A Dry Home Is a Happy Home

Preventative maintenance to keep water away from the foundation walls of your home may be one of the best ways to protect your property. It’s a good thing our Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors have not one but two experts in the areas of water damage restoration or basement waterproofing. Joe Soster, owner of Waterproofing One, has teamed up with David Linn Cook, who has been our residential weatherization and waterproofing expert for the past three years, and together they deliver excellence, proficiency and professional results.

Joe grew up in Springfield, and from the time he was a teenager, he was working in the construction industry alongside his father, who was a land developer and builder. Over the years, he worked in numerous roles in the construction industry and established himself as an expert in waterproofing and structural repairs. In 1993 he started his own business Waterproofing One, headquartered in Phoenixville, PA.

Waterproofing One provides a variety of waterproofing services, including installing hydrostatic pressure relief systems (French drains and sump pumps); exterior waterproofing (excavation, special membranes vapor barriers and exterior drain systems); basement waterproofing coatings; all types of foundation repairs, masonry epoxy crack injections, wall pins for block walls, carbon fiber straps for concrete and block walls, carbon fiber stitches; and lawn grading, surface drains, exterior lawn drains, flow well tanks, gutter guards, downspout drainage, etc.

What sets Joe and his team apart from other waterproofing companies is the relationships they establish with clients. “Our customers trust our commitment to work excellence, budget and schedule,” said Joe. “We make sure our clients get expected results and we look at their satisfaction as the cornerstone of our success.”

Waterproofing One pays attention to the smallest details of the projects they work on. They can handle everything from roofing, basement waterproofing, water damage repair and water restoration projects down to other general contractor services. They understand that basement waterproofing is one of the best ways to keep property values high while saving a customer’s foundation from potential disastrous situations brought on by rain.

As an expert in waterproofing and weatherization, Joe understands the damage moisture can do to both the interior and exterior of the home. “If water seeps into your basement, that is a bad sign,” said Joe. “Basement leaks can mean your foundation is in need of repair to keep the walls from cracking or growing mold which can be deadly to your family.”

Joe explained that in order to prevent wet basements, it is important to understand where the water is coming from. The four common sources of water that seeps into the basement are surface water running down foundation walls; groundwater in water-saturated soils being pushed into the basement by hydrostatic pressure; storm sewer water from the municipal storm sewer system backing up into the home’s existing perimeter foundation drain and leaking into the basement; and sanitary sewer water from a combined municipal storm/sanitary sewer system backing up into the home’s drain system, causing sewer water to come up through sink drains and floor drains on lower levels.

Joe recently added David Linn Cook to his team as his chief estimator. Longtime friends from back in their Springfield junior high school days they’ve worked together in various settings including David’s business. It was at their recent high school reunion that they reconnected and while discussing their combined experience decided now was the time to collaborate. “We’re excited to join forces,” said Dave. “I like to joke that we know each other better than we know ourselves.”

After high school, Dave earned a degree in Business Management from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, and for many years he worked as a laborer, roofer and as a weatherization and waterproofing specialist. He soon realized that he had a keen eye for finding water leaks that others couldn’t find.

As the owner of his own weatherproofing company for 30 years, Dave was known by his customers for being sincere and passionate about his work. “I immensely enjoy talking to my customers and finding the solution to a leak problem,” Dave said. “When it comes to weatherproofing problems, it’s not always a ‘one size fits all.’ Every job is custom and sometimes that means trying one solution at a time.”

What Joe and Dave find most rewarding about their work is the joy of knowing that they’ve helped people maintain a dry and safe environment in their homes and businesses. “It's satisfying to see when people are able to use their basement for many different purposes when they couldn't before,” said Joe. “It's also good to see people in a healthier environment when their basements have been waterproofed.”

If your home has a crawl space or basement, the best way to protect it is to call on experts who understand how moisture enters a home and how to maintain waterproofing systems.

Joe says: “A dry home is a happy home!” Waterproofing One is a full-service waterproofing and basement foundation repair company servicing three states, including but not limited to the following counties In PA: Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Berks and Bucks – in Delaware: New Castle and Wilmington – in New Jersey: Gloucester, Camden and Burlington County. Call (800) 508-4144 today for a free estimate. For more information, visit their website at www.WaterproofingOne.com. N S