Keller Waterproofing & Foundation Specialists

Keller Waterproofing & Foundation Specialists is a family-run Somerville outfit built around Jim Keller, and the through-line across three dozen reviews spanning 2021 to today isn't just that the drainage systems hold up — it's how often Jim or his crew tell a homeowner they don't actually need the work. In a 2023 review, one customer wrote Jim was "the only one who gave it to me straight" after a long line of estimators tried to upsell; another that same year gave five stars to a visit where Jim did no work at all, just told them to do three things themselves and it fixed the problem. When there is real work, it tends to be the hard kind. A 2025 review describes finishing out what began as termite damage and ended with rebuilding a crumbling 100-year-old fieldstone foundation; another, from late 2025, describes waterproofing a basement in a house over 160 years old. A 2023 review details a high water table pushing two sump pumps into constant operation and turning the backyard into a mosquito pond — Keller's fix addressed the whole system rather than patching the symptom prior contractors had left behind. The written record backs the process up with specifics: French drains, sump pumps, exterior downspout rerouting, window-well fixes, and vapor barriers show up across jobs, usually after homeowners compared several quotes first. One reviewer chose Keller despite it being the priciest of three bids because the proposal was the most comprehensive. Warranty follow-through gets a mention too — one customer whose drainage pipe was accidentally damaged years after installation said Jim responded quickly and repaired it at a reasonable cost; the company also states it offers a lifetime guarantee on its work. The record isn't spotless: in a 2023 review, a homeowner described a scheduled walkthrough that turned into a no-show with no call, and a 2024 review needed a couple of return visits before a post-project leak was fully resolved (the reviewer said the company stood behind the work until it was done). Both are isolated in an otherwise consistent run — there's been no negative review in the six most recent reviews. The company's own site says it's been family-run since 1972; the Better Business Bureau's page instead credits it with 38 years in business, so treat either figure as approximate rather than settled. For a serious water or foundation problem, especially one other contractors have only half-fixed, this looks like a straight-shooting specialist worth a call.