JES Foundation Repair

I hired JES to make a foundation repair. It was the worst contractor experience I have ever had. I do fix & flip for a living and hire a lot of contractors. JES is expensive, extremely slow, poor workmanship, no warranty, no after sale service. It's a Cash & Dash company. They will sweet talk into giving them the job, but they will do a bad job. When your basement is flooded in the first snow melt and rainy day since they completed their work, they will tell you they can send someone to potentially repair mid next month, like 3 weeks out, leaving you with a flood in the basement, rotting out everything while they are enjoying their day. The flood came from the sump pump. The sump pump is connected to a discharge pipe through a rubber coupler. The coupler they used was one size too small and did not fit the pump. The installer did not bother to go to Lowe's, just 1 mile away to get a new coupler. Instead, he just pushed in the coupler: half of the coupler was wrapping around the pump, and the other half was squeezed into the pump. The pump was able to work for half of a season. With a little bit of rain, the coupler just pops right off. So the sump pump is circulating water non-stop, until the basement was filled a foot of water. No one came out, no one texted/emailed me for a I have never seen such a bad company.

JES did an excellent job on our crawl space. We had water accumulating around the whole perimeter of the crawl space. We had also had a toilet leak causing black mold, which had been professionally cleaned up, but we wanted fresh insulation. The JES team arrived on schedule and worked diligently to remove the insulation above and the flimsy plastic that covered the earthen floor of the crawl space. They then laid rubber matting and white membrane over the dirt and put thick styrofoam on the walls. They dug a trench around the perimeter and installed 2 sump pumps and 2 dehumidifiers to deal with future water. Meanwhile a separate team arrived to put foam under our patio to stop it from sliding away from the house. Everyone called before they arrived and each member of this large team was always professional and answered all questions thoroughly. They cleaned up well each day which I thoroughly appreciate. I want to add that Brian Swain was an amazing leader and manager of his 5 to 7 man crawl space team. He kept the project on schedule, kept me informed about progress and what would happen when, and always made himself available to answer questions. Thank you, Brian! Bryan Rutherford did a great job putting foam under the patio and sealing where it meets the house. The crawl space team, Gio Ordonez, Mohamed Kamara, and Pedro Llontop worked hard each day and were always professional. Superintendent Demetrius Cooper came by to ensure everything was going well and he answered additional questions and made great recommendations. Overall the whole crew was excellent. I highly recommend this team, their dedication to doing the work well and their professionalism.

A JES Repair & Subsequent Warranty Repair Transformed into a $25,000 Repair Proposal In 2018, our home's previous owners noticed the front porch sinking and pulling away from the house. Apparently when the home was built the soil was not compacted prior to installing the concrete porch pad. JES proposed helical piers under the porch to hold it up and potentially move it back to its original position. Prior to the start of the work, JES determined that helical piers were not the preferred repair and suggested slab piers, which JES installed for about $8,000. Afterward, the owner applied a porch deck coating to the concrete surface (see pic with red chair). We bought the home in 2019 and the JES warranty was transferred to us in 2023. It reads, in part, "Contractor warrants that the slab piers will stabilize the affected area(s) against further vertical movement for a period of ten (10) years from the date of installation.” In 2024 circular protrusions started appearing on the porch floor. These protrusions mark the tops of the piers JES installed; as the porch continues sinking, it pushes down on the piers and shows the displacement through the floor. In time both the concrete and the floor coating cracked and popped loose on top of the protrusions (see picture with arm of grey chair). After multiple unreturned calls to JES, a visit to their office finally resulted in a warranty repair in early 2024. JES drilled holes, pumped polyfoam under the porch, and lifted it slightly back into position. Unfortunately, it became apparent that the porch was still sinking and the foam began forcing up through the cracks around the protuberances. In October-November of this year, to its credit, JES contacted us to inquire about the state of the repair. I told them the repair failed and JES came out to have a look at it. JES determined that the porch did not have a proper footing installed and was still sinking. As the technician described it, "the slab piers and poly injections previously installed were effective in stabilizing the central portion of the structure. However, the perimeter of the porch does not have a proper footing, and that area has now begun to settle." After JES determined that their previous repairs were "effective," they proposed sinking push piers around the edge of the porch and adding a steel footing that would rest on the piers for $25,000 after "discounts." I am no contract expert or engineer, but this seems nonsensical; the porch is still sinking just as it was in 2018 after JES installed the original piers and just as it continued to do in 2024 when JES pumped foam underneath it. JES feels that the perimeter of the porch is sinking because of the insufficient footing while the rest of it remains stable due to their piers and polyfoam, but it's the same concrete slab - the perimeter is attached to the interior. How can one concrete slab actively and simultaneously sink while still somehow remaining stable? I cited the warranty guarantee "that the slab piers will stabilize the affected area(s) against further vertical movement for a period of ten (10) years from the date of installation” but JES declined it because of their belief that the porch perimeter - rather than its middle - is now the actual location of the problem. JES did not indicate why it failed to see this in 2018. When I reminded JES that the warranty guarantees against vertical movement - and that the porch is still sinking - they ceased correspondence. Another foundation repair company looked at the problem and proposed the same solution - piers around the edge and a steel footing - for $10,000. The original issue is not corrected, the porch is still sinking, JES says the warranty does not apply for reasons that at best are difficult to comprehend, and their proposed repair is more than double that of a respected competing company. We're going with the competitor and are thankful we did not pay JES for the original $8,000 worth of work that failed to solve the problem and for which JES wants an additional $25,000 to try again.

My home had multiple issues before encapsulation - mildew on clothes and furniture, mold on ceilings, an awful smell, and poor air quality. After meeting with sales representatives from several companies, I ultimately chose JES because of their representative Manny. Unlike others, he never used high-pressure tactics. Instead, he was knowledgeable, honest, and simply presented the facts allowing me to make my decision at my own pace. That really stood out to me. Once the project began, the process moved quickly and efficiently. Walter the foreman and my main point of contact, was outstanding - professional, informative, and personable. He kept me updated and gave me end of day summaries. The crew itself worked seamlessly together, like a well-oiled machine, and represented JES with the highest level of professionalism. I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to go with JES, and I highly recommend them to anyone considering crawlspace encapsulation.