If you waterproof your basement during the dry time of year, not only will you be able to negotiate a better price, but you will also be prepared for when the rain comes and you will not suffer the loss and inconvenience of your neighbors who were not so farsighted and you will earn double.

However, choosing the right time of year is not the only way to ensure the best price for your basement waterproofing project. Here are some more tips for negotiating the best price for your basement waterproofing project.

1. Simply ask your contractor “under what circumstances would you do this job for a lower price without compromising quality or specifications.”

Listen to the answer and see if it fits your requirements.

2. Contractors have ups and downs in their work schedule that are costly to manage. Often, you can negotiate a real discount for being flexible on the time scale and allowing the contractor to tailor their work to others.

3. Ask if your work could be used as a reference with before and after photos and ask for a discount instead.

4. Ask the contractor how much discount would be available for the opportunity to put a billboard at the end of your driveway or in your window.

5. Once you’ve chosen your proposed contractor, try “Well, I was going to get one more quote, but if I canceled it and gave you the order now, what would you do with the price?”

6. Ask your neighbors if any of them also want basement waterproofing done. Ask if there would be a discount for doing more than one job in the neighborhood at the same time.

7. Talk about payment terms, ask if a very prompt payment would be worth another small discount.

8. Your contractor’s labor will be expensive, so anything you can offer to reduce the amount of labor should bring you a nice price reduction. Could you remove the dirt or dig for the sump pump and underfloor piping? If you’re so inclined or have friends and family who are, you could save a significant amount on labor.

9. Please note that the specification is lowered in exchange for a lower price; This is not a discount; you are simply buying less for less money, six eggs always cost less than twelve! Having said that, if you really can’t afford everything you want at once, it may be a valid decision to skip some features until a later date, for example it’s usually possible to install the battery backup system at a later date.

10. Befriend your contractor, win their sympathy, show you are a good customer to deal with, be understanding, offer hospitality, coffee for the crew, food, especially if the surveyor has come a long way. A little psychology can go a long way!

Keep in mind that with all of the above negotiation tactics, you are giving your basement waterproofing contractor something of value in exchange for your discount. Always beware of a contractor who may suddenly discount for no apparent reason, were you offering a fair price in the first place? If not, can they be trusted?

Also, don’t forget that you’re (presumably) going to want good quality service and it’s not necessarily in your interest as a customer to leave your contractor with little or no incentive to do their job. Most reputable contractors will have 10-15% to negotiate in exchange for some of the above terms; more so if you’re doing a significant part of the job, but don’t forget, if it sounds like you can negotiate a deal that sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Find out the cost of waterproofing your foundation.