Tucson,Oro Valley & Marana Real Estate etc. BLOG

My Polybutylene Plumbing Re-pipe Adventure with Baker Brothers Plumbing

Like many in this area I have a home built with polybutylene plumbing.   Being a Realtor this is a topic I also come across as clients weigh the possibility about purchasing a home.  It is probably the biggest topic for older homes as it is a very expensive fix.  For those unfamiliar with Polybutylene plumbing there is an abundance of information online.  My home is 24 years old so it is hard to complain about having a couple of plumbing leaks after all this time.  First leak was a year ago, luckily it was in the garage and was easy to get too and I was able to fix it myself.  Then this last November, I walked into the garage one night and I was welcomed with the smell of wet sheetrock.  Looking around for a few minutes I finally looked up and saw the wet spot in the ceiling of my garage. Cut out a section of sheetrock, found the leak.  My wife and I decided that since we have had two leaks in the last year and lucky both were in the garage and there was no property damage to furniture etc., it was time to bite the bullet and fork over the big bucks to have the entire house re-piped.  It is a very messy (as they have to cut holes in sheetrock throughout the house) and expensive job (7,000.00).

After a few inquiries and research, I decided to go with a local company, Baker Brothers Plumbing. They advertise quite a bit on television and several other Realtors referred them also.  Unfortunately after using Baker Brothers Plumbing, I will not be able to refer them to any friends or clients in the future.  I really had no problem with the bid price, though it was on the high side of competition, but for that I was expecting outstanding quality and customer service.  Overall they got the job done, however the quality of work was lacking in some areas and the customer service left a lot to be desired.  Twice, after they left for the day, I found some of their new work leaking, the one I was able to fix myself, the second I had to turn off the water main and was able to get it slowed enough so it was not necessary to call them back out for an emergency fix.  But still, they left my house for the day twice with their work leaking.  Also, during the project it was necessary for them to move my dishwasher in and out from under the kitchen cabinet numerous times.  On the second to the last day of the project I noticed a chip from my counter top on the floor.  Upon inspection it was obvious it was chipped right at the spot where the mounting bracket is.  When I pointed it out to one of the workers he offered to use some wood filler to stick the chip back on the countertop.  Knowing this would not be a very good long term fix I told him not to worry about it, deciding I would call Mike, the sales manager, and see how he wanted to handle it.

In addition, several days after all the work was done I noticed a couple other issues. I noticed in both upstairs bathrooms, they did not caulk around the trim plates on the shower water control valves.  This is basic plumbing that anyone knows and minimal cost and time involved from their stand point.  Also, when the drywall guy was spraying the texturing, behind the refrigerator he did not find the need to lay down plastic for overspray.  So when I moved the fridge to do the painting, imagine my surprise to see my tile and baseboard covered with texturing.  The drywaller did an excellent job blending in the patches in the rest of the house, but this was just annoying.  After spending $7,000.00 for my polybutelene repipe I should not have to come in after the fact and caulk showers and clean up texturing off of tile and baseboard and clean drywall dust out of bathroom cabinets where they were working!  As for my chipped countertop, I called Mike the sales manager to see how he wanted to handle it.  His response to me was that he checked with his crew, they all said they did not do it but that I did when I put the dishwasher back in myself.  Number one problem with this scenario is, I never put the dishwasher back in!  They would put it back in at the end of every work day that they had to pull it out.  But Mike said they all agreed that I was the one that chipped it.  Altogether I had seven different workers in my house over the course of this project; somehow they all knew that they didn’t do it and that I was the one that chipped the countertop. There was really no need for this "circle the wagons" mentality. There is no mystery to it; I know which worker put it back in the day it was chipped.  It was NOT a big deal, accidents happen.  But Mike didn’t even bother to ask what I knew about how/when it was chipped; he just stuck to the story that they all told him that I did it. The fact I never touched the dishwasher was a concept that somehow escaped him. The final cleanup also left a lot to be desired.  It was really special to watch one of the guys clean dry wall dust off of carpeting using a broom.  I guess even though they cut holes in drywall for a living they don't use shop vacs to clean up. (a few pics below).

There was also a frustration with the work days.  While some of the days they were all there for a full work day, one day when there were four workers there, they all left at 2:00. (I was told by Mike they would work till around 3:30).  Then the next day there was three workers that left at 2:00 again.  Worked from 9-2 with a lunch in between, always telling me they had to go to the parts store before they could do anymore.  Though it is very hard work, this is not rocket science.  Why was not a parts list generated off of the original bid.  Nothing changed about the project from day one, yet they continually had to make runs to the parts store.  Even on the last day of the project they had to make a parts run for more angle valves and supply lines.  The number of angle valves and supply lines needed never changed from the day the project was bid.  The real kicker was the second day of the drywall work, they left about 1 pm because, and you guessed it, they needed to go to the supply store to pick up drywall.  Imagine, needing drywall at a drywall project.  Overall, while their guys worked very hard, it is hard dirty work.  But they did not have too many full work days with all the trips to the parts store.  There was even one day when I was told the drywall guys would come and no one showed up at all.  I was then told they would start the next day.  Not a big deal, except it was another day I had planned away from work for no reason other than their poor communication.  There seems to be no appreciation for how much disruption this type of project is for a homeowner as well as arranging time away from work.

I come from a customer service background in the retail world prior to real estate.  I worked for some of the largest national chains known for their customer service.  I know at times, in spite of all the best laid plans things slip through the cracks and management always appreciates being made aware of any potential shortcomings.  Not the case at Baker Brothers Plumbing. I sent a letter to Elaine, the owner of Baker Brothers Plumbing, and six weeks later I have not heard from her.  So it is hard to criticize the help too much when the owner won’t respond to a customer’s concern either.

Unfortunately, for these reasons, Baker Brothers Plumbing is not a company I will refer any friends, family or clients to.

The above is a representation of my personal experience with Baker Brothers Plumbing, not that of Homesmart Advantage Group, HomeSmart or HomeSmart International.