Durance Plumbing

The work was done beautifully, and in a manner to incur minimum cost. (A previous plumber had suggested replacing all my pipes -- not just the problematic section. Durance plumbing did only what was needed.) And the very kindly plumber really helped me out by tightening my garden hose connection, which I had been unable to do because of arthritis. Cleanup was perfect. He arrived as predicted, on the dot! All-in-all a great job by a very professional gentleman.

Everything went very, very well. Adam, who did the estimate (estimate was free) and his assistant arrived exactly on time at 7:30 and were done by 10:30. Adam very clearly explained what the process would be and where the new valve would be placed in the utility room. He is personable and polite. They took care to put drop cloths down and use protective shoe covers to keep my floors clean. The original estimate for the time to complete the job was 4 to 6 hours, but because the work went easier than expected, Adam reduced the price from $1,200 to $1,075! Who ever heard of a plumber charging less?! I am delighted with the service and with the work. My previous plumber recently stopped doing residential work, and this was the first time I used Durance. I will make them my plumber from now on.

Excellent. Very professional.

unknown

unknown

unknown

First off I think it's fair that I point out that I originally found Durance Plumbing
about a year ago on Angies list when I was looking to have a gas line
installed, and my experience was very good. Kirk came out to my place and
seemed to be quite the experienced plumber. He was detailed, attentive, and
very interested in how he can do the best job possible. He was also cheaper by
about $600.00 from the lowest priced competitor. I didn't have him complete the
job because he had to tear down some wood and I wasn't prepared to complete
that job after he installed the gas line.
Fast forward to 11/7/2014. I called Durance plumbing and left a message with my
contact information as the message instructs you to do. I left a message
explaining I was looking to have my water heater replaced as soon as he had an
opening in his schedule. I called back the next day and spoke to Kirk. He
sounded different that when I spoke to him a year ago, he seemed as if he were
annoyed I called. He advised me that he gets many calls daily and cannot keep
up with them and for me to let him know what I was trying to get done. I know
he's an older gentleman so I chalked it up as him having a bad day and just
being grouchy.
Kirk said he could have it done in a few days, but that he was old and would
have to have his partner do the job because his partner was younger (45) and
had an assistant to help him lug the water heater around. I had a bad feeling
about it, I wanted Kirk to do it but figured if he had a partner he would have
screened him to make sure he was the best candidate possible. He said his
partner would arrive around 10am on 11/7/2014, and his partner would install a
commercial grade 50 gallon water heater for a total of $900.00.
The day of installation his partner arrived at 930am. This was good because I
was going into work after the water heater was installed. His partner seemed
like a nice enough guy, but didn't seem to explain much. No big deal, I figure
as long as he does the job I'll be happy. He disconnects the water heater and
takes it outside to drain it. He heads out to get a water heater. No
explanation, not a word. So I ask him what kind of water heater he'll be
installing. He says the brand (I don't remember as it was not a common brand
name) and says it’s of decent quality. I advise him Kirk said it would be
commercial grade. He laughs and says commercial grade is for 80 gallons or
more. I start to wonder how a guy like Kirk with so much experience could get
that wrong (or did his partner get it wrong).
Anyway, when the partner gets back, he drags the water heater in with his
assistant. He moved as if he were in a rush and did not seem to take care in
what he was doing. He's dragging the water heater across the floor with no tact
at all, then suddenly I hear a snap, a boom, and there's water shooting all
over the place. He pushed one of the PVC pipes and it snapped. He NEVER shut
off the main water valve that was right next to the water heater. I'm no
plumber and whenever I do anything with water the first thing I do is shut off
the d*** water!!!!!!!!!
Then he turns to me and says you have old brittle pipes!!!!! They're 17yrs old,
and even when they are new they are not flexible (again plumbing 101). He never
took responsibility for the flooding and damage he caused. I told him to leave
that I had to go to work and I would call to reschedule the job. He rigged some
temporary contraption and told me to put a bucket under the lines because they
were leaking and he didn't know why. When I got home from work the storage bin
I used was 3/4 full. I thought about it and shut off the main valve (again
right next to where the water heater was) and it stopped leaking within a few
seconds (why didn't the plumber figure that one out.
Having had enough, I called kirk later that evening. I briefly explained what
happened and asked if he could come back and just get my piping back to how it
was before his partner caused the damage. He said in an annoyed tone that it
was Friday night and wanted to know what I wanted. I was shocked to say the
least. I replied that I wanted him to fix what his guy damaged. He sighed and
said he'll be there tomorrow. No sorry for the inconvenience, sorry we caused
some flooding, nothing. He ended the call with he'll come back and fix it
tomorrow if that's what you want. I hung up and to avoid arguing, I sent him a
text and explained I was disappointed in his service and how he never addressed
the damage done. I also said I would fix the issues myself and that I no longer
needed his services.
He did attempt to call me back but I didn't answer. My first call is where the
issue should have been resolved and not after insulting me. He also returned my
text and said he wished I would speak to him, and that he didn't know how
serious the situation was (did you listen to anything I said to you during the
first call). The worse part is nobody charges $900.00 to install a water
heater. He obviously charged me more so his partner could make money, and he
could still make a few bucks. If the service were top notch then I wouldn't
mind, but $900.00 for below average service?
I had to figure it out myself and it took me a whole day and about $60.00 to
get the pipes repaired and re-done the way they should have been done to begin
with. With a 5 star rating on one of the Internet rating services, and the A
rating on Angies List, you would think Durance is the go to guy for plumbing, I
would disagree. It looks like most of his ratings are from a while ago. You can
hire Durance, but what will he do for you when his guy breaks your sprinkler
and your whole house floods? One of the raters explained that Kirks partner did
something wrong and Kirk had to come fix it. Looks like it’s a pattern of
behavior with his partner, yet he still uses him. It’s your choice but don't say
you haven't been warned.

The experience was phenomenal. They're good and if they can't do it, they will refer you to somebody who can.

Kirk came highly rated by our neighbors, and we called because we had a broken faucet handle in one our sinks and a question about a toilet that was very noisy when the tank was filling after flushing. He was able to fit us in to his schedule quickly and was very prompt, professional, and a down-right nice guy. The repairs needed weren't extensive, and the pricing was very fair. I would definitely use him again and recommend him highly.

nor

We have used the services of Kirk at Durance Plumbing numerous times for a wide variety of jobs. Kirk has always been very professional and honest, and he scrupulously follows the applicable laws and standards. Kirk is highly experienced in communicating and working with the WSSC to resolve issues involving outdoor water and sewer lines.
Based on my knowledge, I would consider Kirk's prices to be comparable to the area average for non-emergency services. He will not rip you off -- the quote he gives you will be fair -- but you will probably find cheaper contractors if you look hard enough. Despite this, I would still hire Kirk for any jobs other than those which are the lowest-risk, as the quality of work from the cheapest contractors is unknown.

Went well. Kirk had to come back to wrap heat tape over the suimp pump pipes (his sub contractor failed to do it) but he followed through and completed the job to our satisfaction. his prices are fair and he can be relied upon to do a good job.

We are always happy with kirk's work and will continue to use him in the future for all our plumbing needs.

Kirk was on time, friendly, professional, fair and highly qualified. A plus!!.

Their price was phenomenal compared to some of the bigger names, bigger commercial establishments. Their responsiveness was great. The quality of work was professional. Those guys were awesome. They're a small company. I like that when I called them, anyone who is answering the phone, being a small company were personal to the job not just like calling a bigger company where they despatches a bunch of technician. There's a reasonable personal pride, personal initiative of the work and the project. I've used them multiple times and would use their services again in the future.

They are a good company. They did a pretty good job.

Durance Plumbing was completely professional at all times, honest, advised us on the best parts to use, but also gave us options in case we wanted something different. As an older house, there were some issues to be dealt with such as dated plumbing, and the utility sink required a sump pump since the sewer lines ran along the ceiling of the basement. We followed their advice on how to handle these issues, they did a great job, and 2.5 years later, everything continues to run perfectly, with no leaks or other problems. We were pleased that they were licensed to handle the gas line hook-ups in addition to the plumbing. They were also respectful of our home during all of the work, and the estimate was exactly what we paid. Very reasonable for all of the parts required, and time involved. We would definitely use them again.

Great - no complaints. He works quickly and accurately and was flexible with our scheduling, as we didn't know when we would get the new range delivered so he could install it. Everything has worked well.

They were professional and came on a weekend.

I have used them before and have always been very pleased with their work. They get done in an efficient manner and are most professional. I have also recommended them to a lot of friends and we will continue to use them.