Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Waterproofing Contractors All Look the Same - Carlsbad Construction

If you're standing in the middle of a pile of papers, brochures and handouts, inspection sheets and business cards, you're not alone. Many people feel not only overwhelmed by the sheer number of people doing basement waterproofing all over America, but are overwhelmed by the details that go into a job like this. People get strung out on quality vs. price, marketing and internet related posts.

The question boils down to: How Do I Pick a Basement Waterproofing Company to fix my Wet Basement Problem?

1.) Do they outsource their work?
In other words, is what they're saying they're going to do something they're actually going to do themselves, or do they hand it to someone else? Outsourcing is a great way for companies to cheaply hire other workers to work on a job by job basis. This allows them to get massive amounts of work done quickly. Quickly isn't always the "best."

This can lead to other problems down the road. Such as holding the company liable for any issues you're having with the install, insurance, or payments.

If a company supports its own crews it's much easier to cover the workers, receive payments directly and swiftly deal with any issues the customer might have. Direct communication with a support staff typically leads to a higher customer satisfaction rate because of boss-employee relations. A crew you hire out randomly doesn't have to call you back or be accountable for anything. A crew that works for the company has their jobs and the company's reputation on the line. Quality of service and install are then typically better.

2.) Price.

Price is a huge factor for many people.

If a company immediately says that they can knock a few thousand dollars off for "X,Y,Z" that's a huge red flag. They wouldn't have been able to take off that amount of money if it wasn't "fluff" or mark-up.

The trick is applying this to the overall scheme of things. If a company comes to $2,000 for a 120 foot job, then that's a red flag: What kind of material are they using? Are they using cheep outsourced labor? Is what they're giving me something I could find at Home Depot? For the other end of the spectrum, if the company is $16,000 for that same 120 foot job: What am I getting for this? Is it worth it to me? Can I modify, upgrade the system and finish after? If you notice that the company then knocks off that "fluff" factor, then that should also be a red flag: How much is mark up? Is the product really good quality if they could come down in price that fast?

If there are no red flags ask about second options to get you moving in the same direction. Any company that's not willing to work with you around your budget isn't worth doing business with in the first place.

Jacob Lee- pioneer basement http://www.pioneerbasement.com

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