Get matched with top foundation drain installation pros in Aldie, VA

"Very, very disappointing experience; Lux replaced the foundation of my 1850 log cabin. The design was bad, the communication was bad, the execution was bad. Throughout the entire process, they were making mistakes. I now need to pay another company to fix the mess they left behind. I would strongly suggest not using this company!"

"I will preface this review by saying that I work as a general contractor (with regular interaction with mechanical contractors), work in the service and sales industry (as a personal trainer), and am a business owner (yes, three separate jobs in three separate industries). I say the above because I have the credibility to be able to write a review like this. On 10/3/23 I discovered that my AC (an Amana 3 ton, 36,000 BTU, R410a split system) was not blowing cool enough air to meet thermostat settings. As the original installation of the system was performed by Snell Heating & Air Conditioning [on 1/6/12], I decided to use them for the service call.  The technician (Franco) arrived on 10/4/23 within his scheduled time slot. Franco was transparent and clearly explained the process. Within minutes he was able to identify the source of the problem (the evaporator coil within the indoor air handling unit had frozen indicating a refrigerant leak). He presented me with three options: 1) refill the refrigerant at $715 per four gallons; 2) do a leak check to identify the source of the leak and replace the component from which the leak is originating (i.e. the coils at the outdoor condensing unit, the evaporator coil at the indoor air handling unit, or the line sets) for ~$7,000 and possibly higher; or 3) replace the entire system at anywhere from $18,000-$35,000. This is when I realized the 'sales pitch' was going to start. You see review readers, companies like Snell and others (that have been gobbled up by private equity firms and/or larger companies) no longer operate as a 'small local family business' where integrity, honesty, and doing what is best for the customer is the priority. Snell (which was acquired by Horizon in 2020) now operates as a giant selling machine. These types of businesses have large overhead, extensive marketing costs, training costs, fleet costs, insurance costs, uniform costs, IT costs, and much more that all need to be accounted for in their pricing. They simply cannot operate as such a large business if these expenses are not passed down to the consumer...and frankly, most consumers will happily pay it (as is evidenced by the hundreds of positive reviews). However, an educated consumer can be dangerous for these types of companies. Let me expand on what I mean here. For example, R-410a refrigerant costs <$400 for 25 lbs or <$15/lb (Snell is charging close to $200 per pound). An Amana evaporator coil costs ~$600 (Snell is charging close to $7,000). I won't even begin to tell you how much of a markup they are putting on a brand new HVAC system (it is astronomical). It is understood that their prices include installation, travel, warranty, and all of the aforementioned overhead costs, however, within minutes of their departure I found several small residential HVAC contractors that quoted the same items for fractions of the cost of Snell. Let me be clear, Franco was professional, courteous, and patient. He was an ideal employee for this type of business (a commission-based business where sales are the priority). However, the bottom line is this, Snell is part of the new wave of larger residential HVAC contractors where maximizing profit is the most important thing...and, you know what, I get it. As the old saying goes, "don't hate the player, hate the game". This is where we are in America - products/appliances/gadgets/devices becoming obsolete and having shorter and shorter life spans and businesses caring less and less. I am not some disgruntled 'Harry Homeowner' It is simply inexplicable to me that a system that was installed by Snell only 11 years ago (and just out of the ten year warranty period) must already be replaced. My hats off to David Snell and their entire team - they run a well oiled machine but I simply will not pay the type of costs they are charging."

"The contractor sent to my house was NOT a licensed electrician. I was told a free quote was 39.99, that turned to 59.99 when I got the estimate and it was waaaaaay over priced and then wanted me to pay a fee to get a warranty for their work! I would have expected a warranty on his work should have been given to me! I needed the job done right away, he was pleasant and courteous but never again with this company."

"If you want to work with someone condescending, rude, confrontational, unprofessional, and whose contractors workmanship is probably the worst I have ever encountered in my 30 years of working with contractors, THIS IS YOUR GUY. I can ramble on about the false promises, the horrible workmanship, the constant delays, the lack of communication, the rude and confrontational text messages. I guarantee Mr. Shank will in fact respond to this review and try to flip the script and blame it all on me somehow. He talks very poorly about all his customers well at least the ones he doesn't like. Not sure what that is based on although I do have some idea what is based on. But he never made anything explicit, so I can't make accusations that he is a racist. So I am definitely not saying he is a racist because he didn't do anything racist. But if he was a racist it would explain why he didn't give two poops about doing good work for multiple projects I provided him. I also have multiple properties and was hoping to make Mr. Shank a lifelong contractor. In a nutshell, he has done 2 projects for me at 2 properties. One was installing a threshold for a glass enclosed shower stall. His crappy sub contractor (they are not employees) despite him saying they are employees, did not install any grouting on the threshold. Fast forward 1 year, and mold is popping up all around the threshold. Rather than dealing with this individual, I hired another contractor to fix up his mess. Second job, and my second mistake, I hired him for a full scale home renovation for around 50K. That project was an absolute disaster. He took 3 months to do what he promised to me verbally would be a 3 week job. I don't really want to spend 1 hour writing down all the crap he did wrong. I'll try so sum up the highlights. Ripped out old flooring, promised to make new flooring level after installing new concrete by using lasers. New flooring is totally not level and as bumpy as walking on your local trail. The shoe moldings around the flooring look like a child installed them. I had to argue with him to get him to regrout the bathroom which was in his contract in the first place. I can go on and on. For sure if you are someone that Mr. Shank likes and match his criteria of what he likes, whatever that could be I have no idea definitely not race related. He may do a great job for you and that may explain the great reviews. I myself had a horrible experience with Mr. Shank and his group of sub contractors who just plain do terrible work. Ignore my review or take it seriously, frankly this guy will keep getting business cause he's a great salesman. Even has a LinkedIN profile to show how professional he is. Epic scammer and fraud. Stay away."

"JES was very professional and easy to work with from the beginning to the end of our basement project. Eric was very knowledgeable, and exceedingly helpful in answering our questions and making us feel comfortable with the choices we made. The crew that did the work were quick, clean, and extremely efficient. We were very happy with everything they did!"

"Made appointment for them to come over for an estimate (which they charge for) between 9-12 today. They are a no show. I wasted the whole morning on them. DO NOT recommend."

"My basement had mold and evidence of water damage in July/August, and I was referred to Exterior Waterproofing Experts. The majority of the mold was on the side of my house, but the salesperson made a strong pitch about the need to waterproof the front of my home by digging up the garden down to the foundation. My wife was largely convinced, so we went ahead with the $8000 project. Six months later, the insulation behind the waterproofed front of the house is sopping wet. When the salesperson came back to my home to take a look, his explanation was that the water probably came up through the floor. His words were along the lines of "99% of the time the water comes up through the front." At this point, I feel like I have an expensive solution to a problem I didn't really have."

"Great! Brad arrived on time to provide an estimate, understood the urgency, quoted a reasonable price, and his team did the work promptly and professionally in the time frame needed and promised. Thank you Brad!"