It's official. We are loyal to Acme plumbing from now on, thanks to Clay and Norman.
No other plumbing company will set foot in our house because these guys just blew us away with their professionalism, stellar customer service, exceptional expertise about historic homes, and fair pricing.
Our century-old iron sewage decided to go on strike back in October, when a literally and figuratively sh*tty acquaintance participating in a multi-household yard sale ravaged at least one jumbo roll of toilet paper for an hours-long diarrheic escapade that would put Mt. St. Helen's to shame. My husband managed this and another cleanup on his own to the tune of $500. (Yes, it is a shining testament to my husband's worth that he will wade through a pond of poop for our family. He's a keeper.)
We had two different plumbing companies out since the disaster. Both times, technicians were perplexed, demonstrating beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had no idea what they were talking about; yet each submitted specious proposals with estimates that made my nose bleed.
Finally, we had the sense to call Acme. Speaking with Norman on the phone was the unexpected jewel of my week. He delivered genuine validation about our trials that warmed my heart. His sense of humor and professionalism helped me feel calmer. And his honesty and candor inspired trust that I couldn't imagine feeling a) over the phone or b) in my first conversation with someone. Norman listened extremely carefully, and in reflecting back to me the complicated information I conveyed, quickly picked up on the esoteric and challenging nature of our plumbing mystery. He said he knew just the right plumber to send to our house if we were willing to wait just two more days.
Enter Clay and his young assistant. Clay knows old houses. He's got a sharp intelligence, expansive knowledge, formidable creative problem-solving skills, and some awe-inspiring grit. Of all the great workers we've had in this old house over the years, we've never been so impressed with a team's GSD attitude and work ethic.
After 10 hours of totally disgusting work, he sleuthed out some almost hilariously bad decisions that past owners had made. They paved a driveway over the original drainage , leaving no clean out access, then circumnavigated the house with about ~300 ft of new piping just to avoid doing the job right the first time to tie into the original line. The world's greatest inspector could never have discovered all this craziness, but Clay's innovative problem solving compelled him to search for the line far away from where anyone would expect to find it.
This is already a long story. Suffice to say that we now have clarity on the issue and a solid plan moving forward. The cherry on top is that Acme connected us with partners of theirs who consult with clients about how to most effectively present claims to homeowners' insurance.
If you despise band aid fixes and wasting money on repairs done by inexperienced tradespeople, learn from our saga. Get it done right the first time. Pick up the phone, call Acme, and get a legit hero like Clay to come save the day. read more