Herndon/Muncey Inc

I would never recommend the services of Herndon Muncey Investigative Plumbing to anyone who needs plumbing work. Their communication and transparency throughout the job that is *still* incomplete almost two months later has been abysmal. Getting updates, timelines, any kind of commitment, and any news at all has been like pulling teeth. On top of that, the lack of care and empathy regarding the repeated delays that have resulted in our family having no sewer connection for nearly a month has astounded me. And this is *after* a plan to solve the issue was determined. I understand weather delays and logistical hurdles. But when said weather and hurdles have finally been worked out, it feels like there is never a sense of urgency to get the job done—that they don’t see the people whose lives are being affected by this at the other end. We finally cancelled our job with them and they seemed neither surprised or sorry. I suppose an easy and clean break is all we can ask for and the only good that has come from this job. I cannot speak to the quality of their work—mostly because I have been able to see or experience very little of it other than the gaping hole in our backyard.

I had a leak that appeared to be coming from underneath my slab.  After wasting time trying to find the leak myself and wasting time with the home warranty company, I found Herndon/Muncey on Angie's List.  I was looking for a company experienced in finding the location of the leaks.  The gentleman I spoke with on the phone was very upfront with the cost of the leak detection service so there weren't any hidden costs which are very much appreciated.  This company is awesome.  They two technicians were punctual, knowledgeable and polite.  They found the leak in about 10 min.  They repaired the leak and filled in the hole they had dug so well you couldn't even tell they had been there.  I am very pleased with their service and would use them again.

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They were excellent. They kept us informed about the tunneling, findings, etc. They gave us photos confirming the leaks.
They kept the job sight very neat. They were quiet, (no music, etc.). I have never had such a great experience with a plumbing company. The city inspector even wrote on inspection report that it was a very good job.

My home was built in 1965 and I had a cast iron pipe break under the slab. My Home Owners insurance sent Herndon Muncey to perform the leak detection. The located all sewer lines, identified the primary leak, and also identified a smaller leak which i wasn't aware of, and another area where the pipe was sagging. Other plumbers that were sent by my Home Warrantly Company did not do a detailed inspection and were ready to break the slab in the middle of my house to fix just the major break, had i gone that route I would have spend a lot of money now, weakening my foundation, and would have to do a complete re-pipe anyway soon. If you have an under-slab leak, get a complete test done to decide whether to do a partial fix or complete re-pipe.
The guys that came to do the leak detection were extremely knowledgeable and did a great job mapping all pipes and explaining to me what the issues were.
Herdnon/Muncey also submitted a bid for the job. I added on a master bath remodeling project which included a toilet drain move and fresh water repipe in the walls, tub and shower installation, move one lavatory, add second lavatory. They did all the plumbing, and fixture setting, tunneling, sewer line installation. They did not do the bathroom walls tear down and rebuilding.
All works was properly permitted through the city and inspected.
They were very professional and stood firm by the estimate they gave me. They do subcontract the plumbing and tunneling work to other companies that works with them all the time. There are very few tunneling companies in Houston and everyone pretty much uses three or four different crews from what I understood.
Herndon / Muncey's pricing is very competitive - I had two other reputable companies come out, one quoted about 25000, the other 52000 which was ridiculously overpriced. Both were rated A on Angie's list, but one is a total rip-off...so ratings alone don't mean much unless they are comparative - most folks hire one company and review them in isolation, I am glad I did my research.
There is no justification for double the cost.
If you need under slab plumbing, call them and make sure they are one of the bidders on your project!

My insurance carrier hired Herndon/Muncey to investigate a leak under our master bathroom. Herndon Muncey scheduled the appointment and carried out the tests on my home in less than a week. The workmen were professional, patient and knowledgeable. Not only did they find a leak in the master bathroom, but in the kitchen and in the utility room. Herndon/Muncey scheduled and carried out the work (a total re-route of the bathroom, kitchen and utility room plumbing) less than a week after the insurance claim settled.
The work was completed over a four day period (one day to dig, day and a half to plumb, half day for city inspection, one day to backfill, and a couple hours to drywall). The landscape will need time to recover, but Herndon/Muncey did a great job making the yard look as well as possible given the magnitude of work.
Jim Poage, my Herndon/Muncey contact worked tirelessly to keep me in the loop about what was happening and what was going to happen at my home. He made me feel comfortable in a situation that could have been extraordinarily uncomfortable.
I don't have experience with pricing for plumbing work; although another plumbing company bid $3,000 more to do the same work. In other words, I found Herndon/Muncey to do exceptional work at a 1/3rd of the cost of other companies.

We had used a very well know leak detection company back in December to do the same test. They sent out one young guy and a helper. It was a disaster! He couldn't find the drain plug, which was 18and quot; away from where we were standing. Then, he removed a commode and couldn't reattach it!! Even though he couldn't tell us if we had any leaks, he concluded that we needed to replace our under slab plumbing...for approximately $21,000!! He was really pushy about using them and getting it done right away.
Herndon-Muncey sent a team of three plumbers. They were clean, quick, and knew what they were doing. All I did was stay out of the way. I teased them that if they removed a commode I wouldn't let them leave before it was back in place. They got a good laugh out of that, since they were to remove all three commodes! All three were back in place and working perfectly when they left. They found seven leaks and were able to tell me exactly where each leak was located before they left.
We got a very detailed report via e-mail outlining where each leak was located and concluding with an estimate to replace the under slab plumbing. We are looking at competitors for other bids just to make sure we get the best deal we can. There was absolutely no pressure to use them for the replacement project.
In summary, we got more than we paid for with Herndon-Muncey. They were not cheap, but they did a great job for us! Use them without hesitation.

We had a structural engineer come out due to a lot of cracks over doorways and along ceiling joints, plus doors not closing over the last 2 years in Houston. There are a lot of neighborhoods in and around our area that have foundation problems due to the droughts. We found we did not have any slab problems however he recommended getting Root Barriers plus a Pressure test to check the plumbing for underground leaks. He gave a couple of names so we checked Angie's list and found Herndon/Muncey Inc. which had very good reviews. The representatives from H/M arrived on time, were very professional and did their test. We received an online report (no leaks!) very soon afterward. H/M alleviated a lot of stress for us and eliminated a big potential problem - and quot;no under foundation leak repairand quot;!!! We recommend H/M - money well spent.

This is a review for Church Services, ARS Rescue Rooter, and Herndon Muncey Plumbing. The short story is that Church Services saved us a lot of money and did a good job. We called ARS about an overflowing toilet. When the plumber arrived he dismounted our toilet and called his supervisor who decided to put a camera down the sewer to check it out. He jerked the cable so violently that he got the camera stuck backwards in the sewer and then broke the camera cable leaving the camera in the sewer pipe. He commented that it would cost an additional $10,000. He quoted us $26,000 and said they would start the next morning. ARS was not sure how to handle one of the drains in the back of the house but thought they would use some of the existing piping for that. I called Travelers insurance and they said they would send an investigator. I stopped ARS and called Church Services who bid less than $15,000 for a straightforward complete reroute. Both Church and ARS said the entire sewer system should be replaced all the way to the street. Travelers sent Herndon Muncey who fished out the camera and proposed a complex job to replace only the plumbing the insurance company was obligated for and we would abandon a washer drain that we are not currently using but contemplate using in the future. Herndon Muncey’s proposal would cost less but leave us with a complex mix of old and new plumbing. Herndon Muncey’s contract also indicated that the price quoted was not a firm price. If they discovered something their estimator had not contemplated we would have to pay whatever they wanted for the extra work. We chose Church Services and Travelers agreed. Church Services did the job at the proposed price in the time they estimated. They were careful to make as little mess as possible and cleaned up well. The job has been finished for more than a month and it looks like the lawn, flower beds, and patio where they had to dig their tunnels and trenches are recovering well. We have recommended John Nieman at Church Services to our friends for sewer reroutes. The crew does not speak English so deal with John.

They were prompt, showed up on time and explained what they were doing. They seemed very knowledgeable and sent a summary of the work which confirmed they found no leaks a few days after the appointment.
They did have to come back for a leak and to replace a wax seal following the work.

Three gentlemen came out to perform the test which consisted of running a camera through the system to check and map out system and locate clean out. They removed the most remote toilet, set a plug in at the clean out and filled system with water to test for leaks. Once complete, replaced toilet (new ring and grout) and cleaned up the work area. Foreman was very through in checking that everything was done and cleaned up. A map of the system was provided. Very professional tradesmen and were very patient in explaining everything.

He was very polite. They told us the job was too small and they wouldn't come out becuase they did not do that kind of work.

As part of an investigation of foundation issues, our engineer recommended we hire Herndon/Muncey to perform a leak test. Three folks from H/M came out to perform the work. They were quick, courteous, and very professional. When one accidentally tracked mud into the entry way, another quickly cleaned it up and advised his co worker to check his boots.

I mentioned that I had forgot our kids had clogged the upstairs toilet the night before, and one of the plumbers quickly ran out to the van and augured the toilet at no charge. He also looked into another issue with the water flow of the toilet and attempted to fix it. All at no cost and without me asking. Because the fix to the toilet was going to require more work (disconnecting the water supply), he advised me of next steps so I could take care of it myself later.

The written report from the leak test was professionally prepared and returned via e-mail promptly (less than 24 hours).

Overall, quite satisfied.

They came back and redid a job that had failed. They did it at no cost to me. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to deal with. The job itself was messy but it was free. The owners and people in the office were very responsive. They are very good at what they do.

Very happy with all aspects...would definitely recommend them.

The persons performing the actual test were punctual, efficient, knowledgeable and pleasant to work with. The test was performed well and they explained the faults and weaknesses. They repaired a leak on the property of their own volition and at no cost. We had a slight wait on the report, but not too major. I think they were just quite busy. Positive experience, and we wil have them come in again once we get the foundation on the house adjusted.

I like them very much. They are expensive but they do good work. The quality and professionalism were excellent. They were responsive. I've had two companies do it and they were worth the extra money to have it done right. They did two jobs and one I paid for and the other was insurance work. The insurance one was in the $10,000 range.

We suspected a possible foundation problem because of tell-tale signs--doors sticking, small cracks in sheetrock and brick. We called one engineer who did his measurements and told us we did not have any foundation problems but probably needed to put up a root barrier around two very large ash trees in our front yard to prevent any future problems. One foundation company told us the same--that we really didn't have any serious foundation problems at this time. However, due to the age of our home (40 years), we called Herndon-Muncey to do a plumbing inspection to rule out any problems with our cast iron pipes. Tom Muncey set up the appointment within a couple of days of our initial call. The plumbers were on-time and very professional, taking care not to track in any dirt, taking off their shoes at the entry and working as unobtrusively as possible as an elderly parent lives in our home. They kept me informed each step of the process. The first part of the inspection was to determine if there were any leaks ($350). To locate specifically where those leaks were added another couple of hours to the job + $250. Upon completion, they cleaned up in each of their work areas. Following the inspection, Mr. Muncey e-mailed me a detailed report of the inspection and an estimate of what it would take to replace the cast iron plumbing lines, dig the trenches, tunnel and backfill under the foundation, debris removal and cleanup. We were very satisfied with the work of the plumbers and their thorough inspection and the written report Herndon-Muncey provided us. However, in the end, we decided to work with a foundation company that was able to do the plumbing and the interior and exterior foundation work.

This company specializes in broken drain pipes and we can see why. Their work was exceptional from start to finish. They came promptly each day to work and cleaned up their mess. They knew exactly what to do, had all the right equipment and did very little damage to my driveway. The yard was torn up due to new installation of drain pipes but they were very good at filling in the trenches and re-spreading the dirt. Other companies wanted to cut through my driveway and bust up my patio. They had the right tools so all they had to do was bust out a small piece of my driveway and tunnel under it. We were very pleased with their work and would highly recommend them to anyone that has broken drain pipes under their foundation. Their price also beat everyone else by $4,000 and their work was so good.

We had to wait about 6 to 8 weeks for the crew to be available and they were still about 1 week behind that but we were told that from the beginning. The job took about two weeks in total, including getting the permits, which they did. The crew was extremely courteous and went to great lengths to make sure we had running water in some aspect every night, knowing that I had children home. We were never left stranded without water or at least one working toilet for very long. When the plumbing was complete, Herndon-Muncey hired another company to come in and concrete our driveway and sidewalk. All messes were cleaned and everything is working great!