H C Blake Co

Everything went perfectly. I'm very pleased. They were right on top of everything, and went beyond my expectations. Jim Batson has built a terrific team at HC Blake!

Update May 11, 2014 I assume that after seeing my poor review of HC Blake Mr. Batson, owner of HC Blake was alerted to my dissatisfaction. On May 2, 2014 a courier arrived at my doorstep to hand a folder to me. In this folder was a letter of apology and an estimate for the job including pictures that were taken during the original appointment on March 6, 2014. In the letter of apology it stated that the original estimate was emailed our on March 7, 2014 and maybe the email had gone into my junk mail folder. I never received this email - in my junk mail folder or otherwise. The estimate was for $1025.00 - three times what I ultimately paid for the services from Dan Kahle with Wolf's Home Services who showed up when he was supposed to, gave me an acceptable estimate and then did the job within a few days. I gladly paid him $340.00 to do the job which was completed in a timely manner.

Arrived on time. Did not have the correct part or tools. Some one brought them. Here 2 1/2 hours.

When they were 2 hours late for the appt. I called & they did not have me scheduled. They did get someone out later that day.

HC Blake failed to supply written estimate.

They were professional and the quality of work was very good.

The initial assessment went well, with a good presentation of options and strategies to deal with the problem. Once we selected the option to use a leak detection company, communication issues started. This happened to coincide with one of the larger snowfalls in recent memory, but communication was the real issue, not timeliness. After the leak was found, there were a few phone calls to the office that ended with miscommunication. Messages didn't get tot he dispatcher, we weren't informed when we were scheduled to get the leak fixed, nobody called us back despite saying they would, etc. Eventually it got worked out, but it was frustrating. The plumber that came out to do the work (Andrew) did a great job. Informative, helpful, and did a nice job repairing the hole he had to dig on a Sunday morning. Overall we were pleased with the experience, but communication could have been much better between with the office.

At appointment time, determined root cause of drain clog in reasonable amount of time. Provided estimate and, once I accepted the estimate, immediately obtained necessary parts and supplies and returned to complete work. I have been completely satisfied with results. Technician was thorough, courteous, and efficient.

The warning siren went off which signified that the pump was not working. It was less costly to rewire the electricity to the pump and replace the apparatus that goes off if the sewage gets too high (not pumping out correctly).

Experience was very positive and I would trust them to do the work. We chose a different contractor which better suited our needs at the time but I would trust H C Blake for future services and would recommend them over other contractors if energy efficiency is your highest priority.

The work was done in less than one hour. Even though I was quoted the price after the plumber diagnose the problem I agreed because I was out of town and saw that this Co. had an A rating on Angies list . However in evaluating what was done and the price i paid i was definitely scalped.

Called several contractors for quotes, including one we used this past summer to replace an older HVAC unit. I was very disappointed being a repeat customer, with likely future needs, that Conditioned Air Solutions didn't put their best foot forward to give me a competitive deal. HC Blake sent Kyle Jones who was prompt, professional and made sure I understood all options to meet our needs. Additionally, Kyle made sure to discuss other issues I might be having with our house, not just heating/cooling, and was able to make important recommendations/solutions. Received their quote within a day and significantly less than the others we received. Once the installation was complete, I had two follow up visits to take care of a couple of lose ends and make sure we were completely satisfied. Overall, we were very pleased with their work, their crews, responsiveness, follow up and price. Thumbs up to this long standing Huntsville company.

This was an excellent experience because Kyle Hoffman and his assistant John Allen performed the task in a very professional and polite way. They were helpful with suggestions with the shelf and we are very pleased with the results. We would not hesitate to recommend this company and these employees for any future work. The work was completed in a professional and very timely fashion.

Installation was quick, however, another plumbing company advised me that a valve that prevents backflow if the water supply is interrupted should have been installed as a routine safety device. Now must incur expense of another service call.

The had HC Blake out to my house to do some plumbing (which i gave them a separate review of "A" for). During the time they were at my house for the plumbing issue, the technician discovered that the HVAC line coming into my house was frozen and he suggested that I needed a new system. He offered to get an HC Blake HVAC estimator to come to the house to look it over and if necessary to give me an estimate for a new system. DUring our discussion he let me know that HC Blake could put in any kind/brand of system I wanted. Remember that. It took the estimator about 2 hours to get to the house. I was not impressed with him. DUring the time that passed between my discussion with the plumber and the arrival of the estimator I got on line and did some research so i knew a bit about what to expect. I had expected the visit to take about 2 hours...and to have an estimate from him before he left. The visit took about 15 minutes....no estimate was given to me before he left. Before he left I made it clear that i was interested in getting estimates for systems from different manufacturers and at different price points. The next afternoon i got an email from him with an estimate for a total of ONE systems. No comparison, no explanation about the pros/cons of that system...no explanation about how systems function and why he recommended that system....basically a take it or leave it deal. I emailed him back and asked for some more details about the system. I got a link to the corporate site back with an invitation to check it out there. THe estimate that i got from HC Black was THE HIGHEST estimate....by $2000. To put it in perspective...i did not go with HC Blake. The company I did go with has been excellent. Their estimator did come out to the house....and he did spend over 2 hours with me. He took measurements of the house...walked around and asked me questions about how the existing system worked (hot spots/cool spots etc). He sat down with his computer and did a Schedule D (i think it was) calculation...and then came and sat with me and gave me a lesson about how HVAC systems work. His proposal had information about 5 different systems and how each of them would perform. He spent a great deal of time with me to make sure I understood the significance and difference in SEER rating, variable speed fans, multiple stage systems and the winter equivalent to a SEER rating, all things you need to consider when replacing an HVAC system. THe bottom line is...while i liked the work HC Blake did for me on my plumbing issue...they completely lost me by having an HVAC person on their team like this. I felt talked down to, dismissed and basically as though i could take it or leave that one offer....so i left it. I won't contact HC Blake again for any type of service. I'm VERY satisfied with my experience with Annette Hale and I have reviewed them as well.

Our unit is working perfectly, after H.C. Blake Company diagnosed the problem part and replaced it.

First time they came out they tightening a connection. Waited 10 minutes to see if it would leak again. It didn't however 30 minutes later it started leaking again. Called them and they came right out and replaced a hose. Waited 15 minutes to see if it would leak. It didn't however 1 hour later it started again. Called them again and they came out again and replace a valve and hose and wait 30 minutes - no leak! They only charged me for the first call.

Our master tub had a slow drip so we called to see about having it fixed. The company was very prompt and the service guy professional. He took it apart and said it was a part that could not be fixed we needed to order a entirely new faucet and replace the whole thing- he recommended Lowes and a brand to get. So we did, an extra $200 on top of the service bill. This first visit was a $79.00 diagnostic visit is what he called it. We called the company back when the faucet came in and the same service guy returned, again very quick to respond and show up. He changed out the old faucet with the new one we had bought and that was it. It took roughly just under 2 hours, this was $397.00 or around- right at $400 so a total of $480 for simply changing a faucet with materials we provided. The company called a week later for a survey and I told them the same thing, the service guy was great and profession and their response time was good but there was no way I'd ever use them again with the extreme pricing compared to every other plumber I have used in the past. It is my fault for not requesting an estimate after the first service call but neither was any clue of the high price mentioned, just that it would be a quick fix with a new faucet.

I like that it is a local company and a very old company running under long time. They are very honest. Their price is very good.

Based on my high water bill, I did some investigation and discovered I had a water leak, and was able to narrow it down to where the water main entered the house, but was unable to find the exact leak spot. I called H.C. Blake to come out and find the leak point. The lady on the phone was very courteous and professional. They quoted a time (8:00 a.m. the next morning) and showed up as promised (including the reminder call in the morning). The gentlemen found the leak (he had to dig just outside the house where the water main entered the crawl space) and replaced the failed part (elbow joint). All in all he was there about three hours. He was also courteous and professional, and I was pleased with the experience. I would recommend the company to others.

It was such a pleasure to work with all the folks at H.C. Blake starting with Kelly who answered the phone to the two Kyles, a Brian and a Craig. Every single employee we have encountered has been a pleasure to work with. We purchased an older home and were concerned about one of the HVAC units. After reading lots of reviews on Angie's List we initially contacted another company in the area but could never get them to call us back. So read more reviews and called H. C. Blake. They came out the very next day, called to let us know they were on the way, were friendly and professional and gave us our options on the one unit. We opted to go ahead and replace it instead of just fixing it. Kyle explained that we had several routes we could go and would email us the next day. Kyle emailed us several options the very next morning as he promised. He broke down all our options and the prices. There was no pressure to purchase the most expensive unit at all. My husband had some questions so he called and Kyle patiently answered ALL his questions. We ordered a unit and within a matter of days they were here to install it. SInce the first unit installation went so well and we were so pleased we have had them come back to change out our two water heaters and the second HVAC unit. We also had them install a super large shower head with approximately 10 jets on it. It was quite a job but little Kyle got it done! The prices they quoted were the prices we were charged. Checked around and found them to be right in line with several other companies in the area. The difference is the SERVICE! Would never again use anyone but H.C. BLAKE!!

I do not trust nor do I recommend HC Blake for any single woman home owner needs.

Called HC Blake to quote running a natural gas line and water line from the residence to a new outdoor kitchen (DIY project), plus dig a drain line. Although the estimate was high, HC Blake began the work promptly a few days later. The trench, piping, and all valve installations were professional. The first time using the sprinkler system it was apparent the trench machine hit the line, which can be done quiet easily. HC Blake came back the next day and repaired the line to our satisfaction. After four months of DIY outdoor kitchen install, HC Blake came back promptly and completed the final hookup of the sink and outdoor grill, tested everything and determined it was setup properly. Overall they were responsive and professional. Price was high but all work was done professionally and no arguments or "add-ons" for any of the work after the initial June install. They honored the original estimate.

We had the 1" line from the meter to the home break just after midnight on the 27th of August. I found the problem when I attempted to make formula for the twins. I ran to the nearby corner store and got a few bottles of water to survive the night. With 2 month old twins and a 20 month old plus a Grandmother in the home, we needed the water fixed immediately. We called every highly rated plumber in the phone book and were told it would be the 29th or after before they could get to us. I then called HC Blake Co after looking at Angie's list and spoke with the person that schedules the calls. After explaining my situation, they dispatched the next available Plumber they had. He arrived within a couple of hours of my phone call and began looking at the problem. He provided an estimate of the repair based on what he was seeing and went to work with my approval. The plumber was concerned that the line broke under the driveway and he was going to have to bring a backhoe out. The problem turned out to be a split fitting on the 1" line about 28" from the driveway. The original plumber had forced the joint to fit when the angles were off. The plumber dug down nearly 5' to get to the line and had it reassembled by lunch. By 1pm we had running water again. When he finished the work, you could not tell where the hole had been dug in the yard unless you knew where to look. The actual charge to repair the damage was less than half the original estimate.

I would not recommend them to others as the quality of their work was pretty poor. They made a mistake which cost me a lot of money and they did not admit it. They did a sloppy job on the ground sittings and as such the dirt in the system plugged the regulator open which emptied half my propane tank before I could stop it. Their work was ok other than the mistake they made. I would not use them again in the future.