Value Dry Waterproofing

Fantastic job on an interior french drain in my basement. Very professional staff. I highly recommend these guys for any waterproofing needs.

We were very happy with the work that was done. It fully met our expectations and as was described by the representative who first came to the house and then the the foreman of the work crew. The crew was on time each day and worked an entire day, were very courteous and explained everything that was being done. The work was completed in the number of days we were told was required. I fully recommend Value Dry Waterproofing.

We purchased a home that was built in the 1940’s and during the winters, the house was unbearably cold, making most of the house miserable to be in and the heating bills were extremely high. Our crawl space wasn’t sealed up. After reading outstanding reviews, we called Value Dry and Jim Ketterer and his team were exceptional to work with. They inspected what needed to be done, gave me an estimate that matched what I paid them, and they guaranteed the work even with transfer of home ownership. We had the crawl space encapsulated, added a sump pump with a back up, a sump pump drain, a window well with drainage, and they installed insulation in the cement walls of the foundation to completely seal it. We also have a humidistat so we can control the humidity underneath the house. Exceptional job! Our coldest days outside were mitigated inside by the insulation and our house is very comfortable to be in during the winter now. They worked hard to make sure the job was done correctly and I highly recommend their services.

Don’t get mislead by the presentation, and the convincing theory without really diagnosing the actual problem. I was given an exorbitantly huge estimate, with a chance to get 30% discount if I accepted it within 24 hours saying that they have the best experience and their competitors are so bad. I am glad I didn’t accept the work. It turned out that the problem was something else. The solution offered with lifetime warranty by the salesman was totally wrong for the problem. There was no attempt to find the actual problem. I am glad I didn’t get influenced by the positive reviews, and rather by the review which talked about the aggressive sales pitch. Reading that one review with low rating saved me.

I purchased a home that had a horrible musty smelling basement with mold problems. I contacted value dry for waterproofing help. Carlos provided an estimate that covered what I needed and did so in an attentive and professional manner. He followed my project thru from start to finish too. The crew the company sent out worked hard yet quickly. They uncovered a smelly mess under the concrete. When all was completed my basement felt like a different place. They installed new perimeter pipes, sump pump s, and the ez breathe system. I’m now ready to remodel the basement into a full living space. Thanks Carlos and Value Dry!

I first used Value Dry for a house in Chevy Chase in 2004 and used them for a 2^nd time on a house in Herndon. I didnt get competitive bids on the 2^nd house as I knew I would use Value Dry again. The owner Jim and his team do a great job… they are careful, efficient, clean and work hard to insure the job is done right. They have excellent customer support and follow up. Some of the negative reviews on here are baffling to me as this is one of the best contractors I have ever worked with… the reviews are probably from competitors who consistently lose to Value Dry.

After the company wrote to ask if I was satisfied, I sent the following response. They did not care to reply. It seems clear to me that they do not value customer service as much as they claim and they certainly DO NOT provide professional inspections as advertised.
«It wasn’t a great experience. I feel like I paid for an inspection and received an estimate in return.
The inspector did not report on moisture levels discovered or identify the range of possible causes. Indeed he didn’t produce a report at all. In contrast, both the home and septic inspector I hired this week produced a detailed report listing all of the things discovered. Your inspector did not.
My wife and agent report that he engaged in hard sell tactics as soon as he arrived and proposed solutions that appear far in excess of what was needed to do the job. Notably he recommended a sump pump for dampness in an external wall and he was dismissive of questions about installing external drainage as an alternative. Further, the email i got contradicted what he told my wife and agent. He told them he was getting moisture readings throughout the basement, but his email to me indicated they were isolated.
I do not consider the fee i was charged money well spent as i did not get the inspection report i was after. Sadly, stories about this kind of thing are all too common when getting ‘free estimates’ but as that was not what i purchased i had hoped for something more professional and useful in the home buying process.»

They’re the typical waterproofing company that uses scare tactics to get their customers to do more then they need. 1^st I had to wait two weeks for someone to come by. Then the inspector, Victor, tried everything in the book, even the quintessential «When do you want us to start» without even giving me the price at the end of the inspection. The best part was when he came in, looked at the area and asked me «So what do you want?» Really, uh… isn’t that why I called the professional. So then I called the company to let them know of the caliber of staff they have, they responded with an apology and promised to send one of their seasoned professionals a few days later. Dude never came, and I never got a call. Oh and their prices are twice as much from other waterproofing companies. And don’t be fooled by that special patented pipe BS they’re selling. All other companies guarantee their work for a lifetime. And the sub-​pumps they used are the same sub-​pumps other companies use, and no, sub pumps don’t fall a part after a year or two, they tell you this so they can sell you another sub-​pump at double the price with there BS warranty which you can get from the manufacturer. Don’t waste your time, support a local family-​owned company that can do the same work at a cheaper price with the same guarantee.

Well it has been about a week since Value Dry sealed the side of my house. They came out on time and started immediately. The proof however is in then pudding and we have had torrential rains here in Maryland. I have had none stop rain everyday for the last four days and not a drop of water is in my basement. So far I would say that Value Dry did an excellent job and I would recommend them to my friends and family.

We’ve had a wet basement for many years and finally felt we had to do something to fix it so we could use the basement as a guest area for visitors. We decided to go with Value Dry Waterproofing and we are very happy with their work. They arranged to come within a few days of the signed contract. They did the job in two days. They kept the house clean throughout the process and did an excellent job. Andy was the manager and he could not have been kinder or more helpful. I highly recommend them for water issues.

I used value dry to solve my basement flooding problems last year. This was not an inexpensive proposition because we had to rip up flooring drywall, and install piping around the entire basement. However, value dry agreed to split the work into 2 separate jobs 6 months apart so the financing was easier for us. Although the pressure to buy at the initial sales meeting was high we still received a decent rate. We had 2 other estimates and though value dry was not the cheapest, they had the best financing options and were the most professional. Also their work guarantee was the best of all 3 offers. I would recommend value dry.

The summer of 2012 was not a fun ride for me. I found mold in my basement behind a wall of storage stuff. It turned out to be the dreaded, black mold. That stuff that can crawl in your lungs and shorten your life. Not good.
I first contacted Mid-​Atlantic Waterproofing, who sent out a guy who was flirty and charming and wanted to tear out the front of my house plus 30 feet into the parking lot of my townhouse cul-​de-​sac to fix the problem. Or, for about half the price, they could do all the work inside the house, only tearing up the perimeter of the entire basement floor. Neither of these options appealed to me, since the mold was only in a 17 foot section of wall that included the storage room and the adjoining stair landing. Tearing up 87 feet of perimeter floor to fix a 17 foot problem sounded excessive.
I then did some further research and contacted Value Dry Waterproofing. Their guy came out, and really educated me on the source of the problem and his plan for fixing it. He asked me if I had retained any other estimates. I told him I had, but didn’t want to share them with him until I had his in hand. I almost choked when he said, «A few other companies will start with a scare tactic, saying you need to tear out the front of your house and get a back hoe and other heavy equipment in, to be able to repair the problem properly.» Gee, that was all too familiar.
After he left, I contacted Nick Zarpas, a friend of mine who is a contractor. The job was not the kind he could do, and I appreciated him admitting it, rather than trying to make my house a learning experience. In any case, I wanted his help in choosing who to hire for this project. Nick reviewed both proposals and pointed out a VERY KEY AND IMPORTANT STEP, Mid-​Atlantic Waterproofing DOES NOT DO MOLD REMEDIATION.
The whole point of this project is to get rid of the mold and prevent any future mold.
Not only did Value Dry Waterproofing promise to remove all the mold, they guaranteed it, and warrantied it, and they did it for thousands less than that other place quoted.
They did an excellent job.
I decided to wait at least a year before writing this review, to make certain I’d still be pleased with their work. It’s been 18 months and my basement is dry and mold free. I couldn’t be happier. One of the features of the system they installed involves a marine back-​up battery in case the power goes out and water in the french drain needs pumping. The power went out for 4 days because of a storm, and the battery started beeping. I called Value Dry for help, because I couldn’t remember what they said to do almost a year after it was installed, and didn’t want to look for the paper work. They were very understanding and walked me through the reset step by step. Their patience was refreshing. After that call, I knew in certainty, I did the best thing for my house and for me in choosing Value Dry.

So, you’re considering basement waterproofers, eh? First, let me say I’m sorry for whatever woe has brought you to this lowly fate. You’ve probably considered many options at this point, possibly spending a lot of time diagnosing the problem, trying other fixes, calling plumbers, and getting a lot of different opinions. When water shows up in your basement, it never (to my knowledge) announces where it came from or what the cause of the problem is. We had a journey, that took us through 4 plumbers, 2 contractors, a landscaper, 4 basement waterproofers, and countless appointments.
The first thing you need to know about basement waterproofers is that they should be called «Interior/​Exterior drain system installers.» A general name like «waterproofers» gives the idea that they could recommend any number of strategies to keep your basement dry. However, the only thing all 4 basement waterproofers that we consulted had in common was that whatever they thought the problem was, they all recommended an interior drain system. Ok, to be fair, it turns out we needed a partial one at least, but that wasn’t our original problem.
An interior system is typically needed when you have «seepage,» which occurs over time when water works its way through the cracks in your foundation. If this occurs, you probably won’t have major flooding water, but gradual dampness, mildew, mold, etc. Our problem was a gushing source of water caused by a faulty drain in our window well that allowed the well to fill up like an aquarium, 4 times. The fact that only two of the 4 waterproofers suggested fixes to address that issue is going to tell you something about this business.
Value Dry Waterproofing did a thorough inspection both inside and outside the home. They listened exactly to the words we were using and suggested a fix that was logical, intuitive, and thorough (without being overkill). This contrasts with other companies, who despite hearing the words «window well flood» and «gushing water» continued to suggest the problem might be «seepage» and require an internal drain system around our entire basement. I swear one guy from another company looked hungover and prescribed a full-​basement drain system within 5 minutes of meeting us.
Anyway, the other thing you should know is that even with the good guys, basement waterproofing is expensive. Value Dry was not the cheapest, but they were the most thorough in their assessment. They fixed the problem (and only the problem) and they fixed it completely. When they installed a new sump, they automatically suggested a battery back-​up. Why install a sump that goes down during the very storms it’s meant to protect you from? When they were trenching a drain line for the new sump, they called and suggested we connect our downspouts while we’re at it, seeing as we were already digging up the back yard. The additional cost was negligible.
The contractors who do the work for Value Dry are not subs. They are actual employees. Friendly, courteous, punctual, and fluent. My specific contractor, Danny, clearly went above and beyond the call. Although the price tag was high, they made me feel like I’d gotten my money’s worth. The work quality, materials, phone and appointment responsiveness were all excellent. They were very sensitive to the fact that these kinds of systems, though necessary, would never be a customer’s first choice for spending thousands of dollars.
Once again, I’m sorry you are in need of a basement waterproofer… er…drain-system installer. If you’ve found yourself chasing a cheaper fix, over and over, to no avail, then you may be ready to just solve the problem once and for all. Call Value Dry.

I needed to get my basement waterproofed; so I had to really look around for a company that offered a good product at an affordable price. Value Dry had the best price, and they had the best technicians when it came to explaining what they’d be doing. My system was installed over 5 years ago, and I only had to make one service call. A very helpful tech came out and resolved my problem. These guys are no nonsense, hard working people who simply want to help keep your basement dry. Other companies tried to charge me twice what they did for less work!