Because everything was buried, I was unable to verify the scope and/or quality of the work before paying them but was assured that I would receive all the photos I was promised the following day (he was unable/unwilling to show me while onsite). In fact, he wouldn’t even test the sump pump because it was an unusual request – he assured me it worked and was backed by his warranty, so there was nothing to worry about. But I insisted that he at least demonstrate that it comes on, so reluctantly, he through a ½ bucket of water in the basin and then manually triggered lifted the float, which triggered the pump to come on. Of course, there wasn’t enough water in the basin to suck up, but at least we knew it worked. Eager to get paid and be on his way, he insisted he would need to come back in a few days to fix the other two items he had agreed to do as a separate effort (trimming an exterior drainage board and sealing a gap between my driveway and garage). I agreed and paid him by check. It took two days to get some of the photos (I still haven’t received all of the photos he said he took), but only after follow-up phone calls. And after scheduling two different dates for him to return (neither of which he showed up for), he stopped answering his phone altogether. After a week of not returning my calls or text messages, I finally reached out to another contractor to come out and survey the work that was performed. Turns out we were taken advantage of, and below is a summary of the issues that were found: • Contract stated that 30 feet of drainage pipe would be installed in the crawlspace, but less than 10 feet of pipe was actually installed. • Contract stated that a delta drain core protection board would be installed but no such product was actually installed. A piece of water • Inner-most foundation wall (backing up to interior basement wall) does appear to have been waterproofed, but the waterproofing applied failed to stop the water from entering the basement in the same location it did before the waterproofing was applied on 4/9/2019. • The sump-pump drain pipe collars were not installed correctly. It was loose and the first time the sump pump kicked on automatically after the basin filled up with water blew both collars off which rendered the sump pump useless and spewing water everywhere and had to be shut off. While it’s not uncommon for this type of collar to fail over time (I’ve since learned), in this instance, it failed because it was not installed correctly in the first place. • The sump pump basin was buried in a hole surrounded by dirt. This is very uncommon and should have been surrounded by gravel (as I was told would be done) to prevent clogging up from mud getting into the basin. • The way the corrugated pipe was installed, any water that might have gotten into the installed pipe would not have made it to the sump pump basin, rendering the installed pipe useless.

I placed a job on Angie's List for waterproofing of my crawlspace. A representative with Feliz Waterproofing contacted me promptly to set up an estimate. The appointment was made for the following Monday at 1130. Victor with the company arrived at 1132 and was done with his estimate and leaving by 1143. The time he was here included introductions, him finding his hat with a light on it, and 5 minutes in my crawlspace. At the end of his inspection he informed me that I had standing water with water under the current plastic liner and water coming in to my crawlspace from "every entry point". He suggested a french drain and told me the price estimate would be $5,500 and that I would receive an official estimate from the company. I never did receive the estimate. What Victor did not know is that my husband and I had been in the crawlspace and I had 2 other estimates completed that morning prior to his 1130 appointment. Reps from the other 2 companies were in my crawlspace for at least 30 to 45 minutes taking pictures, looking for mold, and testing the wood for moisture levels. From my own eyes and the pictures taken by both of the previous companies, I know that there is no standing water, there is no water under the plastic, there is no water coming in, and that I DO NOT need a french drain to drain nonexistent water. What I need is encapsulation and possibly a dehumidifier. So either I was going to be taken advantage of or he just has poor assessment skills. Either way, had I followed his advice I would have spent an unnecessary $5500 for a drain that would not have solved the problem of humidity and moisture being in my crawlspace. I recommend that future customers make sure they are educated on their house problem and potential solutions prior to receiving estimates from this company.