Plumbing Overhaul - waste and supply lines
While insulating the crawlspace, I discovered my cast iron sewage pipes needed repair - each of the joints connecting the pipes together was leaking onto the concrete floor. I contacted various plumbers in the area - one (who is a very large local plumbing firm) was ridiculously overpriced and used hard selling tactics in order to try to get the sale, one was too busy to do a free physical estimate since I was too far away (nice fellow however who spent a lot of time over the phone with me), and Chris who owns Rite-Flow. Chris came as a recommendation from one of my associates who happens to work for a local developer.
Chris provided a fair estimate on the work as well as being truthful on how long the work would take. I ended up getting a quote to replace the existing cast iron with ABS as it was the most reasonable solution. Since my house is 40 years old and the old copper piping was starting to show it's age, I asked him for another estimate to replace the major water runs and install a new manifold system to pressure balance the water supply. Once again, Chris provided a very fair estimate on the work which was very reasonable in comparison to the initial quote as well.
The first day of work consisted of replacing the cast iron sewage pipe. Unfortunately, the sewage pipe was in a crawlspace and it was a very warm day. Chris and his helper arrived on time and went right to work. They worked and they worked in the warm tight crawlspace and would not leave until the job was done.
The second day of work consisted of replacing the copper piping along the major runs with PEX. Once again, they arrived on time, put in long hours and did MORE than what was expected.
At the end of the job, Chris delivered more than what he was hired to do and didn't charge any more for it. He worked longer and harder than he thought it would take but he didn't complain nor charge any more for it. Chris even impressed my mother with his attention to detail, his hard work ethic, and his politeness. If you want a plumber who is honest as the day is long, Chris is that plumber.
Be forewarned that Rite-flow Plumbing does mainly renovations and new construction so he might not be able to come out to clear a clog.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $4,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- - Advertise more on the job site - a quick lawn sign or a sign on the car will tell the neighbours what they might want to know - include old material removal in the initial quote
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- - Get multiple quotes - don't necessarily go with the largest firm - do your research on what you want to do - be home when the contractor comes in to do the work - don't be afraid to insist on using the most modern techniques