Our waterproofing home pros can proof themselves

Waterproofing is one of those things that you don’t notice when it’s done well. But if it isn’t done well, it’s all you can think about. Quality waterproofing means no leaks and no damp. You can achieve this through torch on waterproofing or flashing – both highly effective forms of waterproofing that our expert Fix Forward home pros can install for you.

Waterproofing projects we handle:

Hire a recommended waterproofer

When you are contracting with specialists to come and do work on your property it is usually quite easy to tell if they have done a good job or not. ‘Does it look tidy?’ and ‘does it work?’ are the questions that you generally need to ask before deciding if the job has been done satisfactorily.

If the leak has stopped or the blockage is gone then your plumber has done his job. Similarly if the lights come on and the power doesn’t trip then the electrician can be paid for his time. But there is one area where it is very hard to know if the job has been done properly until much later – and that is when it comes to waterproofing.

So, it goes without saying, that when finding a home pro to take care of your waterproofing needs you had better make sure that you get it right because by the time the work is shown to be substandard or faulty, it may well be that the artisan you hired has moved on. Finding a reputable person or company to do the work is thus imperative. Here are a few pointers to help ensure that you get the right waterproofer for the job.

Ask questions when hiring a waterproofer

Waterproofing is something of a dark art. It is tricky and specialised and, unlike many other jobs and tasks (think plumbing, painting, electrics or even woodwork), it is not something that is easily tackled or even understood by the average person. So, ask questions. There is no need to be shy or reticent in engaging around the topic – ask as many questions as you can to as many people as you need to, and then compare notes.

In a world where you are probably going to engage with several potential home pro before making a choice, ask them all the same questions and then compare notes. Find out what products they intend to use and how long the job will take. The more information you have the more informed your decision will be and the greater the chance of success will be.

Get referrals for waterproofing

This is an absolute must. In the same way that you wouldn’t hire a member of staff without a look at their CV and a call to a reference or two, so too should you not hire a waterproofer without getting some sort of referral. If there is somebody who has done a lot of work in your area and who is highly regarded you will be onto something.

It means that they will be familiar with the suppliers in the area and that they will have a reputation to protect. Another great alternative is to draw on the resources of websites, like this one, who vet and approve home pros. Fix Forward is run by experts who know which questions to ask and who can tell the difference between a good job and an average one – feel free to lean on us for advice and recommendations.

You might want to give yourself added peace of mind by having a look at some recent work they have done. Not necessarily in order to tell if it is working, but more importantly to look at how they finished things. Did they leave things neat and tidy? A good waterproofing job should leave no tell-tale signs of mess.

Weighing up waterproofing options

Once you have spoken to a few different potential home pros, compare notes. Are their glaring differences in what they are charging or delivering? Does one quote or project plan seem largely out of alignment with the others? Look for red flags and don’t be scared to act on them. And once again, if things are not clear or don’t stack up, return to point one and go back to asking questions.

Nobody quoting on a job should be offended if you ask why their quote is different to somebody else’s – they need to be able to explain and motivate why they have quoted as they have and you need to make sure that you are comfortable with the answer they offer.

Get a guarantee for waterproofing

As highlighted earlier, this is the kind of job where the results are not always evident immediately. So it goes without saying that you need to ensure the work comes with some sort of guarantee. Don’t even consider contracting with somebody who is not prepared to back up the quality of their work with a guarantee – ideally one that is more than a few months or a year.

The test of how well the job was done will come when it is under duress – IE: in the rainy seasons or following exposure to heavy water. While the work may hold initially, you are looking for an effective and lasting solution that will not compromise the integrity of your building long-term. So insist on a guarantee. It should cover off both materials and labour, not just the latter.

No waterproofing fly-by-nighters

Sometimes it seems almost quaint when you come across a company who proudly boast how long they have been in business. It often seems unnecessary to state the year of establishment, but what it does do is establish credentials. If you get a guarantee from a company that started operating last month, there is quite simply no guarantee that they will exist in a year’s time.

Similarly there is absolutely no track record to speak of in terms of the quality of their work. A company that has specialised in waterproofing for 10 years, however, must be doing enough right to ensure that they are still in business. That counts for a lot, and you should definitely factor it in to your choice.