- Report: #1262606
Complaint Review: Green Mountain Basement Solutions - Essex Junction Vermont
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Green Mountain Basement Solutions
22A Morse Drive Essex Junction, Vermont, USA
Phone:
(802) 881-0624
Web:
http://www.greenmountainbasementsolutions.com/
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Green Mountain Basement Solutions Didn't Know Wood from Slate! Wanted $10,000 for Unnecessary Repairs! Essex Junction Vermont
I can't prove a ripoff simply because one contractor says I am at risk of a foundation collapse and wants $10,000 for urgently-needed repairs, and the contractor I seek for a second bid tells me my foundation is fine.
But I know one thing. These guys told me that one of the things impairing my foundation's structural integrity was that the sill between the stone basement foundation and the brick above-grade foundation was wood, and it had deteriorated over time and was being compressed. They said it was typical of construction 100 years ago.
I later confirmed through close physical inspection (including removing a chip of material) that it was actually, as I had thought originally, slate. If this misinformation wasn't intended to deceive it was at a minimum, blatant incompetance to identify slate as being wood!
Here's the full story: I had an engineer do a home inspection before purchase of this 1921 house. He said the foundation had some bowing, not unusual for its age, which should be monitored but was not an active concern. This inspection was done by flashlight, as there was no electric service at the time.
Later, after I bought the house and had better lighting, I looked at the foundation more closely and got worried about the bowing. I checked internet information, which scared me. So I contacted the guys with the most prominent ad for foundations in Vermont -- Green Mountain Basement Solutions. They came and assessed it, and said the foundation was in such bad shape it was at risk of collapse. They proposed a solution using I-beams along the interior of the foundation at a cost of a little over $10,000.
I didn't have that kind of money, so as a result (thankfully) I tried to find someone who might have a less expensive solution. The second foundation contractor assessed it and said the same thing the home inspector had said: the bowing was not unusual for a house of its age and was not so significant as to present any risk of collapse. He showed me the signs to mionitor for any future inward movement, but said there was no evidence of any movement in a long time. And he confirmed that the sill was slate, not wood.
I emailed Green Mountain Basement Solutions to let them know for future reference that they hjad identified slate as being wood, but they did not respond.
I was narrowly saved from a major ripoff, and I hope others will be saved as well by steering away from this company.
