McCullough Heating & Air Conditioning

Overall, we were quite pleased with the installation.

When we moved to our home last summer, we discovered one bedroom was very warm. Despite the fact our unit was set on 77, it climbed to 87 or higher in that room in the late afternoons when the outside temperature was in the 100's, and we could not feel any air coming into the room.  The a/c unit was running nonstop to try to keep up.

My salesman, Mark, spent about two hours at my home diagnosing the issues we were having, as well as very patiently answering my many questions.  He gave me options for replacing the units with new ones at different price points, and also outlined an option that would fix my issues with just some repairs to the existing units and duct work alterations.  We opted for the replacement and duct work fixes, as we plan to stay in our home for many years.

The installation crews were prompt, polite, clean and respectful of me and my property.

McCullough also guided me through the City of Austin's rebate programs, and did not ask for final payment until after my new systems had passed that final inspection and I was assured I would receive the promised rebates.  Unsolicited, the City of Austin inspector told me that the installation job was top notch.

After install, my new units work great and are saving me on my energy bills.  The "warm" bedroom has great airflow, and is as cool as the rest of the house.

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From my perspective ( a 'layman') they did a great job. The supervisor, Mark Hogan, was very, very good....responsive, knowledgeable, honest, etc. We had a unique situation (a 'hole' in ductwork in our interior wall) that they fixed. They also tightened up our ductwork in the attic. And the guys that actually did the work were great, too. Diligent and hard-working. And I felt absolutely no pressure to 'buy' something that didn't seem to be needed. Very trustworthy (and I've been working w/ service people for 30 + yrs).

The experience went very well.

I used an Angie's coupon for $50 discount as a new customer.  From the scheduling to the service, this was the best HVAC service provider I've used (since my next door neighbor, an HVAC contractor, moved away 10 years ago). The solution was one no other company had diagnosed, and was related to the original installation. It took a second visit by a senior technician, AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE, to determine the system's problem. The problem was corrected, and now the house warms up  in 15-20 minutes each morning. A great company.

When our central AC gave up the ghost, we decided to include weatherization in the project. Of the three bids we received, the one from McCullough was the most comprehensive with all of the work being done by their own people. This was important to us because we wanted to have just one person to deal with through the process. Mark Gatewood did a terrific job of walking us through all the steps to get the work done and pass the Energy Star inspection to qualify for the rebates. He even helped us identity the reason for the persistent crack in the drywall of our ceiling. Working in our very tight attic space, the McCullough crew painstakingly disassembled the old unit, replaced the ducts, installed the new system, and reinsulated the attic. The crew was prompt, fun to be around and did a good job of cleaning up after themselves. Our new system works very well. This is a great company to do business with.

I requested estimates from several companies rated highly on Angie's List for HVAC replacements and new attic insulation.  McCullough's estimates weren't the absolute cheapest, but they were competitive with all estimates offered.  The price difference was on the order of 3-5% compared to the lowest estimate that I received.

Where they really set themselves apart was in the detailed knowledge of the auditor, as well as the documentation and breakdown of the different HVAC system levels and the total cost before and after the various rebates were included.  The estimate included total list cost, manufacturer rebates, and energy efficiency rebates from city and federal programs for 3 different systems, plus the price and rebates associated with the insulation that I wanted to get installed at the same time.  The information was very clear, including what total payments would be made and approximate schedules for rebates to be returned.  My contact (Mark Gatewood) was very responsive to any questions I had and made an effort to follow up with me between the inspection and the work day and after the work was completed.

The day of the work there were two groups of workers involved - those doing the HVAC replacement and those doing the insulation (including weatherization).  Everyone was very professional and showed respect for the house and for my time.  All of the work was done in one day and the house was as clean at the end of it as when they began.

Overall, this was a really good experience (especially for a new homeowner) and I would highly recommend working with McCullough.

excellent

Job well done.

The company contact was quick to come and determine the best size system for my house. He (Mark Hogan) was very knowlegable and came back three times to explain the operation of the system and to check on the finished installation.

I received a quote from them after the representative spent a fair amount of time going over my system and spending time in my attic checking out the status of my ductwork and insulation. I received two  other quotes, but this company spent the most time and effort in understanding my needs and sizing the proper system. As it turns out they were also the lowest. Taking into account the City rebate and a manufactures rebate the system was really about $7500. It is a four ton Carrier Infinity system, This system has a variable speed motor which allows it to run a lower speeds when needed. This will save me power usage in the long run. It is also a very quiet system. The system was installed in one day by two very able technicians. We did encounter one bump in the road. On the third day we noticed some condensation. I call ed the company and they sent a technician right away. The coil was completely frozen suggesting the system lacked freon. We had to be without air conditioning for a night. It was not too bad. The next day we had a repairmen who discovered the problem with a defective part and it was repaired by the afternoon. No harm no foul. It has been working fine since then. 
We are awaiting word on the rebates. If that becomes an issue I will amend this report. 

I am very pleased so far and look forward to cool days inside my home in spite of this infernal heat.

I called in problem on Monday afternoon (between 2 & 3 PM- too late for their "same day" service) and made an appointment for noon on Tuesday.  I asked the dispatcher if they needed the make & model of the failed unit, but she said they didn't (and was a bit dismissive of my concerns that they have the required parts).

I took off work to meet the service tech- arriving early to wait... and wait I did.  I called the dispatcher about 2pm, and was told that the tech was running behind (understandable- A/C units were failing all over town in the heat).  She said that the tech would be calling when he was on the way. 

Almost 3 hours later- just when I was about to give up and call to cancel- the tech arrived (without the promised phone call).  He went right to work, promptly finding and repairing the problem.  The tech then went through a rote solicitation for their maintenance plan, took my payment and was on his way.

In the space above, I put the amount that I paid to McCullough, which included $75 for a service call and the remainder for the required part, labor & taxes (less their $20 coupon offer)- a little high for the 20 minute replacement of a $25 part, but not extremely out of line.  In addition, I had to use a couple of hundred dollars worth of leave time from work to sit and wait for the extremely late tech.  They get a "C" for punctuality only because they arrived the same day of the appointment. 

I put above that I'd use them again, but they probably won't be my first choice in the future unless they make serious improvements in their dispatching system.

Excellent job !

The plan costs approximately $150 per unit. Since I've started on the plan, McCullough has consistently come out to check on my units and make sure voltages, pressures and other indicators were within normal values. They've explained their findings well and answer my questions when I don't understand the technical explanation. I firmly believe the service has been saving me money by keeping our 10+ year old units running efficiently. The McCullough tech has always showed up on time. They work diligently and don't interrupt me (I work from my home office). The couple parts replacements I've needed were discounted by being a Maintenance Plan customer and that discount almost paid for the maintenance plan one year. No major complaints. Very nit-picky but on two occasions the tech was not careful about his walking path and left mud streaks across my carpet. It was cleaned up easily but I would rather not have to pull out the carpet cleaner for such a preventable mistake. I highly recommend McCullough to my friends and neighbors. They have provided excellent service to me as Gold Maintenance Plan customer.

My experience with McCullough from start to finish was extraordinary. This February, my 23-year-old HVAC system was in need of repair--again. I called McCullough based on Angie's List recommendations and phone calls to several local companies. The tech who did the repair mentioned their free energy efficiency analysis and the energy rebates that were about to expire. I'd had an energy audit done by another company several years ago, but they reported no issues--even though I had electric bills topping $200 in the summers for my 1,500 square-foot house. I decided to have McCullough do another analysis, which turned out to be not only the right thing to do, but also one of the best, most positive consumer decisions I've ever made. I had never had a new HVAC system installed and was a little overwhelmed by the options and the process, but my initial experience with McCullough's Comfort Advisor, Mark Hogan, is what sold me on McCullough. His expertise, integrity, and commitment to doing what's right for the customer are evident, and the end results confirm that his assessment and recommendations were right on target. Mark conducted the initial energy efficiency analysis and coordinated the HVAC and insulation installation and the city's energy pre- and post-installation audits, keeping me updated throughout the project. He spent hours meticulously analyzing my entire house, patiently answering all my questions, and clearly explaining the remediation needed, the available rebates and tax credits, and the financing options. In spite of his extremely packed schedule, he even offered to meet me at my job the day I placed the work order so we could finalize the rebate paperwork in time for me to qualify. He also made time to be on site for the pre- and post-installation audits and to check on the furnace/AC installation. He checked in with the crew by phone when he had obligations elsewhere to help troubleshoot complications with the furnace installation and pressure testing. He also worked with a McCullough manager to authorize overtime for the crew to complete the duct repair work, which ended up taking two extra days--yet at the same cost that I had originally been quoted. Finally, while inspecting the attic during the post-installation audit, he and the city auditor discovered that the flue venting carbon monoxide from my gas water heater through the attic had been dislodged--probably years ago during a roofing job, but undetected until now. Mark made sure that the flue was securely reconnected before proceeding with the audit, very likely safeguarding my family's health, if not our lives. We are so grateful to him for this. The furnace and A/C installation team, Eric and Derek, spent an entire day replacing my old AC unit and wrestling my huge, disgusting old furnace out and my new furnace into some pretty tight quarters--but I heard not a word of aggravation or complaint. Eric returned later to re-size the return air vent and do some final adjustments on the installation, including replacing woodwork that had been chipped in the process. They were skillful and professional. The ventilation/insulation team, Brian and Chad, were incredible. They worked overtime for three and a half days, barely stopping for lunch, to install weatherstripping and new ducts and vents in my converted garage, and new insulation throughout the attic. Before installing the insulation, they ran repeated pressure tests on the ductwork, which kept coming out four times above the allowable maximum. Brian re-checked every inch of the ductwork in the attic until he discovered a massive leak hidden by old wrapped insulation that not only would have tanked the post-installation audit, but also has been wasting an unthinkable amount of energy and money for years. (He was able to drop the test numbers from over 400 to 83.) His determination to do whatever it took to solve the problem was exceptional. And again, although the task was exhausting and frustrating, I heard not one word or even a tone of aggravation or complaint. Brian and Chad are a positive, professional, problem-solving machine. They even stayed late to install the correct furnace flue and test the furnace so I could run it that weekend. I have been badly burned by contractors in the past (before discovering Angie's List), and I was truly astonished by the expertise, positive attitude, and genuine commitment to customer service I found in each of the McCullough staff I met, consistently going well above and beyond my expectations. I feel as if I've got extended family looking out for me and my home and family. They've earned a customer for life.

We had called them for a second opinion as we had the owner's warranty. We have a contract with them to come out for heating and air-conditioning. They are great. We have been using them for many years. Different people come out each time, but they have always been very professional.

My heating unit quit working overnight. It was pretty clear that the problem was a burned out pilot unit. They answered the call before 8 AM on a Sunday morning. The technician (Erik) called within 20 minutes and arrived about 30 minutes later. He diagnosed the problem immediately, did the work efficiently, and made sure everything was working before he left. The service experinece was excellent overall. The price was not. My bill, with the Angie's list $20 off coupon was $244. The breakdown was $65 for the service call, $49 for the part, and $150 for after hours labor. OK - I can deal with the part charge, and an extra charge for coming on a Sunday morning is fair too... but it seems excessive to charge the $150 on top of the $65 service charge. That charge would keep me from using the company again or from recommending (without a warning to check on this first). If money was no object, I'd be happy to use the company again.

They charged me $200 to do a leak test and check my evaporator coil in the attic for my heating and air conditioning unit. They were going to replace the whole thing and it was going to cost me. It was out of warranty. They told me that they would have to customize a cabinet for the new part that was available and it would cost me $1500. I called the manufacturer and found out that all that they said was wrong; that it was under warranty and the part was available. I wouldn?t have to replace the cabinet. I found out that these guys were just looking for more work that wasn?t needed. When they did my leak test, they left the ducts in a state where they were leaking into the attic. They had left the cabinet unlocked. The guy didn?t find the real problem and he misidentified it as a different problem which would have had me spending a lot of money. I would suggest that you do not use this company. They showed up on time, though. I will not use this company again in the future.

We hired McCullough for attic insulation, sealing and solar screens. The "B" grades on this work partly reflect displeasure about the high prices and process that Austin city government is subsidizing through its energy rebate program. We had several bids and saw these common to all providers.Pre-sales: The City's rebate program pays you more to have everything done by the same contractor. McCullough was on the high end, but everyone charged more than what's reasonable. They proposed to install enough attic insulation to almost bury our attic ducts (R-38). $1900 is too much for this work, which took less than 3 hours, and wouldn't be cost-effective if not for the local rebates. Similarly, $700 is a lot for quick-hit recaulking under sinks, door weatherstripping and sealing around vents. Installation: (1) The attic insulation had no issues. They said they blew in 35 bags of fiberglass. The estimate had specified 25. In other words, they filled it to the depth necessary. Perhaps the price I paid wasn't that unreasonable. (2) The work on the ground floor was a different story, pardon the pun. We had just installed a new pre-hung door that already had weatherstripping around the frame. It didn't seem to interfere with the stripping they place closer to the door. They ripped it out anyway, leaving bare wood exposed and caulk smudged on the sill and door. The door didn't close properly and I had to call them back to fix it. (3) The sealing work seemed to be cursory. My complaint, however, is about the lack of testing. The City requires a house envelope leakage factor below 10% AFTER the work is done. However, the rules don't require the same test run before they start! Thus, you can't tell whether the work made much difference at all. (4) The solar screens are nice; they block out sun but don't make the room too dark. Yet they're just mesh and frames without matching hardware; all they had to attach them was a thumbscrew and nut combination that would have required drilling holes in our 1960's-era aluminum windows. We declined to have them secured. We'll have to live with duct tape until we can figure out a way ourselves. Post-install: Mark Hogan at McCullough was our contact and was a true professional. Although we had problems, he took care of all of them promptly. He attended the city inspection and made sure they signed off. Advice: Anyone considering blown-in insulation should go look at a home before ordering. I had only viewed pictures and thought it would be like pellets. It's much softer and delicate, like cotton candy. You can't step on it or compress it in any way without matting it down and destroying the fluffy insulating qualities. You're not going to be walking freely around your attic after they finish. Have any electrical and network re-wiring done before the insulation work.

Pre-sales: McCullough was not the low bidder out of the 3 companies we interviewed. The difference was less than $300 between the low and high bids. We went with McCullough because their salesperson Mark Hogan was the most thorough. He detailed the air conditioning work they would perform, including fuse box and replacement of our old copper liquid line pipe, which was too narrow. I also had more confidence that they would be able to service our unit (they sell Carrier, and guarantee response time). Their labor warranty is 5 years -- not as long as Trane (10 years), but we preferred to have a scroll compressor instead of a reciprocating one. Installation: The installers arrived on time and did their work in about 6 hours, without incident. We haven't had any problems with the A/C in the six weeks since then. Post-install: McCullough registered the warranty with Carrier for us. (This step is very important -- if you don't register within 30 days with most manufacturers, you lose some years off your warranty.) We had the full energy audit and attic insulation done with McCullough as well. Mark also handled the scheduling with the City of Austin for their inspection and energy rebates. Advice: My only bit of buyer's remorse is that we chose the standard single-stage model (3 tons). It's ample to cool our 1700 square foot home, but therein lies the problem. The unit is so efficient compared to our old one that it doesn't have to run for long. In Austin's high humidity, it might have been better to spend the extra $900 and get their top-of-the-line Carrier unit. It has a DC motor and is supposed to run longer at some kind of lower, variable speed.

Mark showed up promptly and got to work servicing the unit both inside and out. After cleaning the outside coils, Mark got to work cleaning the inside coils which probably had never been cleaned. He finished up by checking out the drain line and the unit is definitely performing much better. You pay for what you get in most trades, and in this case they are a bit more expensive.

They seemed to be very good and professional. I was very happy with them. I would use them again.

They were very professional and responsive. After installation I had one issue with a preexisting thermostat wire and the fixed it the next day. Highly recommended.

The experience was fine, but it would have been better if it wasn't so expensive. Next time, I'll make sure that the service fee is waived if repairs are completed, before I schedule a visit. I don't think the work he did should have cost over $100.