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.

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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.

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Jim and his crew did an excellent job. They were punctual, efficient, and even saved us a bit of money off of our initial estimate. I would highly recommend Jim and his team to others.

Jim came out on Wednesday. He explained why we were getting water and discussed the solution with my husband and me. We have a cement block basement and the wet summer has caused it to fill with water in two corners. We agreed with the solution and he scheduled us. We asked him to get us earlier if he could. On Friday he had a cancellation. He came in and fixed the problem. We'll finish by painting the repairs to match the rest of the basement. Excellent job and quick!

I didn't find Jim through this service but I'm not surprised he is on Angie's List. This guy is phenomenal. Not only did he take care of the initial work, when the sump pump failed, for some unknown reason, I called him thinking that it was probably not covered or may be covered by the manufacturer, it didn't matter. He came out in an hour and replaced it no questions asked. Nobody gives this type of service anymore so if I need anything like this, I'm calling him and recommend you do the same!

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.

He was amazing. He did a wonderful job. I would highly recommend him.

J and J came in with a crew of about 6, and finished the work in several hours. Cleaned everything up. Also, owner explained all steps of the process. J and J was much cheaper than one of the larger basement companies.

They were quick (just over 4 hours). They cleaned up! They were courteous! They told us exactly what they were going to do before they started. They were fun to work with.
Jim Grove is a great guy who means what he says. He oversaw all of the work and made sure the work was completed properly. He identified the problem and provided the right solution, without trying to sell a bunch of expensive extras, like a waterproofing system. We did not have water problems in the basement so he did not try to sell us a waterproofing system. Plus, they were cheaper than the other companies from whom we got quotes.

A civil engineer building inspector recommended Jand J to me for my 2 basement walls that were bowing in.Both J's (Jim and John) were very nice and knowledgeable. Jim gave me an estimate, then brought his crew to my house, on time, and were done in
less time than he had estimated. They also cleaned up well. I would definitely hire them again, but I hope I won't need to!

Jand J has provided services for clients of mine for 15 years or maybe longer. They are always honest with their recommendations, providing good advice to my clients and competitive pricing. All three of the structural engineers whom I have dealt with in recent years have Jand J on their and quot;short listand quot; of approved contractors to perform their prescribed remedies.
In the past three yeas, they have stabilized bowing basement walls, corrected cracks in garage walls, and rebuilt a sizable retaining wall along a driveway and sidewalk for clients of mine. All clients have been happy with the job and the pricing.

They were very good. First we weren't sure whether we were going to do it. But we've had water and wanted to make sure that didn't happen again. They were punctual, professional, did a good job and the work was guaranteed.

We had used Jand J before and they did an outstanding job for the lowest price of all contractors I had received quotes from. Jim Grove
explained everything in detail that was done to keep our basement dry and also shore up the foundation. We had quotes from other basement and quot;guysand quot; who wanted to charge three to four times as much. Jim Grove and his crew did outstanding work in a short period of time. We have been very satisfied with the end result.

In the process of selling our home we discovered that we had some issues with our basement walls and some water penetration in one of the corners. We called Jim to provide us an estimate along with a couple of other companies. Jim showed up on time and really was able to explain the problem and his solution in a straight forward manner. His pricing seemed to be fair and honest, so we decided to hire him for the work. He installed 10 beams on 3 walls to correct the issue. His team came in and was able to finish the work in one day. They also helped relocate a pipe and regraded the corner to solve the water penetration issue. I also had another contractor working on a few other small items. His quote to me was " I have been in this business a long time, and I have never seen the type of teamwork that Jand J Waterproofing had. They operated like a well oiled machine, and it was somethng to watch."

Jim was very prompt both for the initial estimate and necessary repairs. We needed steel I-beams (total of 13) because of a midway crack on our front and rear basement walls. They arrived for the repair about 9 am and were finished by shortly after 4 pm. All the workers were professional, polite and friendly. They worked as neatly, as possible, and did a great job of cleanup when finished.
We thought the price was very reasonable for the amount of work they did.
I had to leave the house for about 2 1/2 hrs. to keep a doctor appointment that would have been difficult to reschedule. While I was gone, Jim called my cell phone to let me know of a serious problem with one of our pet cats. He was very helpful, kind, and considerate and took temporary care of the situation until I could get back home. We immensely appreciated his support which of course was not part of the contracted job.
We would definitely give him a great recommendation for future jobs.