J & J Waterproofing

From the beginning, Sid, the owner of J&J Foundation Repair, seemed knowledgeable and reassuring. He convinced us, three years ago, that the crack in our foundation didn't require the extensive (and necessary, as we now know) piers that another company recommended. He proposed a less invasive solution involving beams and driveway adjustments, assuring us of a "warranty" and promising to address any future issues. Ironically, we later discovered that J&J doesn't even offer piers – the very work we actually needed. Fast forward three years, and our basement is literally falling apart. The accompanying photo clearly illustrates the current state of our basement – a direct result of Sid's inadequate repairs. Sid's team caulked over one of the initial cracks, proving that the issue was there when their crew worked on our home. We've now consulted a qualified structural engineer who confirmed what we suspected all along: the foundation needs piers. Now, we're out the $9,200 we paid J&J three years ago and still need to pay more than $20,000 to properly fix our foundation. Sid's "warranty" has proven worthless. Not only does J&J refuse to acknowledge their faulty diagnosis, but they refuse to help us make things right. Suddenly Sid cannot seem to find any of the paperwork related to our project. Sid's misdiagnosis has cost us not only thousands of dollars but also agonizing stress and disruption. Our basement is in worse condition than before he touched it. Had we gone with another company, we would have addressed the problem correctly from the start and avoided this nightmare. Please, learn from our mistake. Do not rely solely on Sid's recommendations. Consult a qualified structural engineer before making any decisions about your foundation. Choosing J&J Foundation Repair was the biggest mistake we've made regarding our home, and we desperately wish someone had warned us.

I liked the way they try to understand the problem and work toward a solution, rather than try to sell a certain product or service which is overkill and much more expensive.

Excellent work. The crew arrived on time, got right to work and were done in a little over 3 hours. The men were polite, considerate and professional. The work areas were tarped to protect our belongings and when finished they cleaned up exceptionally well. The owners were present and kept things moving, explained the process thoroughly. This is a good company and, though I hope we don't have any more problems, I would hire the again if we do.

Project went well. Everything was installed and finished in one day.

Excellent service, obviously very knowledgeable

We had several estimates ranging from $9k to $16K to do piers. That approach seemed excessive to solve the problem -- it was more about selling their approach than solving my problem. There was only a half inch "drop" due to resettling in the area above the crawl space, so doing piers completely around the crawl space seemed wrong. J & J came in and installed 6 I-beams, anchoring to the footer, pouring concrete around the footer, anchoring to the joists above and then sealing the crack with concrete for $2800. They were in and out in one day. Easy to work with and a very professional guys.

Other waterproofing companies said I needed to install a sump pump to prevent water from getting in through the foundation. Jim came up with a more affordable and effective option.

unknown

unknown

unknown

The inspection on our home turned up bowed walls in the basement and also, after closing, water intrusion.  We worked with Jim because that's who the realtor put us in contact with.  I was a bit skeptical of such a small business, but he seemed confident and competent.  
Getting everybody's schedule to line up was a bit of a challenge, but once we'd picked a day/days, all was good to go!  Jim, John, and crew arrived promptly in the morning, worked until well into the late afternoon, came back the next day and did it all again.  We'd had work done by <large scale basement company> at our other home many years ago, and I can tell you that the quality and attention to detail was no comparison to Jim's work.  I would, without a doubt, highly recommend him to anybody else looking to have basement work done.  This man knows what he's doing and now we have a basement ready for real finishing.
That said, I gave him a "B" on responsiveness because while he's fantastic to work with once you can get a hold of him, getting him on the phone can be a challenge.  He uses an answering service so you're just kind of at the mercy of when he gets his messages and can call you back.  Eventually I had his cell phone number and started just using that, which worked much better.
The "B" for professionalism isn't Jim, but his crew.  When I got home from work at the end of the first day, I had to open windows because the smell of cigarette smoke was so incredibly strong.  I don't know if they were smoking in the house or just by the house when the door was open and window was out, but c'mon....  Also, I was less than pleased when I saw one of the guys peeing behind my garage...where there are plants... and my workshop door that water seeps under...  and the NEIGHBORS.  The bathroom was RIGHT THERE beside the basement door.  And finally, there was quite a bit of garbage left behind.  Chip bags, pop cans, etc.  
Even with those minor complaints, again, Jim does great work and is a fantastic person to work with.  Would hire him again without a doubt.

unknown

J&J came out at the last minute at the request of my real estate agent to put up five steel beams that were required by my mortgage company due to some cracking and bowing of a basement wall.  The listing agent's crew fell through and J&J came out at the request of my real estate agent to do a rush job.  While they were putting up the beams, Jim explained everything they were doing so I would know for future reference.  He was patient and answered all my questions completely.  The crew left my basement in better condition than how they found it.  They did a professional job and cleaned up after themselves.

I THOUGHT THEY DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB. THEY CAME OUT ON TIME AND WHEN THEY WERE FINISHED, THEY CLEANED UP QUITE NICELY. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM AND WOULD USE THEM AGAIN.

JIM TOOK THE TIME TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE MEMBER NEEDED and HOW HE'D DO IT. VERY VERY COMPETENT 20 BEAMS and COMPLETE WATERPROOFING IN 1 DAY. VERY CLEAN, VERY THOROUGH and VERY REASONABLE WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE