I didnt say you or people there havent worked hard, i`m sure some have.
Any time most of Big co.`s wanna go 'toe to toe' on This subject, i`ll Most-happily welcome it, not all cuz 'some' are honest. Anyime, cuz for Once there shtt and what they`ve been doing to many homeowners is going to get EXPOSED,and it`s gonna HURT `em where it counts!Their lawyers should be able to easily figure out what i`m saying. Let`s wait `n see, but i`d certainly enjoy it, won`t bother me.
See, some of us Truly honest contractors who have kept their mouths shut for a looong time already, dont have much($,possesions) ta lose anymore, the big sobs have spent many millions trying to distort `n brainwash the public, and so who ya think is suffering, thats right. More and more people have somehow bought into this so called less expensive system, but it Really isnt less expensive and i`ve posted what it can do and what it will not do.
If yer afraid of the Big Bad Wolf thats your problem, again...seriously, your thinking of yourself and Not the homeowners.
If you have members who are shtting on and bs`ing the public, then kick their azz Out! Want me to call them for ya? Why would any organization who claims to have such high Standards and Ethics want them? And, if your organization backs a system that does Not do what your members claim it does and distorts the truth then your standards `n ethics are not what ya claim. You should KNOW what i mean about some of these companies and their absolute lying,cheating practices.
Wow...I thought we would be having a professional conversation concerning waterproofing topics!! You really need to watch the language on a public site. This language lessons your credibility!
I tried to explain the possition of the NAWSRC and the strives that we have gone through to better the industry. This things must be done legally and not hastely. We have a greviance committee in place and are address these issues.
Would you feel that the industry is better off without an organization that is trying to police this??
You keep refering to system: There are hundreds of systems. All designed for different problems. Both interior and exterior methods. They all have a place in a given situation. As stated previously....there is not always access to the exterior of a foundation wall.
The NAWSCR can not endorse a company's "system" including yourown. However we can work to get some type of standard. But that is not going to happen as long as you and the other 4000+ waterproofers feel that your method(s) are the only one, is quite frankly the way that the companies that you are dogging feel.
Posts: 10 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 28 December 2005
haa, my credibility on this subject is there for anyone to view and contemplate.
the few questions you pose `n many others i`ve 'Answered' in pretty darn good detail and w/facts,links from others who also Know what is best.
wow, policing? Yer kidding right? With That many members having that many complaints `n problems, most all complaints from real-hard working people who are tired of getting lied to and their money lost to the misadventures and lack of experienced companies who, want-to/rather install an inside drain tile or baseboard dewatering method/system. Thats why they make these complaints and sometimes get the media involved, that is, when the media feels like getting invloved.
Man, i`ve already stated my opinions to you or any organization who for X-amount of $$$ 'seems' to be a safe-house, plenty of companies who have many complaints. If you can`t get rid of them,change yer rules cuz they evidently are Not doing the public any good.
You charge your Members $795! No, imo if you let these members go/deny them from your organization, quite a few who have too many BBB complaints, it obvious who loses, you do! $795 x oh, lets just say 20 companies and your out a nice chunk. Whether you say so or not, the fact some companies advertise,use a logo and tell homewoners they are a member of whatever organization that claims their Members have the Highest Standards `n Ethics is fruit loops man. They stating that on 1 hand and piling up complaints from homeowners on the other.
If you Really want to know what i think, then go back and read what i`ve posted, its pretty much all there. As Jim Carrey.Ace V. says " take care now, bye bye then"
In order to be an expert and comment on an entire industry you really need to get out of SE Michigan. Because the interior systems that you are speaking of are a original design in many foundation in several parts of the country, such as Ohio.
In these areas the foundation were built with only interior not exterior draintile. In Buffalo New York, where an open trench exists. Maybe these are not a good idea, but are building codes!! So I assume you must critisize the whole building code establishment as well as the waterproofing industry.
Maybe you seek gainful employment in some of these areas that could benefit from your vast expertice.
Posts: 10 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 28 December 2005
i`m one guy with 1 lil opinion, why would you 'really' care what one person says? for all you/anyone knows i may have No experience, right? and per your inside tile only areas, if a homeowner has a crack(s) in a block wall and get water into and through the crack(s) `n onto the floor, are you saying they shouldnt seal/waterproof the crack(s) on the outside and backfill correctly?
Allowing the water to continue to enter through outside openings will cause mold `n often efflorescence, provides entryways for termites `n any other insect into the home,radon gas enters through cracks `n other openings in basement walls and floors.
it also enters through, tiny cracks or pores in hollow-block walls.
http://www.mipca.org/Termites.htm ...termites enter buildings/homes through cracks,expansion joints,hollow bricks-blocks around plumbing, they can find their way into a structure through an opening as small as 1/32 of an inch
Lateral & hydrostatic pressure, what is best for the basement wall, remedy?
There is NO Inside drain tile-dewatering method-system that stops/prevents water entering through cracks `n other outside openings,above ground openings as well. So they also cannot stop any mold due to the water entering,cant help stop/prevent further radon from entering,termites and any existing or future lateral & hydrostatic pressure. i`m out for now,estimates to run
Posts: 710 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 24 August 2005
Ohio, well here is one cities opinion,scroll down a tad to "Wet Basements" 2 questions `n answers in particular, the 1st...Sump pump? and looks like # 6 what if problem is not related to surface grading & water is leaking through foundation....
1) Would you 2 experts care to comment on lateral & hydrostatic pressure `n tree roots & what YOU think is best to reduce/lessen/relieve these pressures that,evidently,cause basement wall to crack,shift,bow,buckle inwards? What is 'your' remedy?
2) Would you care to comment `n let the world know what you think is the correct/best system-method to Stop/prevent water entry into & through cracks & other Outside openings?
3) And gentlemen, care to enlighten homeowners on mold, efflorescence? What causes mold `n efflorescence & and any solutions you may have for the public?
4) What about how radon enters through cracks `n other openings in basement walls & floors,sump pumps etc? ANY radon remediation other than sealing cracks,pores etc in walls & floors will Not stop radon from continuing to enter, and since many/not all cracks Widen,then isn`t it very possible for 'more' radon,water etc to Enter? Do tell us
5) Termites can `n have wrecked many homes, how exactly do they get inside homes/buildings? Does ANY Inside drain tile or baseboard Dewatering system Stop & Prevent water from entering through cracks & openings in basement walls or openings above ground? Will Any Inside system stop/prevent mold, radon entry through through cracks `n other openings in walls? Can Any Inside system stop/prevent lateral & hydrostatic pressure & tree roots from cracking,bowing `n possibly collapsing walls? Will that system stop/prevent Termites `n other insects from Entering through Outside cracks & openings?
This few Important questions should NOT be Any problem to answer,Please inform the public, i`m sure they`d love to hear from 'True Professionals' like yourselves,maybe the Media would like the answers to ALL of these questions from the Experts so they can try & inform and help their viewers and listeners,here is 1 opportunity for you 2 to Explain & Help. thank you.
Now that you have exposed yourself as a one guy with two guys and a shovel, we can examine some of your good points and at least get some different thinking on some of the damage your views are doing: Which are cut and dry and all over the place...
You keep mentioning Radon and Mold. No two words have been used as such scare tactic hot buttons in the last 20 years.
Entire industries have been formed, Insurance Companies are running for cover and alot of people have made a lot of money.
EVERY building has mold. Every time you walk in the yard, you bring in mold. A few forms are dangerous, but quite rare actually. Yet you mention mold and Lawyers and $$$ signs appear.
Radon DITTO.
You also keep confusing ETHICS with SYSTEMS. Any system, including exterior, can be sold unethically. There are places for all systems including crack injection.
Poured wall construction ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms) and Pre-Cast wall systems, plus the advances being made in waterproofing membranes are hopefully making exterior work less relevant.
You would not approach a poured wall the same as a masonry unit wall. The problems are radically different. I agree with you that in a perfect world and if you start from scratch,, you can design a waterproof foundation. However, exterior retro-fit has many problems that are not cut and dry. Unfortunately, many contractors hands are being forced.
For instance: Every job that you do, you attempt the unknown regardless of your experience. You put your employees, your insurance company, homeowner and yourself at risk. It is impossible to comply with O.S.H.A. standards for excavation:
For every trench over 4 ft depth the trench must be properly BRACED. This does not mean 2 X 4s and plywood. Now O.S.H.A gives an alternative which is having you stair step beck your trench 1 ft for every 1 ft of depth. This now means that in most cases you are in the neighbors basement. Hey maybe you could do a 2 for 1 special.
Quite a delima eh!! Now you could fit your pick up truck with new springs and a crane to carry 12,000 pounds of steel pilings and steel sheeting, but I assume your price would raise drastically and its a good thing you do concrete work, so you can redo the neighbors driveway that is now cracked up as well.
Being low profile you may have not had a visit from O.S.H.A., good for you. Several have and your $5,000.00 two man two week excavation just turned into a $35,000.00 loss based on the fines.
I am sure in the 27 years you have never hit a gas line or a waterline or you never hit an old fuel oil tank that has been seeping for years and ethically you must call the DNR and get all of that soil removed at a cost of probably more than the value of the home. Or did you look the other way?
After Sept 11 insurance premiums have doubled in some cases for companies for underground work.And many good contractors are being cancelled without any claims because insurance companies will not cover this. Primarily the small contractor doing under $500,000.00 a year. Luckily your still insured? (do you let them now you are underground?)
I am sure you never got a complaint about that wonderful strip next to the house 4 ft wide and the length of the wall, that stays brown all year because nothing will grow due to all that pea gravel. And of course your price should include re-landscaping, removal and re-installation of the deck, shrubs, A/C units, etc. It gets real expensive real fast.
More on Ethics, lateral load, slope of grade, ground water, termites will come later.....
Posts: 10 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 28 December 2005
just like i thought, you go ranting off in the distance `n avoid the questions, such simple,basic questions.
lolol, mold and radon as scare tactics?
Every job you`ve done for ANY homeowner in Ohio or elswhere where they had crack(s)and/or Other Outside openings which you did not waterproof `n backfill correctly, is going to if it hasn`t already, create a MOLD problem in their basement.
Doing an easy-BS Inside drain tile or dewatering method on Any home when the problem(s) were cracks `n other outside openings is also allowing Radon to enter,i`ll say it again, Any Inside drain tile/baseboard dewatering method is at best, water management, it does not stop/prevent mold,radon,efflorescence,termites and cannot relieve/lessen lateral & hydrostatic pressure that is against the outside of basement walls.
Therefore,when installing an Inside method when the Homeowners problem(s) are Outside cracks & openings, which IS usually the case, IMO and Others, YOU should be held Totally Liable for Any damage to their home/basement. If and when Any homeowner gets Mold,efflorescence,higher Radon level(which they may already have) termites or a basement wall that continues to crack or bow it is.....your fault!
As a self-proclaimed Expert & Pro,it`s your fault and imo should be liable because you did NOT fix their problem(s). You recommended and sold an Inside method when it was NOT what they needed to stop/prevent water entry which would then stop/prevent Mold,radon,termites and the future possibility of lateral & hydrostatic pressure or roots from trees that crack-bow walls.
See, you sold a method that is, easier and better for YOU, Not for the Homeowner. And you use OSHA standards for excavation as a way to 'peddle around' doing what IS best for the homeowner, and using it for your advantage,again...it is what is Best for You! It was NOT what was best for the Homeowner and their basement. Now if you have FULLY expalined all these things to ALL the homeowners who hired ya and they gave you the ok anyways,then its on Them, your off the hook.
You think my guys and i Want-to-be down in 7-8'+ ditches? You think we like it or something? You think we want to hand-dig all that soil-clay, through roots & around lines etc? Hllll No!!!
BUT, if and when these homeowners have cracks and openings-gaps around a gas line and have mold/efflorescence etc, then THIS Is What Needs to be Done! Got it? Its Not what is Best for me, thats Not why THEY called, they called to have their Problem(s) fixed/waterproofed Correctly! Geeez K, wake up man! They aren`t hiring US to install a method thats...Better for US! And any fed/state/local gov`t who 'thinks' they know what is Better for my guys and i or thinks they know how to dig a hole/waterproof a wall, then PLEASE let us see THEM do it and Guarantee it.Shht, how would They know? Have they been digging and waterproofing and had to Guarantee thousands of jobs over Many years? Hll no, and so they DONT know whats best! Some of US do.
Lets see, your about 28 years old right? Your website says you have 15 years of construction Experience, right or wrong?
Hmm, Not Basement Waterproofing Experience and....did you skip school or quit to work on jobs as a 13-17 yr old? I won`t kick ya too much on that one, we`re all young and must go through those early years and IF ya listen `n learn.....one can indeed get better-wiser, many don`t.
Lets see what else you went on about while skipping over the simple Questions--
absolutely, my insurance company Knows,ever since day one.
Oh,haha, so you`ve had problems with 'brown concrete' huh? Ya big dummy , what the heck ya doing down there man? Come up here and see how the old man does it, who knows, 'maybe' you`ll learn something,maybe not. Think of it as furthering your education and hey, its free, my guys & i wont charge ya
What are you recommending to homeowners to put near the house after waterproofing, a TREE? No! we havent had the problems you sure appear to have, maybe that comes from 'experience'.
Have i had a couple homeowners who called and said something like 'Why can`t i plant a row of hedges or a tree next to the house?' Sure!! But like i fully explained to them( a few do indeed forget!) they don`t need a tree or hedges that close to the house as sometimes this was part of their oringinal problem to begin with. If they want a tree etc, then place it further away from the house.
Geez, what else, no....never hit an oil tank, you have huh? I DID hit 1-single gas line while digging w/shovel! Miss Dig had come out and 'MIS' flagged the line, they marked it going out towards the street but it ran towards the back and so the cost to redo the line was on Them,not us. See, this is WHY we 'hand-dig' versus using a trencher or backhoe,using equipment is much riskier, i see the few times you may do some outside foundation work you appear to use equipment.
Not a good idea! Is it necessary on some jobs? imo YES! But not nearly as often as many claim. Again, the use of it makes it easier on YOU but, its not whats best for other issues incl`g possibility of creating a spark and hitting gas line, hitting an awning or the siding...we`ve seen other contractors ruin quite a bit of stuff. And, using equipment near a house Could damage the foundation or even a neighbors house if the homes are close to each other.
Lets see, equipment could also crack any driveway slab,sidewalk,patio,pavers,careful w/overhead lines and on & on. Certainly going to ruin the grass, so as long as the homeowner knows `n understands this then i guess you & others may be ok. May i ask, what the BBB complaints you have were about?
If yer coming up to our friendly city of Detroit for Super Bowl, maybe we could sit down `n share a couple beers,shoot the shtt ya know. did you read this one? http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=3027141
Dear Mr Self Serving Licensed Waterproofer who has deemed himself the self anointed public protector, all everything to waterproofing and foundation repair,
Your bashing of the NAWSRC I am sorry to say needs a response.
You list BBB complaints and enjoy it. The BBB has it's agenda and does not share many of yours. The NAWSRC has 6 consumer complaints last year. Of the total membership 125 companies had "0" complaints, 25 companies had less than 3, 9 companies are red flags and are a concern.
However, what you neglect to list is how many complaints are resolved and closed with a satisfactory record. For instance: All American Georgia had 14 BBB complaints with all 14 resolved and closed. Is that too many? YES! However, many companies do well over 1000 jobs per year.
You see you are misleading the public just as bad as those 9 companies for your own personal gain/glory!
In an effort to remain proffessional I will end it here.
Posts: 10 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 28 December 2005
Sorry but the truth is just that. I`ll say it again, if the BBB has your customer complaints in last 36 months wrong, do Not complain to me. lol, why would you use your time here when you could call them, IF there is a mistake.
No, i just re-checked and sure enough it`s all there, go to http://www.search.bbb.org and see for yourself.If you also need guidance to find just let me know & i`ll help ya.
If you`d like me to post how these complaints are drawn out,figured out and as you say 'resolved' well, i`ll provide another long post just for you.
Did you have your eyes open where they have an 'Unsatisfactory record' on some? Yeah, apparently....from 'Unanswered' complaints.Is this what you mean by resolving?
No no no again my water-diverting friend, YOU....are Misleading the Public `n i`ve backed up my opinions here.On the other hand, seems as though you cannot provide links to back up your statements. And for being a supposed expert cannot answer basic-easy questions regarding an Inside system.
If the companies were correctly defining what the homeowners problems were and then, fixed it correctly you/others shouldn`t have more than 1,2 complaints TOTAL over 20+ years.
So, you say 9 companies who are Members of the NAWSRC are a Concern? lololol, we know who they are, do you care to enlighten the public and maybe save them some grief and money? Huh?
If the NAWSRC have such high standards/ethics, then WHY have these 9 been allowed to keep their membership? Money, lawsuits? When most of us have a bug in our home we get rid of it, do you?
Some of your members by the way, are suppliers, Not Bsmt Waterpf`g contractors.
Why not be professional and provide your vast insight/knowledge and answer the questions? Is there maybe, something to hide?
Posts: 710 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 24 August 2005
Want me to call them for ya? 
Why would any organization who claims to have such high Standards and Ethics want them? And, if your organization backs a system that does Not do what your members claim it does and distorts the truth then your standards `n ethics are not what ya claim. You should KNOW what i mean about some of these companies and their absolute lying,cheating practices.
No! we havent had the problems you sure appear to have, maybe that comes from 'experience'. 
