Choosing a waterproofing company

Be cautious of a price given over the phone or from the driveway. A real inspection covers three places.

• Outside. Gutters, downspouts, the slope of the ground on every side, paving that drains toward the house, and where the neighbors' water goes.
• Underneath or below. Someone actually enters the crawl space or walks every basement wall. They take moisture readings from wood or masonry, look for water marks and note where pipes and ducts run.
• Indoors. A humidity reading upstairs, and a look at floors over any soft spots.

Afterward you should be shown photographs of what was found, especially from places you cannot easily go yourself. If the explanation is "you need the full system" with no account of where the water comes from, ask again.

A proposal you can hold someone to names the materials, the quantities and the places. "Encapsulate crawl space" is not enough. Look for the liner thickness, the pump and dehumidifier models, the length of drain and which walls, where water will be discharged and what is being repaired or removed.

The price should be a single written figure with a payment schedule tied to stages of the work. Be careful with a large deposit before any materials arrive.

Read the warranty itself, not the sales sheet. Check what is covered, for how long, what you must do to keep it valid, such as yearly servicing, and whether it transfers when the house is sold. A warranty is a promise by that company, so its value depends on the company still being there.

Inside the city limits there is a second layer. The City of Hoover's residential permit page says that all general contractors and subcontractors must be licensed by the city as well as holding the state licenses that apply. It also says a building permit is needed before construction work begins.

Whether a particular waterproofing job needs a permit depends on what it involves, and the city decides that, not the contractor. Ask the company who will apply if one is needed. If you want to hear it from the source, Hoover Inspection Services is at 2020 Valleydale Road, Suite 103, and its page lists the permit desk's phone and email.