I have been a member of Delbe Home Services for fifteen years, completed dozens of home repair and improvement projects with their help, and more than 30 of my friends, neighbors and colleagues have joined, too.
What Delbe does takes a few paragraphs to really explain, but is worth the read.
The short version is that Delbe is a one-stop resource when it comes to taking care of your home. Delbe manages everything from routine and 24/7 emergency services to all aspects of maintenance, repairs, improvements, remodeling, restoration and construction (if you do any of the latter stuff.)
The longer version is that over many years of managing a huge number of properties around here, Delbe got to know most of the local plumbers, electricians, roofers, painters, fence builders, tree guys, landscapers, basement waterproofers, gutter cleaners, chimney sweeps, and more. They use the leverage of their network to negotiate great deals & service for Delbe customers.
15 years ago when I bought my first house it needed a new roof. Knowing zero about roofs and working 60 hours a week, I was not looking forward to fumbling through the dark to figure out who to hire, what questions to ask, which materials to demand, what would be a good price, or how to negotiate with roofers.
After cold calling some roofers, getting a bunch of contradictory advice and pressure sales tactics, I joined Delbe and quickly came to understand that because Delbe arranges dozens of roof jobs for its customers on a regular basis, it already knows who the good roofers are, what they charge, and perhaps most importantly, Delbe has leverage over these roofers because it sends them so much business.
Instead of contracting directly with a roofer myself I used Delbe and it worked out great. My guy at Delbe quickly got three bids from three of his favorite high quality roofers. I picked the one I liked best and then went on vacation. Delbe oversaw the work while my wife and I were away. We came home to a brand new roof!
I then paid Delbe and Delbe then paid the contractor. Had anything been wrong later I would just tell Delbe and Delbe would take care of it directly. I never did talk to or even see that contractor.
In terms of cost, Delbe charges a flat yearly fee of $175 or so. They make their money in the jobs by splitting the savings they get from their network. For example, the best price I could get on my own for my roof was $7,500. The roofers price that high because they know they'll have to deal with some chump (me) who knows nothing, and that I will likely drive them crazy with questions.
But, when Delbe calls and says "We've got another roof job, what's your best price?" The roofer says "For Delbe, $6,500." Delbe then charges me $7,000 and everybody wins. I save money, Delbe makes money, Delbe manages the work, and the roofer gets an easy job where he doesn't have to deal with a chump like me.
Also, I get to pay Delbe with my credit card, which is superior to paying contractors by check.
All in all, it is a great system and we've also used Delbe over the years for plumbing, two fences, a bunch of electrical work, major work on the trees, the gutters, re-keying the locks, a big internal renovation we did in the dining room, a new, a sunroom, two air conditioning units, several hot water heaters, two big electrical projects, a new driveway, and a railing for our front steps. Somewhere in there we upgraded our electrical panel and also did a basement waterproofing job.
We are now thinking about building a simple tree house and of course Delbe knows plenty of local carpenters who can help with that too.
When I have emergency jobs Delbe can mobilize contractors far more quickly than I can. (I still have to pay those contractors an arm and a leg for weekend emergency service but it gets done.)
I can't even put into words how many hours Delbe has saved me and how happy I am to have them on my side for all of these projects. We're probably done 40 projects together over the year and 38 of 40 of them went perfectly, which is a far-above-average ratio.
And perhaps even more importantly, for the 2 projects that didn't go well, I simply told Delbe what was wrong and they made sure the contractor took care of us - quickly.
From my perspective it only takes one or two projects a year to make Delbe worth the cost. As a new homeowner I had no idea how many things could and did go wrong with a house, or how many things I'd want to change and improve. My time is better spent getting ahead at work or playing with my kids than becoming an expert in basement waterproofing techniques.
Lastly, if anyone reading this would like to talk with me directly about Delbe I'd be happy to chat with you. Just send me a message through Yelp. I do not get any credit or referral fees if you join. I just want to help my fellow homeowners and also help ensure that Delbe stays strong as a company so that it will ensure for many years. read more
