We had major work done on a 100+ year-old house, and Hoffmann Brothers did a fantastic job, from…read morebid to finish.
I sent a request for proposal to three companies after checking online and having observed which companies seemed to serve this area regularly (so they would likely know the houses and what they'd encounter in the work). All three replied through a receptionist-type person, quick and friendly. However, only Hoffmann Brothers replied with a prompt and detailed reply to my request for proposal.
My RFP was detailed, and included that we wanted everything done, and that we wanted everything done right - quality was more important than speed. I specifically said that if they couldn't do everything listed, they should not reply. All the companies made appointments to visit, of course, and the other two came first.
The first guy seemed uncomfortable talking to a prospective customer, avoided eye contact, and only offered 'band-aid' solutions. He said that his plumbing company could not replace waste stacks. I find that absurd, but also annoying since I'd specifically said that if they couldn't do everything, they should not offer a proposal, much less waste time with a visit.
The second guy kept his appointment of 'before 5:00 o'clock' by, literally, one minute. He was a smart-ass, rude, and called my RFP a 'love letter', which says a lot about his lack of professionalism. He, too, failed to offer solutions for everything, and, same as the first guy, seemed to assume that my main concern was paying for the work. This, despite what I'd specifically said in my RFP, that we wanted everything done and that quality was the main concern.
This was a major project, and for some reason, only Hoffmann Brothers seemed to get that. The Hoffmann lead plumber for the project, Mick, emailed shortly after I'd spoken with their coordinator, and he had clearly read my RFP in detail. His comments included that we would NOT have to remove my front porch, as everyone else from the city to other plumbing companies said we would.
We met a couple days later for his on-site visit, and he was a complete professional while also being friendly and genuinely appreciative of the impact on us of the scale of this project - the inconvenience and disruption that the near-catastrophic failures of the plumbing had caused us and our worries about whether it was all fixable.
He assured us that Hoffmann Brothers could fix it all, and get it done as one project, as requested, and get it done in a timely manner.
He worked up his bid and invited us to the offices for the review. He took his time, answered our questions, never made us feel rushed. We got to know the company better, and even got to know each other as people, which makes a difference when trust is so important in a project like this.
We got our questions answered, agreed to the project, and Hoffmann Brothers got underway quickly. ALL of the people with Hoffmann Brothers were/are professional. Everyone was courteous and respectful of the fact that we were living in the house throughout the project. Everything was cleaned up everyday. They welcomed interest in their work and questions, and were helpful in explaining and showing us whenever we asked about the work.
The people at Hoffmann Brothers are very smart professionals and very good and nice people.
As I said, this was a major project that took several weeks, and replaced everything from the connection at the main sewer line under the street to two waste stacks in the basement (so everything under the concrete basement floor), a complete remodel - electrical, plumbing and finish out - of a bathroom and a laundry area, and rough in of a second bathroom in the basement.
Mick served as 'general contractor' for getting the carpentry and finish work done.
Everything was done in top-quality manner, with great efficiency and without delays throughout the project. Inspections passed the first time every time. The project accommodated a few changes and additions, as well, including work in the kitchen.
Pricing was fair and competitive, and the payment schedule was attached to work completion thresholds, not a calendar. Everything we wanted was done, and it was done to the highest quality.
We decided which company to go with based on quality, and the difference in quality was plainly apparent from the first interaction with the plumbers. Trust is SO important in these decisions, and when the other two companies were so clueless or careless about that, and so careless in not addressing my initial outreach, they quickly removed themselves from consideration.
Only Hoffmann Brothers provided a quality experience from the first contact through to completion of the project. The other companies lost out on an opportunity for a major job and any other work that we might want in the future.
And, of course, Hoffmann Brothers offers electrical and HVAC work, in addition to plumbing, so it's an easy decision for us to call them.