Groundworks

great service great job

We called Dry Pro after our exterminator service provider indicated that the humidity level in our crawl space was over 90% at his last bi-monthly visit. He indicated that this would cause problems with mold and possibly ruin our insulation and damage our joists. I am someone who keeps our air conditioning in the house at a very cool temp (and that won't change!), and we determined that it was contributing to the problem due to the condensation from the ductwork and the high heat and humidity of the summer. Since we had just had major work done last summer replacing our HVAC system, installing new duct work and insulation, we felt we had to get this problem taken care of. We used Angie's List and determined that we would have Dry Pro come out for an assessment. Unfortunately we had to wait over two weeks for an appointment because they were so busy due to the high heat and humidity this summer. However, on the day of the appointment, Scott was on time and provided a detailed explanation of possible remedies. We elected to go with the dehumidifier, sealing our vents, and encapsulation of the crawl space with the thickest poly available. Prior to the installation, we had a dry-out procedure carried out over two weeks because it was so damp. Then on Aug. 30 and 31, a crew came to do the installation. They were efficient and cleaned up completely as they worked. In the process of doing the procedure, they found two minor leaks in our copper piping, so we were able to get those repaired before we had a major problem. Once completed, the crawl space is now dry and looking pristine. Our plumber was very happy when he came to make our repairs...such a nice place to work! Cons: I felt like the procedure for the dry-out prior to the encapsulation was too expensive for what was done. Basically they put out four box fans in the corners of the crawl space and a temporary dehumidifier which had a line running out of the crawl space. The charge was $350 for that. If I had known that was what was involved, I might have elected to try and do that myself, although I don't know if I could have found a dehumidifier. And they didn't even leave the box fans for me, even though they were new!!! They also closed off the vents, but did not seal them during this process, although they did when the encapsulation was done. Pros: The entire system seems to be working well...we have a small unit in the house where we can monitor the humidity level underneath the house, and so far we are happy. Although we probably paid a little more than we expected, I am pleased with the work that was done. We are very hopeful that this procedure will finally take care of the humidity problem underneath our house.

Everything went perfectly. My house doesn't smell moldy anymore and it even cut down on my heating and air conditioning bills. They did a great job.

Very professional company. Ron met with us and totally explained the procedure for fixing our moisture problem in our new house. The workers arrived when scheduled and performed the services that were required. They did a great job cleaning up their mess. I feel very secure in that my problems have been handled.

Just recently I fired my long time termite inspector for never giving a report only a bill. The new inspector said I had no termites but my crawl space was one of the most damaged he had seen from moisture. The company he worked for did multitude of home inspection/repair/remediation issues. His meter showed levels in floor joints 5 times what they should be. Plus the wood was rotten to the touch. No meter needed. He did not get the job as his company did not have DryPro?s reputation . I knew my crawl space was unattractive but was not aware of the extent moisture could harm wood. I am an engineer and knew nothing about moisture damage. I have been taught to first define the problem. First problem, was I told the truth? I never even heard of dampness in crawlspace being a structural concern and I am in my 60s. I started by having many people look at this crawl space to see if it was really that bad. All firms said I had a really damaged one. You could ask if they all were looking for work, and just said it was bad. No for two reasons. You could tear the wood apart with your hands in many spots and I had a estimator from firm that repairs extremely expensive homes in Charlotte tell me the damage was not only extensive but he was not comfortable repairing that extent of damage. One outfit wanted to repair but said they could not work around my heat pump and said it would have to be moved out of crawl space and replaced. Allot money there to destroy unnecessarily a heat pump! Another wanted to do wood but had no one with certification in mold remediation in their firm. One wanted to set up dehumidifier system based on recirculation of crawl space air to house air. I understand that some amount of crawl space air comes up top into house but this was not what I wanted. I wanted a system to fix crawl space humidity not depending on house humidity. This was based on Internet study, discussion with people and my personal preference. I gave them the contract. DryPro is highly rated on Angies List and has it all. Moisture Control, wood repair, mold testing, installation of drainage system. When complete, I expressed concern as to whether they got all the damage and they knew with the extent of damage I wanted proof it was fixed. They already knew a professional engineering firm they used and set up an inspection to certify that damage was corrected fully (ie: PE stamp, real engineer). The PE stamp and report is well beyond the building inspector requirements. I felt the damage in my case was bad enough that I wanted it as proof. The building inspector (per law) still looked at house as required but that was not as critical in my opinion. I finally got around to looking at crawl space the other day. I was offered a look earlier but was that confident it was OK that I waited. That is a high level of trust. My look today showed it is perfect in my opinion. I got to know Dry Pro people pretty well. They are great people. I told Ron the owner of business to use me as a reference. I really appreciate what DryPro did for me. If you are lucky enough to not have the amount of damage I had and have a damp crawl space perhaps you crawl humidity can be fixed with allot less hassle. Footnote: It is good that I did not need to sell my house anytime in the last 10 years as the house would never have passed the required county inspections. I don't think may homeowers will purchase your home with major floor joist/.wood issues

They did the work as they stated and at the price they stated. I called the sales rep to have him come out to verify that the work was done properly. He was responsive and came out to verify this for us. They were on time. I would recommend them to others. They did honor the Angie's List discount.

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It looked so good when they were finished that if I were two feet tall I could have had a party down there. They did all of the work in one day. They came out at eight in the morning and did not leave until ten o clock at night when they finished. I was impressed that they were able to make the drain barely noticeable. I thought that they did a very good job.

The project manager did an excellent job of understanding my concerns and revising estimates to address the key problem in the most cost-effective manner. Further, the installation crew was especially mindful of our home. Despite a terribly messy job, they left little if any trace of their work. They even helped me with curbside carry-out of trash and yard waste!

A+ Excellent experience from start to finish. Kevin inspected our crawl space and said that overall everything looked good (no mold, etc.). He said the water was coming from a leak in our air conditioner's condenser pipe (which was in the crawl space) which we didn't realize had a problem. Hence, we will be getting that leak repaired.