I had the worst experience with DeGennaro Plumbing that I've ever had with any contractor. He came…read moreto my house on July 28, 2024, for an estimate to complete the rough plumbing for my last bathroom. My house is undergoing a remodel, and I live in a portion of it (my ADU) where the plumbing is the same as the main house. I showed him the other bathrooms, which were tiled and ready for fixtures, and explained that my tile person was ready to start, so I needed the roughs done quickly.
DeGennaro started work the next day, giving me an estimate of $3,200-$3,600. After two days, he presented me with a bill for $3,600, but the job was incomplete--there was no toilet flange or shower rough, despite my clear instructions. He told me I would have to pay an additional $900 to finish. He also convinced me that he could help me pass all my rough inspections, plumbing, water, and gas, which would require before he finishes this bathroom. It sounded odd since the other 4 bathrooms were done without passing all rough inspections. His constant talking and persuasion made me believe he was the right person for the job, though I later realized I was wrong.
Over the next two weeks, the invoices piled up, and the work was subpar. I paid well over $16,000 for multiple floods and constant issues. He claimed a gas leak (which I highly suspect was fabricated) that cost over $2,000 to repair. Although we eventually passed the gas inspection, the sewer and water inspections failed 5 times until the inspector was tired of it and just passed us not to come back anymore. For every top out, there was another flood so the water wouldn't raise to the top. I experienced six major floods and several smaller ones during this time. Insulation was ruined, drywall bottoms were soaked, and my custom-made closet was destroyed due to his failure to properly bypass the steam units above it. Even the ADU's new hardwood floors were damaged because he didn't close the washer and ice maker connections properly.
The incompetence continued--he forgot to bypass the water softener and improperly sealed the shower drains, which caused the balloons he was placing to pop which should have been sealed, leading to even more flooding. The garage flooded several times as well. He constantly blamed others for his mistakes, including breaking the shampoo bowl plumbing in the garage which was perfectly fine before he started and was recently plumbed.
Throughout the process, DeGennaro was dishonest. He never mentioned that remediation was necessary after the floods and was drying things quickly to move on. If I hadn't been present, he would have never mentioned it and I would have started seeing mold down the line. Luckily I was really upset and suspicious of his bills and all the floods. I contacted an experienced contractor and hired him to look over being truly frustrated with him. once he saw the water damages, he advised that I call the remediation company ASAP and I am not able to continue the remodel as wet as this place was. He pointed out my closet's damages that I had not seen being so busy dealing with him. The contractor also mentioned that these floods are not normal at all during the rough inspection. I called DeGanarro to obtain his insurance information and stopped the last check for about $4000 and asked him to cover my damages. He first offered to pay cash which I refused. Then it took him one week to finally provide the insurance information as I was prepared to file my complaint against his bond and CSLB. I've had to file a claim against his bond, file a CSLB complaint, and will likely need to take legal action to recover the damages after wasting hours with his insurance when DeGennaro is trying to again give false statements and blame others for his mistake.
Since he left, I've continued to find more issues. I had to spend $1,400 to repair the sewer unit he damaged. The water softener had to be fixed after he left it in bypass mode. The gas company refused to turn the gas back on after tenting because DeGennaro left a gas gauge uncapped, which the gas technician kindly fixed after hearing my ordeal. To top it off, I had to pay an additional $4,000 to redo the rough plumbing in the powder room I originally contracted him because DeGennaro used the wrong pipes.
DeGennaro is not only incompetent but also dishonest and untrustworthy. His associate John, who is not a licensed plumber, was often left to work unsupervised. Please read the negative reviews carefully before considering this plumber. I regret not doing so myself. BE VERY CAREFUL before hiring this man. It was truly a nightmare that I am suffering consequences that has been extremely expensive and now preparing to take legal action and hiring and expert construction consultant to testify for his bad work and causing damages to my house that is substantial.