By Don Napier
In last issue I wrote about all of the problems I have had with my basement, built about three years ago. When the basement was dug, contractors hit solid rock. I knew nothing about the potential problems that rock presented and the builder never told me anything about it at that time. I just wanted a dry basement.
I did not have the money to finish the basement at that time, so I had it wired and plumbed and “roughed in,” etc. waiting for a time when I could finish it.
Every time we would talk about that project we would have a rain and water would leak into the basement. We made quite an effort to try to find a solution, but no one would “guarantee” us that their solution would be fail proof. I just couldn’t see myself hiring someone to “fix” my leak without some kind of guarantee.
So the time went by. We just lived with the situation for a while and finally, this summer I decided I was going to get on the problem and stay focused until I found a doable solution. I called a business associate of mine, Paul Perry, who is a construction inspector. After his visit, which included going under the original house, he told me some of what we already knew – the water was seeping in from these layers of rock the basement was built on.
He made some recommendations, but said if I wanted complete peace of mind that it would never be wet again, I should call one of the companies who specialize in drying basements, like Master Dry. I took his advice and called Master Dry Foundation & Waterproofing Specialists of Knoxville and arranged for a no-obligation visit and quote.
I can tell you that I sweated that decision. I am a journalist and marketing consultant. You never met anyone who knows any less than I do about any construction. In a situation like this, you have to deal with people you can trust.
Master Dry sent down a very knowledgeable and personable company spokesman, Steve Price, who walked me through the problem, explained what they do. He really got my attention when he showed me a video of the process on his iPad. Master Dry does not stop the leak. They capture the water and use a sump pump to expel it after it is piped to the outside.
I had said earlier that I was going to make a decision and not be afraid. The main thing was the trust factor. They were not hard sale like a lot of other service providers. What they told me made sense and the “Lifetime Guarantee” was music to my ears.
It was moderately expensive, at least it was on my budget, but it seemed like the right thing to do. The plan I chose included a battery-backup system that ran the pump in case the power went off (and it goes off pretty regularly around this part of the country).
The water that leaks under the wall is “captured” by the Master Dry system and funneled to a reservoir where a sump pump is attached to pump the water out, once it reaches a certain depth.
I have had the system in place now for three months and it works wonderfully. I was outside once when the sprinkler head popped up out of the ground and water “sprinkled” out onto the lawn, from the sump pump. Cool!
We are well on our way to converting that basement space to a home office. I have a carpenter who is finishing the bathroom, and main room, to make it into the space we always dreamed it would be.
Just imagine, if I had taken a different path, I could still be “all wet.” I recommend you go to Master Dry’s website, like I did, to get a better feel for the company and see what other people say. I can only remember one similar experience with a service customer. Action Heating & Cooling has the same kind of quality people –and to compare Master Dry to them is a complement to them both.
Call them, tell them you read about them in Crossville Life Magazine, and just explain your problem to them. Let them come to your home and look at your problem. They are a first-class organization, with a professional crew. I left them at my house while I went to work and never doubted for a minute that everything would be safe. They were obviously quality people (no smoking, no cursing).
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Editor’s Note: You can go online to www.masterdry.com or contact Master Dry at (931) 250-4712. and tell them you read about them in Crossville Life. Paul Perry, who lives in Crossville, is a Professional Home Inspector. He can be contacted at (931) 707-7708 or toll free at (866) 522-7708.
