We have been using window AC units in our home for many years. After losing some old shade trees I decided that installing larger window units would add too much noise for comfortable sleeping at night. I contacted American Vintage Home for quotation and can only say that my experience with them from beginning to end has left me more than impressed. They epitomize what a good company should be all about. Scott, our salesman was very thorough and took care to listen to what I had in mind. He did an excellent job of gathering the details and in reacting to my various questions. More importantly he accurately communicated our needs to management. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a personal phone call from this company's owner following Scott's visit to further discuss the various options and considerations. He is truly dedicated to giving his customer the best choices and it was quite satisfying to deal with someone who is truly passionate about his work. When undertaking a large expense such as ours--i.e. installing a complete upstairs cooling system where none existed I feel that it is extremely important to take the time up front to consider all of the options and costs. American Vintage ended up supplying four choices at various price points. No other competitive quote was as thorough. Some were less than a page! Prices are very fair for what they do. Not the highest, not the lowest. I chose a split ducked ductless system from Mistubishi. Although a bit more expensive than other choices it is very efficient and when installed properly, almost completely silent. I am amazed that when you put this system in auto cooling mode you barley know its running. A major part of this result was American Vintage Home's careful design and installation of the system, especially the ductwork. I have heard other systems in friends homes that were relatively noisy and some even whistled. Not good for sleeping at night. They reacted to this perfectly for us with their installation plan. Greg Rozowicz, Dispatcher, did a good good job scheduling the installation around an upcoming business trip to Europe. Dimitri, their Installation Manager and Roberto arrived on time and after review together for the choices for locating the air registers, condenser, line set, etc.and other details he left and Roberto took over. All I can say about Roberto and crew is that he is one of the best. Always on time, courteous, and highly skilled. His installation was literally white glove. Very careful to protect our possessions and excellent worksmanship. He is a very hard worker yet still manages to take time as opportunity allows to chat. You feel quite at home with him. He and his crew worked very hard for four days and finished the installation on time as promised. I was quite relived since I had to leave for Europe only 18 hours later. Upon my return I had some questions for the wireless thermostat which Greg conveyed to Dimitri who then sent detailed instructions immediately for resolving my questions. About three weeks after the installation was complete Dimitri made a dedicated visit to personally inspect the installation, make some final adjustments which I desired and made a point to learn if I had any other questions or concerns. The system has run perfectly ever since. The weather is now turning quite warm and humid and I am smiling at the great choice I made to choose Americian Vintage Home for this work. You really couldn't make a better choice in my opinion. read more

If you are considering replacing your A/C system in your home, YOU MUST READ THIS. I am unashamedly very particular and detail-oriented (drives my wife and most people crazy). Thankfully my wife loves me. But getting to the heart of the matter, I considered four proposals before choosing AVH. The three proposals aside from AVH were very similar: Same price, simple removal and replacement of major components, and all this in one day. It seemed attractive to me, since I just basically wanted a new system that worked, and did not break the bank. The proposal from AVH was costlier (by about 30%), and the job was projected to take 3 or 4 days. Thanks to owner JR, who is very knowledgeable, patient, and responsive, I decided to entrust my home to their expertise. None of the other companies measured or considered the size of each room; nobody else considered the efficiency of balancing the system to get more air out of the unit by adding additional ducts (which reduces noise); and nobody else considered replacing the main supply trunk despite my inquiries. Let me say more about replacing the supply trunk. YOU NEED TO DO THIS. I gave JR more than a little grief about the need for this considering the additional cost, but I am absolutely delighted I gave in. Once the technicians removed the old supply trunk, I was aghast at how dirty and moldy it was inside. JR knows his business, but if I were him I do not think I would do a job unless the customer decided to replace the supply trunk. In hindsight, I would not have it any other way, and the additional cost is a tremendous value. I could say much more, but let me move on to the team of replacement technicians. They are the BEST. Hayder was the team leader, and he was extremely patient with my concerns and questions. He addressed everything, and his attention to detail pleased me beyond measure. He was delightful and very easy to work with. Correspondingly his support staff was all efficient and hardworking, but I must particularly mention Dominic. He was especially hard working, eager, and truly engaged in his work with excellence. AVH needs to hold on to this young man. The system in my home was replaced and performs flawlessly. I said I was extremely particular, and our home is 100% shoeless. If you are like me you will put additional canvas tarps around your home (cheap investment from Home Depot), as you can never have enough. Despite my obsession for cleanliness, AVH placed their tarps on top of mine and everything went extremely well. The overall job was completed with excellence, and I truly believe I received the best value possible. Further, the warranty on my system is significantly lengthened simply due to AVH's expertise. You will not get this with another company. If you want to hear more from me, ask AVH to connect us. I will be delighted to tell you as much as you want to know. read more

Edit: Since the review they reached out and corrected bill in a fair way. I did not have to pay for the service that did not resolve the problem. The final bill is 1200. ----------------- I had standing water on one of my exterior downspouts that was not draining properly. I wanted this to cleared before it got frozen and cause further damage. Our home is new construction built from scratch in 2018 from a highly reputable builder. I found American Vintage Home through a web search. Upon seeing that they were local to Evanston and claimed on their website "No Surprise pricing," it seemed like a win. They have a $99 "Unclog and Restore Flow to any drain" coupon on their website. I had called, verified that we're able to apply the coupon, and scheduled an appointment for the following day 1/12/2024. Their plumber, they came out and was not able to unclog the exterior drain pipe. He then proceeded to sell me the Rodder Service to unclog it. This service was billed at $720. The Rodder Service was also unsuccessful. He had to call the office. American Vintage Home then said it needed to camera the gutter lines and jet the down spouts. The next day, Saturday (1/13) another technician came out to camera and water jet the lines. This tech said that rodding wouldn't have resolved it. Water jetting the lines did resolve the issue. We paid $720, and they happily collected it without having resolved the problem yet. Later, they convinced me that the issue would only be resolved with "Jetting the down spouts", which is a $1,200 job. We argued hard to get a full discount for the $720 service, but they only gave a $250 discount. I am leaving the two star review due to the UP SELLING OF UNNECESSARY SERVICES AND VAGUENESS OF THIS ENTIRE PROCESS. American Vintage Home claims to have "No Surprise Pricing" which they will in fact surprise you with it after they have sold you unnecessary and costly steps to aide in solving your plumbing problems. Their prices are also 50% higher than our local plumbers. It makes me regret falling victim to their bait "$99 coupon" and not just calling our own reliable plumber we have been using. The core problem with their business model is that they are not really interested in solving your problem; they are interested it selling you "services" which they call "jobs" until your problem is solved. If "job A" does not work for you, your money is wasted. Other plumbers would instead work by the hour until they solve your problem. Our total bill breakdown from American Vintage Home $470 Rodding $1200 Water jetting read more

We called American Vintage to help us diagnose an issue with our water heater. When I first called in, I spoke with a sales rep that laid out what sounded like a pretty sound offer: it would be $120 for them to make a site visit and diagnose the issue, and then they would provide us with an estimate to fix the problem. If we decided to use them to fix it, the $120 would be applied toward the repair cost. The sales rep also said that the tech would have all the parts needed in his van in case we'd like a same-day repair (and he made this claim despite declining make/model information on the unit, which should have been my first warning). Sounded great so we booked an appointment. First, and this is just odd, but the company seems to be operating on PST (despite being based in Evanston). We booked their 9-12 timeslot, but I received an automated notification at 12 saying that our tech was on his way for a 10am PST appointment. Weird, and slightly inconvenient... When our tech arrived, he came to more or less the same conclusion that we had - the issue was with either the burner or the heat-sensing rod, but he couldn't tell us which. To replace both would rival the cost of an entirely new unit, and to replace just one was going to be expensive anyways and wouldn't guarantee a fix. Even though we had been promised that the parts would be in our tech's van, he didn't have them. I called in to ask why I had been told that the techs would have all necessary parts with them for the service call, and their operations manager explained to me that they can't possibly have all parts for all makes/models with them at all time. DUH! After speaking with the manager, I had a change of heart and no longer wanted to work with American Vintage for the repair. But our tech had already set out to get the parts needed. I told them we would no longer need the part and they could just charge us for the $120 service call. But the tech had left his kit (just a small utility belt, mind you) at our condo, and would have to return to pick it up. When he got back and packed up, they tried to stick us with the charge for driving out for the part (that they said they would have) and for returning to pick up the belt! After another angry phone call, we had this reduced back to the originally agreed to $120, as the tech awkwardly waited in our home to collect payment. I'd recommend avoiding this company if you can. read more

I hesitated for nearly a year before writing this review, hoping AVH would rectify a dismal situation, but they have not. So, I feel compelled to share my experience. For those seeking a brief summary: proceed with caution and critically evaluate the authenticity of their positive reviews. I bought my home in December 2022, which came equipped with a new $12k HVAC system installed by AVH. The first time I activated the AC, it blew hot air. During a service call, AVH informed me that the unit had no refrigerant, an unusual situation for a new system. I incurred a $1,400 charge for refrigerant replenishment and a dye test to check for leaks. It was later discovered that the unit required a new fan coil, estimated at $5k. After much insistence on my part, AVH persuaded the manufacturer to cover the new fan coil, and I was reimbursed for the refrigerant cost. Despite the new fan coil, the system has malfunctioned repeatedly, resulting in five or more service calls over a few months. The unit regularly shuts down, blowing hot air, and struggles to cool my apartment below 80 degrees on warm days. Unable to resolve the issue, I contacted the manufacturer directly. Upon learning I had only 10 vents, they indicated a need for 14 vents for proper function. AVH then admitted that the previous homeowners had opted out of additional vents due to cost--an oversight that made the unit effectively defective from the outset. Upon discovering a potential solution, I requested AVH install the additional vents at cost, given the lengthy ordeal and their previous $6,400 quote for unnecessary repairs. They offered a discount, but it was still an unreasonable $3,000. I deferred the expense, and when I revisited the issue eight months later, they refused to honor their previous quote, raising the price by 40%. I also reached out to the business owners seeking a fair resolution but received no response. Instead, they delegated someone else to contact me. They habitually ignored my calls and voicemails, and on a minor but irritating note, they consistently addressed me by the wrong name--this occurred at least five times by two different employees. AVH's lack of professionalism and ethical standards is alarming. I strongly advise against using this company for any HVAC needs. If you value your time, money, and peace of mind, steer clear of AVH and consider reviewing their one-star ratings, which echo similar grievances. read more

I signed up for the annual "Home Service Plan" renewal. The Plan covers an inspection and operating maintenance visit by an American Vintage Home service mechanic in the spring and call backs in event the unit is not operating properly. The plan gives the home owner an edge on costs (a reduction) for service visits and repairs to a whole house A/C unit. Our American Vintage Home AC unit was installed in April-May, 2014. There was no exisitng AC unit in the 1924 house, so it was a major investment. The team that had originally installed it included a Lead Technician who returned to our home to handle our service call on April 20, 2017. His service call was to be 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM but he was running late that day and came around 5:00-5:30 PM. We had a similar set-up for service in the spring of 2016, so we were familiar with the check off list of items that would be covered. At the end of the visit he shared his observation that the outside compressor appeared to be dirty and was "somewhat" clogged with "cotton wood tree flying seeds." To ensure the best operating conditions he recommended that the unit be cleaned and suggested several options...including an "inside-out" approach to freeing the unit from the debris at an estimated price of $260.00. The previous year (2016) we paid around $563.00 on July 20, 2016 to "service and replace compressor switch, drainage flow from condensor in attic - cleaned & removed blockage." And, this was on an two-year old unit. Ouch! My point in sharing this experience is that this type of A/C is expensive to maintain, dispite it being a "top shelf" unit. The Cotton wood tree is a neighborhood tree and shares its flying seeds equally among all of the homes at our end of the block. We decided that to pay $260.00 to clean the compressor shield of debris (but operating near top capacity) was another cost we did not feel we wanted to handle at this point. We feel disappointed because you should not have to invest almost $23,000.00 in a "top rated" unit three years ago and have to face continual cost maintenance each spring of the year. American Vintage Home is a good company and their technicians are well trained and subject matter experts on AC units for older homes. But, you better be prepared to handle the upkeep on these units in exchange for a cool home in the hot summer months. read more

I engaged American Vintage Home to address an issue with our mini-split system. We had a service plan with them, so I expected a professional and thorough resolution. Unfortunately, the experience turned into a long and costly ordeal that left me deeply dissatisfied. When they first came out, they misdiagnosed the problem as a power surge issue and suggested we buy surge protectors (something that would have been an unnecessary expense. Thankfully, we didn't purchase them.) The real issue turned out to be a coolant shortage/leak, which the first technician completely missed. By the time a second technician identified this, we'd already experienced delays that compounded over the next season. We ended up paying $1,339 for a recharge that only lasted just four days, and the same technician who initially suggested a simple recharge/leak repair now recommended a full system replacement. This was a complete shift in their assessment, despite the same visible rust and issues that had been present from the start. To add to the frustration, another company later quoted us only $180 for the same recharge/leak repair service and it appears that other local companies operate in the same range. In other words, we were massively overcharged by American Vintage Home who subsequently left us high and dry on the replacement service because "it's not the sort of thing they do." despite Air Conditioner Installation being a primary listing on their website and continuously claiming to be experts in "older homes". Despite these facts, they only refunded a bit over half of what I paid, leaving me out just under $600. Given that the initial diagnosis was flawed and the recommendation changed dramatically, I believe I was entitled to a full refund. In conclusion, I cannot recommend American Vintage Home for either their repair services or their service plans. Their inconsistency, lack of integrity in standing behind their work, and poor communication made for a deeply unsatisfactory experience. I've since canceled my plan and will be looking elsewhere for air conditioning support. read more

After 20 years of great service...this one was AWFUL with a good recovery by the emergency technician Bob. We booked an appointment three weeks in advance. The day before I call to confirm. I was informed that the appt had been cancelled...by AVH. OK. I was to receive a call. I had not. SO...I reschedule...another 2 weeks out. The appt day comes. I call to get an estimate of when the tech would show. I was told 1:30pm. I called later that morning to see if they are on schedule. Its now 3:00pm. At 3:30pm I call.... Now its 4:00pm At 4:30 the tech shows up. He proceeds to get to work. Issue 1: He wants to borrow our ladder. (He has one on his truck). Issue 2: I have to remind him to change the air filter. Issue 3: After he goes to look at the filter, he tells me he is out of filters. And he has to come back...and I have to take off work again....What? So I call the main office.... Great news..they send another tech who has filters... The new filters show up...the work is finished. Or so I thought... When I turn on the unit later....the newly serviced unit was not pushing out cold air. The compressor is not running...(Shouldn't the tech have check that?) I had to put in an emergency call. The unit worked great before the annual service call. The second tech Bob shows up.... Bob is good. Very professional. He deals with the issue. Apparently....The first tech broke a switch in the unit that prevented the compressor from coming on and that had to be repaired. I was also shocked to see the first tech dumped the replaced filters in a box in front of my house on the curb of the street. Really! I sent AVH the pictures.... In the almost 20 year relationship ( installing space pack, service calls on A/C, frozen pipe repair, boiler service) ....we NEVER had this type of terrible experience. AVH's recovery was great. The initial service....it spoke for itself.....BAD! read more

My HVAC unit was disrupted by a recent storm and electricity surge. They came out to take a look at it and assessed our unit, letting us know that we would need a new motherboard and several other parts. The tech was very nice and kind and said that they would follow up next week once the part was ready. Over the next three days, I got two different phone calls- one asking how the tech was, and if my overall customer satisfaction was sufficient. The other phone call was trying to sell me a warranty. Meanwhile, no one had been working to locate the motherboard or additional parts that I needed for my HVAC unit. Eventually, I called them six days after their visit and ask them what the updated status was on the parts. They told me that no one had been looking into source the parts, eventually they found out that the parts were close by and they could have someone stop and pick them up and install them two days later. It's very disappointing that we had to sit in a hot home for so many days while the company chose to prioritize their own customer service ratings and warranty sales over our actual needs . I attempted to call them to ask to be taken off all marketing phone calls, but I waited on hold and then got sent to a voicemail. Well, I think their intent is correct, actually following up on the services that you provide is more important than selling warranties or placing meaningless phone calls asking for a customer service rating Update: they ordered the wrong part so we are now 3 weeks without a working HVAC Also- they responded to this negative review with a generic "thanks for your generous feedback" reply from the company. I gave you a bad review and you are thanking me for the "generous feedback?" Huh? read more

American Vintage Home is now my go to source for any HVAC or plumbing issues. I stumbled upon them randomly after previously having a bad experience with another company on the North Shore. While I was not unhappy with that company's service at the time, I felt their fees for parts and labor for the scope of the work performed was outrageous! I have never had this feeling with AVH. For bigger jobs (they refurbished my SpacePak AC system at my prior house) they came out and provided a detailed estimate of the scope of the work and stuck to the estimate. They didn't try to upsell me nor stick me for "unforeseen" circumstances, as can be quite common. And, their estimate more than held up compared to other companies pricing for the same job. They really are the local experts when it comes to SpacePak system commonly found in older homes (though service more conventional systems as well). More recently, I have used them for plumbing on my new home. Like the HVAC side, Lester their master plumber is professional and courteous. He inspected my entire water and sewer lines and walked me through to familiarize me with the system, what I need to know, what to keep an eye on, etc. This was invaluable information that immediately brought me up to speed and gave me peace of mind. Even on the little jobs and one offs, I have always found their fees very reasonable. All in all I've used them 8 to 10 times and have yet to have a less than stellar experience. I'd highly recommend anyone give them a try. read more

I've only owned my home for 4 years, and my experience with my OLD Space Pak and furnace has been complicated. I'm very thankful to the staff at American Vintage Home for having a helpful and knowledgable staff, that understands that not everyone on the north shore is capable of dropping big bucks whenever something goes slightly wrong. Their team typically tells us to replace something, and when I tell them that "now is not the time" they sigh, smile, and work their magic to get my units working again. No pressure. We have a regular maintenance contract with AVH - which I highly recommend. Everyone that has come to our home has been great. Today, Bob was super helpful and friendly, and conducted a thorough maintenance of our furnace and humidifier. He also took the time to bleed my radiator pipes, and provide counsel on things we might have to consider in the next 2-3 years. He also reviewed a $10k estimate from another vendor on our chimney and furnace flue. He was very clear on what he could and could not advise on - given his expertise, but politely advised on what items were actually safety items, versus inflated "needs" from the other technician. Without trying to sell us on anything, he encouraged us to set up an appointment with AVH plumbing technicians for other questions and concerns we had about our home. I highly recommend this team overall. The scheduling "windows" aren't always followed, but given the quality of service, I can be flexible on this. read more

No one wants to be in the situation we found ourselves in; we woke up in the morning to our basement flooded, with a burst hot water heater. American Vintage Home was amazing, coming quickly on-site to get our hot water heater repaired, and up and running again. Lauro and his team team was knowledgeable, professional, and incredibly kind to us as they went through the process. They worked together really well with our restoration company to ensure that damage was being reversed to the basement while the hot water heater was being replaced. That kind of emergency situation is chaotic, but they were awesome throughout. Unfortunately, the hot water heater bursting made it clear that there were additional problems in the house that needed immediate repair; several valves (including the water main!) wouldn't shut off properly, which required a call to emergency services and late-evening work. Lauro and his team helped us through the process, and we now have a much higher confidence in our house, as he's caught and expertly repaired those other problems. In addition to Lauro and his team, we've worked with many other awesome and talented people at American Vintage Home, from Andrew, who helped us diagnose and repair an HVAC issue, to Eric and Jerry, who helped us perform our whole-house plumbing inspections, inside and outside our house. We're happy to be members of their home service plan and are exceptionally impressed with their great team and great work. read more

I used American Vintage Home for a complete furnace and AC install and I couldn't be happier. Their quote came in quite a bit less expensive than another competitor that I've used for the past 20 years (and it was an apples-to-apples comparison because both quotes were for the exact same equipment). The installers arrived on-time, were very professional, and worked diligently for many hours on the install. I also appreciated them spending time showing me all the problems with my old unit (i.e. various holes in the ductwork that weren't plugged, flexible ductwork located in a place where it should have been permanent, etc.) and they fixed those issues at no additional cost to me. I could tell that the main person assigned to my job had a great deal of knowledge and many years of experience on HVAC installations and I was confident everything would be done right. After the install was complete, they removed all the garbage and debris, and then spent time showing me everything I needed to know about the system (how to replace the air filter and humidifier insert, how to read the digital codes on the system if I needed service in the future, etc.) It's been a few days since the installation and our home is nice and warm while it's freezing outside. I couldn't be more pleased with AVH and I plan on using them for any future HVAC and plumbing issues. read more

Everyone I dealt with was amazing. Replaced my entire HVAC system and water heater. 100% would recommend their services. Definitely worth having them put in a quote. The attention to detail and quality of the sales team, scheduling team, and installation team were on point. Their quote came in slightly higher than 2 other local alternatives, the way the sales rep walked me through everything set them very apart from the rest. Then when the quality of craftsmanship fixing this convoluted 20-year-old system I had, was blown away. My condo installation was not straightforward, my HVAC is in the ceiling, but the team improved every aspect of what was there. They even took the time to explain to me what they were doing every step of the way. As a first-time homeowner, it's great knowing what everything does and why it's there, felt very confident about the insights they provided for me moving forward with the new system. I'm a bit of a minimalist/OCD freak, and without any prompt these folks not only were very tidy and organized, but they even fixed a lot of the venting problems the previous installers clearly rushed through, in addition to ensuring everything cable/electrical was run along 90 degree turns and super efficient. The equipment they recommended works like a charm and is so much quieter! read more