CLC recently completed its fourth project on our 110 year-old home, and once again, we could not be happier. Previous work has included a kitchen remodel with new cabinets, sink & dishwasher, granite countertops and beautiful tile work, as well as a pair of new decks, fencing and landscaping.
This most recent project was to replace the six original century-old windows on the third floor, and address some long-term issues of basement moisture and an odor problem from the crawlspace beneath a newer existing addition. The old basement has always been tough to look at, with an ancient concrete floor that was uneven and prone to showing water absorption from below. Worse, whenever there was a significant rainfall, a path of water would emerge from one corner, and make its way toward the floor drain - not an ideal situation!
Project managers Jim and Jerry listened to our description of the issues, did a thorough examination of our 3rd floor windows and the basement and crawlspace, and then came up with a specific plan to address the individual problems as well as the overall condition of these areas. Custom windows were measured and ordered, with a very fast delivery estimate.
Work involved manually re-grading the ground beneath our addition and removing anything that did not belong in that location, pulling out the old & degraded fiberglass insulation from between the floor joists and spraying new insulation, and then sealing the foundation and floor with heavy-duty plastic ground cover. Many thanks to CLC's Mike, who did a great job.
In the basement, the cracked and worn concrete floor was washed and then filled in by hand, leaving a much smoother surface. 20 gallons of Behr Granite Grip concrete paint was applied until the floor surface was uniform, and much better-looking - the difference is spectacular!
And after some significant discussions with Jerry, we became convinced that the rainwater issues were due to a damaged underground clay drainage pipe that ran along one side of the house. Plans were made to re-route the downspout, close off the damaged pipe, and re-direct the water away from our home. This work was quickly completed, and a huge thunderstorm hit about 5 hours later. It worked perfectly - no water in the basement at all!
We then discussed the possibility of replacing the original basement windows, and measurements were made and an order was placed with speedy delivery expected. In anticipation of the new 3rd floor windows, CLC's Derick made excellent repairs to damaged plaster in that area, and then primed & painted the surfaces.
All of the new windows went in without a problem, and they fit & work perfectly. From the street they blend in very nicely with the original windows on the lower floors, but the new ones open & close smoothly, and will make it possible to actually use our 3rd floor again!
There are some important things to stress regarding our experiences with Chris Levins and the CLC team - every one of our ideas, suggestions or concerns was addressed in a professional, timely and effective manner. Much of the work that needed to be done involved moving through parts of our home that are not under construction, and could be easily damaged by accident or a lack of attention. This has never been an issue with CLC - everyone has been conscientous and treated our home with great care. As project manager, Jerry was quick to return calls, and communicate with us as the work progressed; he worked around our schedules, and was expeditious in addressing any issue that came up, and - importantly - keeping our costs under control.
In the end, we now have great-looking new windows, a well-insulated and odor-free crawlspace, and a basement that's actually a pleasure to use. Our thanks and highest recommendation for CLC! read more
