Job review from MARIE in MIdland, MI 48642 on 03/23/21

Justin Rogers was the salesperson who came to assess my basement situation. He was extremely professional, informative, and helpful. He provided a brief review of how basement walls fail and then identified the issues with my basement. It was reassuring to see him make use of up-to-date diagnostic tools (laser light) for accurate measurements of room size and degree of wall movement. I appreciated his factual and practical explanations and his ability to modify plans to meet my needs and interests. He followed up with detailed documentation and he worked with me to keep the costs within my budget. He was dependable and upfront. There is only one thing I would recommend for you to consider: When discussing carbon fiber strips, I think you do need to make sure the customer knows what to expect for looks and the longer-term décor effect. Having had Kevlar strips installed previously, I find that the black carbon fiber strips are less attractive, much more obtrusive and rather unsightly. People should be aware of that carbon fiber does not accept paint very well and being black in color, the black strip will show through any painting efforts. (Have you considered using Kevlar instead of the carbon fiber for your wall reinforcements, as they are smoother, paintable, less obvious and much more attractive, but are just as effective?)

The Foreman for my job was initially to be Justine, but on the day scheduled, it was Sage who called to tell me that he would be the Foreman. He was polite, professional, personable and he kept me informed of the work to be done. His assistants were two young men, Anthony and another young man (? his name). The crew did a good job of protecting my home and contents with plastic sheeting to keep things clean, and they did sweep up and clean up all debris left from their work. They worked quietly-no loud music-and as a team with each doing their part of the job. They did not appear to take a break for lunch, which was impressive, but not eating could also affect their health, energy and concentration…ugh! They had arrived around 10 am and did not leave till after 6 pm, so they had a full work day. They had installed 4 carbon strips and 6 new basement windows.

After they left, I did a more thorough inspection of the carbon fibers and the windows. And, while I believe they did the job of applying the carbon strips and installing new windows adequately, I was disappointed in the finish work of the caulking and in of the mortar work around the windows. See detailed notes below: • 3 of the 4 carbon fiber strips did not seem properly/securely attached to the carbon fiber strip glued to the basement wall. I was able to slide a thin metal ruler into the gap between the “tie strips and the carbon strip already glued to the basement wall up to 5 inches from the top of the joist. Thus, the top part of the necktie was not even in contact with the wall strip. This concerned me and I did text Sage about this. • Also, when inspecting the strips, I noted quite a few air pockets/bubbles behind the carbon strips. This means that the carbon fiber was not directly in contact with the brick wall. I ended up taking a rubber mallet to mash out the air and get the fiber to make contact with the wall. I really feel the crew should have been more careful in ensuring that the carbon fiber was smooth and flat against the wall for full contact. (Like using a “seam roller” when putting up wallpaper) • The finish work for the basement windows could have been more professionally done. o The mortar work at the bottom of the new windows was less than satisfactory. On one window there was an actual gap of 3/8 by 3 inches where the bottom of the window frame was not even in contact with the cement. (You could run a pencil beneath the bottom of the window in the gap.) Sage was also notified of this. o On two of the windows, the slanted cement sill top, between the bottom of the window and the wall, was NOT straight and smooth. The sill surface was uneven with a significant roll or bump that was visible and unprofessional looking. o On 2 of the windows, the sill cement was not flush with the window well sidewall. There was either a crease (made with the trowel) or the mortar was not in direct contact with the side wall at all. I would have expected the sill cement to have been in solid contact with all adjacent surfaces and to have a smooth finish inside all corners. o On 3 of the windows, there was a lot of dried cement left on the white window frame, which I feel should have been wiped off while the cement was wet and easier to remove. o On 3 of the windows, the caulking job around the windows had not been smoothed out nor evenly distributed. And I noted incomplete filling with gaps in some areas and unprofessional finish work around the corners and along the sides. This definitely looked sloppy and unprofessional. I did text Sage about some of my concerns, and he followed up and has arranged to have a tech stop by in a week to address the issues I had texted him about. Appt. scheduled for 3/26/21 at 9 am for follow up and fixing. Please see my other comments below...