Letter for Andrew Altman of Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing of MD, Inc.
On Wednesday, May 14, 2008, following three days of steady rain, more than 400 gallons of water leaked through the walls and into the basement of our home at 360 Dewey Drive, Annapolis, MD. My wife and I spent an entire day and much of a night using wet/dry vacuums to extract the water and restore the basement to a relatively clean and dry state. Since we normally live in Williamsburg, VA and often use the Annapolis home as a rental unit, we were concerned that tenants could be disrupted, should such an event occur while they were occupying the house. Of even greater concern was the possibility of major water intrusion occurring when no one was in the house, a circumstance that could cause extensive and expensive damage. Accordingly we decided to have the basement waterproofed.
A local contractor recommended an Annapolis-based company to do the work. Unfortunately my numerous phone calls to that company went unanswered for more than two weeks. I then contacted Mid-Atlantic and was given an appointment for an estimate to occur two days later – May 27th. I drove from Williamsburg to Annapolis for the appointment and called Mid-Atlantic in the morning on the day of the appointment to confirm that they would be coming. I was told that my appointment had been scheduled for four days later, a time when I would no longer be in Annapolis. When I complained, the manager of Mid-Atlantic, Andrew Altman, called me and said he would personally arrive on the date of the originally-scheduled appointment.
Mr. Altman arrived on time on the 27th and quickly and efficiently completed the estimate and offered a price which I accepted. I explained to him that time was of the essence for me, since I would have to leave for North Carolina for two weeks beginning June 14th. The prime concern was the time required for approval of a permit by the city of Annapolis, normally a two-to-four-week process. Mr. Altman ensured that the permit request was delivered to the City of Annapolis within one day. He also contacted the permit-approval persons at Annapolis and explained to them the need for expedited service in this instance. On June 3rd Mr. Altman called me in Williamsburg to tell me that the permit had been approved on the previous day (much earlier than the norm) and that his people would be able to commence work on June 9th. I asked if he could possibly begin on June 6th due to the short time available prior to my trip. Mr. Altman checked with the scheduling of his crews and called me back in short order, agreeing to start work on June 4th.
The work crew arrived early on the 6th and promptly began the project. Under the supervision of Bob Harrington, Jr. the crew of two other persons worked diligently – essentially without ceasing – despite temperatures in the mid-nineties. Due to the very small windows in my basement it was necessary manually to carry upstairs all the concrete broken up by the jack hammers and the dirt and other debris incidental to the task. Likewise, all the equipment and supplies had to be carried down the stairs into the basement. Despite this difficulty the workers made every effort to avoid getting my house – especially the upstairs carpets – dirty. When they returned on Monday, June 9th, they arrived even earlier and the process of efficient, continuous work in the midst of brutal heat conditions continued. Hundreds of trips up and down the stairs laden with heavy loads were required. On June 10th the city inspector arrived and approved the work done to that point. The inspector and I agreed to June 12th as the date for final inspection. We also agreed that he would inspect in my absence, as I had another appointment in Washington, DC. I would leave the kitchen door unlocked and he would enter, complete the inspection, and lock the door as he left. The following day, June 11th, a crew of three workers under the supervision of Bob Harrington, Sr. arrived. The same heat conditions prevailed, along with the same necessity to move materials up and down the stairs. In order to finish by the end of the day Mr. Harrington skillfully organized and scheduled the multitude of events that needed to be completed by the end of the day. His efforts and those of his crew were successful and the job was completed quite late in the day. Again, the basement was left in as good a state of cleanliness as was possible under the circumstances.
On June 12th a tree fell on the house of the inspector scheduled to do the final inspection. A different inspector arrived at my house but had not been told about the arrangements for inspecting in my absence. Accordingly the inspection did not occur. On June 13th, my final day in Annapolis prior to my scheduled trip to North Carolina, I called Mid Atlantic and explained the situation to Melissa (last name not known to me). She quickly contacted the Neighborhood and Environmental Programs office, and then called me to say that she had been able to get the original inspector to arrive later that morning. (I had made contact with Melissa on several occasions over the course of the events described above, and in every case she was courteous, helpful and very efficient – a most impressive coordinator of events.
The inspector was concerned about the possibility of someone being injured, should he or she step on the transparent covers fastened on top of the sump pump wells. He said he would sign off on the final inspection with the understanding that 3/8 inch plywood covers would be made and placed over the transparent covers. I contacted Mid-Atlantic about this issue. Mr. Altman said that this had never happened on any inspection during all the time Mid-Atlantic had been in business, but the firm would make the covers when next I would be in Annapolis.
In essence, I want to say that my experience with Mid-Atlantic has been uniformly positive. Particularly in light of the very rigid time constraints under which I was proceeding, their efforts to accommodate were remarkable. Their intense labor in extreme heat conditions spoke volumes about the cohesion and good work relationships that evidently are the norm in this company. I would recommend Mid-Atlantic without hesitation for anyone considering having a basement waterproofed.
Paul E. Roush
