Guide
Choosing a Waterproofing Company
The company you speak with is independent, and so is your decision. Use this page as a checklist when someone comes to look at your crawl space or basement.
Call (423) 555-0114Your call goes to an independent local waterproofing company.
What a proper inspection includes
- Someone goes all the way into the crawl space, to the far corners, not just to the door.
- Wood moisture is measured with a meter at several joists and at the sill, and the readings are shown to you.
- The air under the house is checked for humidity.
- The outside is walked: gutters, downspouts, the slope of the ground, window wells.
- In a basement, every wall and the floor joint are looked at, and you are asked when the water appears.
- You are shown photos of what was found.
- You are told the source of the water, not only the product that will be installed.
Get these in writing
- ItemScope
- What the paper should sayWhich walls or what area, how many feet of drain, how many pumps and supports.
- ItemMaterials
- What the paper should sayLiner thickness, pump make and model, dehumidifier model.
- ItemPrice and payments
- What the paper should sayThe total, the deposit, and what triggers each later payment.
- ItemExclusions
- What the paper should sayWhat is not included: electrical work, drywall, landscaping, mold cleaning.
- ItemWarranty
- What the paper should sayWhat is covered, for how long, what cancels it, and whether it passes to a buyer if you sell.
- ItemPermits
- What the paper should sayWhether one is needed and who applies for it.
Check the license yourself
In Tennessee, contractors are licensed by the Board for Licensing Contractors, part of the Department of Commerce and Insurance. A state contractor's license is required once a job reaches a set value, counting materials and labor together. The board's licensing page gives the current threshold.
Tennessee also has a home improvement license for smaller remodeling jobs, but only in the counties the state lists for it. Sullivan and Hawkins counties are not on that list. For a small job around Kingsport there may be no state license to look up, which makes the written terms and the insurance check matter more.
To look a company up, go to verify.tn.gov, the state's license search, and enter the company's name. Check that the license is active and that the name matches the one on your contract. The board also publishes disciplinary actions it has taken.
Ask for proof of insurance
Ask for a certificate of general liability insurance and of workers' compensation cover, sent to you by the insurance agent, not handed over as a photocopy. People will be working in a cramped space under your house. If one of them is hurt, you want it to be the company's policy that answers.
Questions that sort companies out
- Who will do the work: your own employees or a subcontractor?
- Can I have the moisture readings and photos to keep?
- What is the smallest job that would fix this, and what does the larger one add?
- What would make the price go up once work has started?
- May I take a few days to decide?
Signs to slow down
A price that is only good today. Pressure to sign before the inspector leaves. A diagnosis with no photos or readings behind it. A warranty described out loud but missing from the paper. None of these proves bad work, but each is a reason to get a second opinion before you commit.