Wow" is the first word that comes to mind, but I shall elaborate. What an exceptional experience!…read moreWe've all encountered tradespeople who disappoint us, be it electricians, carpenters or contractors. But these folks go out of their way to provide excellent service at a fair and competitive price. They tick every box--professionalism, courtesy (including office staff members Nicole and Cindy), honesty, and delivering the work promised at the agreed-upon price. We had a serious plumbing backup. The 50-year-old 'orangeburg' sewer line was collapsing in various places. Initially, Shane, the technician who visited some weeks ago, cleared (jetted) the line as best he could given its condition, and at least we were "operational" again. But he provided estimates for two phases of work we might want done. One phase involved replacing the old and rusting iron pipe under the house. The other was replacing the waste line. There was NO hard-sell, no dire warnings, just honesty about the state of things.
Weeks went by and the plumbing began to back up again, which can easily turn into a nightmare situation. I called the office and told them I had an estimate from Shane, and we thought maybe we should start with the plumbing underneath the house. Within two days, the truck was in the driveway, new pipe on board. BUT... and here's the part to take note of please. Instead of simply starting right in on the planned work, Shane went under the house and did a thorough inspection. Then of his OWN initiative, he scoped the waste lines before he explained the situation. Yes, he could go ahead and do the pipe replacement, but that was only going to solve part of the problem, and NOT the most urgent one. Now he could have gone ahead and simply done what was planned. That would have been the easy route for him and besides, he had driven an hour to get to the house. He could have finished, gotten paid, and been done. He just didn't think that was the RIGHT way to proceed, and he said he really didn't want to see us spend a chunk of money and still not be 'free and clear.' That made perfect sense, so we decided to shift gears and install 32' of new waste line instead.
The upshot was that he called the office and explained the shift in strategy. The next day was a Friday. He didn't want to leave us with minimal plumbing availability. Was there any way they could start the next day. They did some adjusting to their schedules, they quickly got hold of the city to come and mark utility lines (which happened within a couple hours), and yes, the very next day!!! Shane was back. With him came Brandon, the maestro of the backhoe, who dug with great care and precision; clearly he knew what he was doing. Such diligence, such courtesy, such freakin' hard work in the blazing heat--digging up shrubs, cutting a section of sidewalk so as not to destroy it completely, laying pipe with attention to detail, installing cleanouts per city requirements. This was a beautifully executed project, brought in per the estimate, no upcharges, no extras. Now that's a business with integrity!
About 9 hours later, the trench was filled in, grass seed was put down along with straw to cover it. Every bit of trash was picked up, including the debris of the shrubs, and then they were gone... with many, many thanks.