GJ MacRae Foundation Repair

We hired G.J. MacRae for several reasons. 1) They were a family run company that was local and well established. 2) They had been featured on Mike Holmes TV show. 3) Their proposal for the repair was very reasonable.

We wanted the repair done properly from the outside of the house, and I had heard of many problems people had experienced using crack injection type repair companies. MacRae came by for an inspection and was very knowledgeable and gave me some good advice about other issues we had around the house related to the foundation. The weather kept the repair from starting on the scheduled days, but each time I was called early in the morning to let me know that work was not going to proceed that day. When the day came the workers were very courteous and worked all day to dig out the foundation, apply the repair and back fill and tamp the earth. After the cleanup was done, you would hardly know they had been there. We were very satisfied with the workmanship and overall we felt we were dealing with a very professional company. I would recommend them to anyone in my family to deal with.

Gavin MacRae was fast, reliable, fair, and provided great service. His crew was so hardworking in the terrible heat,, and was careful with our garden and property even though the area was very confined. Unavoidably there were clay stains on our newly-sealed driveway, which they quickly resolved. It's too early to say if the moisture problem is completely solved, but we're confident they used the best materials and techniques.

We hired Gavin and his team to enlarge two basement windows in our home, waterproof the foundation and install window wells. Gavin started things off on the right foot by returning our call quickly and coming out to provide a quote in a timely manner. He was one of the few people who agreed to help secure and do the work under a building permit. Which was important to us to ensure the safety of our family. Our job was a challenging one with several unexpected issues popping up along the way. That said, I was impressed with Gavin (and his team's) dedication to ensuring the job was done properly and to our satisfaction. The team was professional, courteous and punctual. Additionally, I was VERY impressed with Gavin's dedcation to working with us to iron out a few challenges (even after having been fully paid for the job). With many "fly by the night" contractors out there, it is nice to deal with a company that truly cares about client satisfaction and doing the job right. A rarity in today's market! Our family is now enjoying a safe and bright basement. Thanks Gavin!

When we bought our home, our garage facade had a crack in the mortar between the bricks. We patched it, but it cracked further over the following 2 years. In looking into the cause of it, we discovered the problem was bigger than we'd expected.

After consulting with friends who had recently had some foundation repairs done, we called G J MacRae Foundation Repair. Our friends had "done the homework" for us, having received several quotes and references for contractors for their foundation work before settling on MacRae. They were extremely pleased with the work (timeline, price, and results) as well.

After I called, Mr. Gavin MacRae visited in person to look at the garage, said we'd need to have an engineer review the problem and make a referral. So far so good -- more $ for us, but to ensure the job would be done safely, well, and as it needed to be. The engineer confirmed the cause of the crack was a tipping foundation (and discussed water drainage with us, to prevent such problems in the future). He gave us the referral letter for MacRae.

Our repair work was begun within a week after the engineer's visit. The workers were here every day until the job was finished, with the exception of one day when the weather prevented their work, and on that day, someone called us to say they could not come and why. The job involved digging (manually -- no motorized tools or machinery were used, as it was so close to the house) 8' down, to get under the existing foundation. They started early and worked late, and had the job finished in a week's time. We had inquired as to whether the work would be finished before Halloween, as it involved removing much of our front walkway and digging up near the front door. They assured us they would try to be finished in time, and they were.

Not only was the foundation repaired, but everything that needed to be "undone" to get to the foundation (plantings beside the house, the interlocking walkway) was replaced by MacRae's crew almost as if it had never been disturbed. There was nothing we needed to re-do after they were done. They cleaned up the clay and soil mess thoroughly also.

We would have prefered to not need this work done, of course...but we were very happy with the punctuality, timelines, care, and quality of the work. Communication was clear and thorough, and the price seemed fair for the size of this job.

Dealt with Gavin initially to agree on a price for the work. His workers came out on the agreed upon date and performed the work. They were professional and on time, and answered all my questions.

3 months later, there have not been any leaks. Job well done.

A couple of years after a repair. I had a small problem and they immediately fixed it. It means a lot to me to do business with a company that is so passionate about its work and its customers. Not easy to find it these days but when you do, you understand why you chose them in the first place.

There was a crack the foundation wall in our basement and it had to be fixed it started flooding when we had a week of rain in the early summer months. They came the same day we called and fixed the crack in no time. There was also a problem with drainage so we had to had the hole backyard dug up and lining put in on the outside of the house . The price was really good and the repairman was very nice and professional. they got the job done as fast as they could with the weather! Very happy with service!

We have used this company twice now for separate projects in our basement. Our basement is now perfectly waterproofed and done properly (we had a very bad experience with another company previously who was VERY un professional and dishonest....). These guys are the best in the field.
In word, they are fantastic and really set the bar. An excellent and highly recommended company!!!

Gavin was the third estimate I got for my leaky walkout. The difference between GJ MacCrae and the other companies was that everyone else said that we would have to wait until the ground thawed before they could start the job; meaning more water and more damage. Gavin came in and told us that he could start right away and over the course of the next two days his team used a blow torch to heat the ground before they dug it up. These guys are amazing. There price is right, they aren't interested in hustling you and they just come in a do great work. I'm glad to refer anyone to GJ MacCrae!

It's taken me a long time to write this review, but it's no less heartfelt! We called Kevin in the spring of 2009, after discovering that we had just bought a house with a very leaky finished basement.

On his first visit, Kevin listened patiently to my first-time homeowner panic, and advised an eavestrough cleaning before anything else. That was an extremely honourable thing to do, given that I could easily have been talked into something I didn't need at that point.

It worked, but after that torrential spring, we ended up with a more severe problem in another area of the house. I called Kevin back, based on his excellent customer service, and within four days, his team had removed my deck, dug the trenches around 3/4 of my house, installed the weeping tile, and put everything back exactly the way they'd found it. They even saved the plants in my garden!

It was a stressful, awful time, and GJ MacRae took care of it all. And two years later, our basement is still dry as a bone. I highly recommend this company - they're the best.