Mackies Plumbing

We hired Bill to complete a full plumbing upgrade and rework for our basement renovation project. His guys were often delayed due to other emergencies and did not seem to understand the job they were supposed to do when on site. Due to this some items of our project had to be reworked at our expense. After the project was complete we noticed water in our basement - which was completely underpinned and waterproofed by another company. It became apparent this was a slow leak in the indoor plumbing completed by Bill that had been going on for months. We now have damage to our new flooring, black mold and have to deconstruct and rebuild parts of the basement. Bill initially sent his plumbers out but concluded it was not the plumbing - it 100% is we have now isolated it, he has not acknowledged his error, and is now not returning calls or texts or e-mails. We have heard he is planning on moving to the UK - do not hire this company.

I'm a general contractor and got a quote from mackie,s plumbing for all
rough-in and finish plumbing for a new home i was building.He recieved
a 40% deposit and did a minimal amount of work re underground drains
($1500 would be a gererous estimate)and when requested to return to do
more work as per contract he refused to do so and informed me via text
that he was no longer interested in doing further work and would not be
returning.This cost our company a great deal of expence and inconvience.
This is a company that should be avoided at all costs.The sooner he is out of business the better

We needed a new sewer line due to tree roots. Bill's team replaced most of the line but came short of the city connection by 18" so there was still a section with roots left on our side (as confirmed by the city and two large plumbing companies). I hired another company to finish the job for another $2000 as Bill refused to come back and fix his mistake (I had paid him already). He said he would only return if I hired him to do more work. In addition to not properly replacing the sewer line as he was hired to do, Bill's digger broke our steps and his sloppy staff thought it was acceptable to spread the excess sandy soil all over our entire front yard (like a child spreads vegetables on their plate to fool a parent). I have honestly never seen a job go so wrong - these things happen but they are fixable and I could have been a client that gave Bill an 8 out of 10 but the true test of a contractor is whether they are willing to make it right and Bill was unwilling to fix his mistake. In the photo, they dug a 3x8ft hole in front of the bench, this is how they re-landscaped when they were done.

After getting a new kitchen installed I needed my beautiful farmer's apron sink connected, the dishwasher hooked up and a few other projects in the house looked after. Bill & his team were on the mark and on the money. He is now our go-to guy for great service and reliable advice. His plumber wouldn't install the faucet until the counter people corrected the drilled hole by 1/16" because he said there would be future issues with rocking and we wouldn't be happy. I love the degree of efficiency they use.

Project: We are doing a major renovation to our house and needed to move the stack and also wanted to take advantage of this to put in a bathroom in the basement as well as redo the old clay drains (including a back flow valve) and lead water supply. I want to do the interior plumbing myself.

Right from the beginning this company impressed me which is rather hard to do b/c I’m a project manager (not in construction) and a bit of a jack of all trades – meaning I have high expectations.

From my first call, Dorothy was very polite and helpful. She even contacted me when she didn’t receive the plans I promised to email her – apparently I mis-typed the address.

Then Bill (owner) got involved and was very good at communication and very organized. Not only did he show up at exactly the time he said he would (something that seems hard for so many trades to do) he called beforehand just to make sure it was still convenient for me. He listened to my needs and was very flexible in deciding scope of the project (what he would do and what I would do). He gave me his plan and price very quickly as he promised. His quotes/invoicing is done online – something I like and shows how organized and serious he is.

I had various questions about the quote and he quickly and clearly answered my questions. When I finally accepted his quote on a late Saturday night, I was quite surprised to get a call from him Sunday asking if he could start Monday morning.

Bill’s team was equally impressive. I had 4 guys involved besides Bill and the project lasted 2 weeks. The guys were all young but very hard workers, friendly and very polite (something my wife was super impressed with). We never were concerned about having them in our house and they were very respectful and clean. I couldn’t help asking them their opinion of their boss (sorry Bill) and they had nothing but good things to say about him which is huge in my opinion! The guys were also very patient with me b/c I wanted to understand what they were doing and learn a bit more. They (and Bill) would give me advice on the plumbing that I was going to do myself.

Bill managed the project and his team very well (remember I’m a Project Manager so this is a big compliment). He communicated very well with me and set my expectations well – and delivered on them! Different guys have different skills and they were going between projects depending on the stage. I never felt like I had to worry about the quality or if this project would drag on. Bill was onsite many times to check in with the team and me. And when plumbing emergencies came up elsewhere and members had to attend, the rest of the team would simply refocus on other tasks to keep the project moving ahead – very flexible and organized. Because my project was not at all an emergency I have no problem with resources leaving to help someone in dire need – after all, I would expect that service if I needed it too!

Bill and team did a professional job and came in on budget and time. I trust the whole team and know that Bill stands behind their work. I would recommend him to my family, friends and … you!