Intelligent Design Air Conditioning, Plumbing, Solar, & Electric

very well

Although the owner of Intelligent Design, Andrew Dobbins, is a personable and professional young man and although he was highly motivated to make the sale of a new unit, I cannot, in good faith, write a positive review for this company. In July 2012, I sought several bids for a new A/C unit for a 2100 sq ft town home. Although I initially opted to go with another company, Mr. Dobbins convinced me to cancel my previous contract and work instead with his company. He assured me that "his guys" were carefully vetted, experienced and drug-free. As promised,"his guys" were prompt, efficient and professional. Unfortunately, the unit that was placed functioned poorly. When my general contractor looked at the unit, he was shocked by the workmanship. The unit had been wedged into its closet and duct tape had been used in various places. Mr. Dobbins was notified and was very responsive. He had the team return and replace the unit to suggested specifications. Later, he asked if I would consider paying for the extra labor costs that had been incurred from the replacement of the unit. It was then disclosed to me, that "his guys" were contracted A/C guys as opposed to his own employees. Had I known that his company was a sales company which contracts out the labor as opposed to a full-service A/C sales/repair/maintenance company, I would not have worked with Intelligent Design. To make matters worse, the unit placed - a $10-12K unit - cools only the downstairs portion of my house; the upstairs' bedrooms have minimal air flow. When I brought Mr. Dobbins out to evaluate this issue, he directly measured the temperature of the air trickling from the vents and said that it was cool. I found it difficult to convince him that although there is cool air emanating from the ducts, there is inadequate air flow (by far) to cool the bedrooms. The actual ROOM temperatures average 10-15 degrees higher than the downstairs rooms. When I discussed the warmer room temperatures, Mr. Dobbins suggested that the ventilation ducts were faulty. He said that he could check into this but it could be expensive as this was not included in the price of a new unit. The analogy he used was this: if you took a car in to fix the spark plugs but found out there was a radiator issue, then it would be a separate charge. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but if I buy an air-conditioner, I expect it to cool the square footage as was promised. I realize that I should have written this review a year ago. At the time, Mr. Dobbins suggested I write a positive review for Angie's list. He even supplied me with a template of suggestions for things to write - statements that would reflect positively on his company. Because I liked him personally - he's very engaging and he's ex-military which is always impressive- I decided I would simply skip the review. But now, a year later, I am faced with the prospect of finding another A/C company who can troubleshoot the ventilation problems so that my children's bedrooms can be cooled beyond 90 degrees.

I am a retired U.S. Public Health Service surgeon. My wife and I found Intelligent Design through Angie's List . The install crew was clean and fast and respectful of our home. We received excellent service from the estimate all the way through the completion of the project. The owner's presentation and written proposal were professional and thorough leaving nothing to guess work. Intelligent Design provides excellent written guarantees and lives up to their word in every aspect of the work performed . While it was quite expensive, the costs of the system VS the savings made good business sense. . After the Installation was completed, l the Owner of Intelligent Design made a personal visit to inspect the quality of the work performed by his installers and to review with us the complexities of the system.. Yes, I would recommend the services of this company.

It started out great. We needed a quote to install air-conditioning into our 1950's home (now rental property) and they sent, via email a variety of material for us to review. The material was about their high ratings and basic information regarding heating and cooling. They went out to the home to assess sending us an email letting us know the status of the appointment. Great so far. My understanding from the tenants is it went well. We waited, but no quote arrived. I had to email and call them three times requesting the quote. Finally he called me back with a couple verbal quotes which I said I was interested in one of them, but needed to see it in writing. We left the phone conversation positive and excited this would work out as he said he would send the bid over. He never followed through with the written bid. We never heard from them again. Their pitch was great, just not their follow-up. Is this how they would have treated the install? Customer service is important on all levels. UPDATE: After this review Andrew, the owner, promptly contacted me and we sorted out what was a miscommunication during a personnel change. Currently we are working together to come up with an affordable air conditioning system for my tenants. I'll post once this is complete.

Andrew Dobbins, the owner of Intelligent Design, came to our home to give us an estimate. He went over every detail, and had documentation from Angie's List and other sources showing us a comparison between the costs and the reviews of his company and others offering the same services. Before he left, he did a blower door test to determine where our air leaks were, and advised us of ways we could make our home more efficient. This was before we had agreed to buy the system. We were left feeling very confident that Intelligent Design was the right choice. The employees showed up when they said they would. They worked very hard for two days, completely cleaning up after themselves each day. By the end of the second day we had a working system. A missing part had to be ordered for the humidifier, which we were not using during the month of April anyway. When the part came in it was promptly installed. When all was complete, another employee came out and did a walk-through of all the installations and gave us the opportunity to ask questions about how to program the system, when to change filters, etc. Every employee we dealt with was unfailingly courteous and efficient. They even did all the paperwork for the rebates and tax credits we earned. We would recommend Intelligent Design without reservation. If you choose to use their company, please tell them that the Clinkingbeards sent you. They even have a program that gives you a rebate for referrals!

I used to be in the HVAC trade in Iowa for approximately 11 years. I had scheduled multiple estimates to get pricing on a new system for my house. The other companies did not to the measurements that were supposed to do("heat load calculation or Manual J"). I felt much more confident in Intelligent Design. The install manager Wes was wonderful. He was very accommodating. The installers were very polite and the quality of work is beautiful. The previous ducting system was fiber board. We replaced all of it and sealed it up completely. The ducts were tested before and after for verification, and the results in savings is astounding. I am extremely happy. Also the lady answering the phone is very pleasant and knows her job very well. In my experiance dealing with Andrew the owner of the business I recieved the high quality service that I expected. I will be recommending Intelligent Design my friends in the area.

Overall a great experience; will use them again, and will ask for Chris. I am confident my nearly 10 year old units will keep me cool this summer! When I called, I got a same week appointment, and Chris arrived promptly. He had to return for the optional surge protector my husband wanted, and was back in 3 days.

Service was performed as scheduled. Price was reasonable.

We got off to a rough start. I had the wrong day written down and of course nobody showed up to inspect my AC unit. They did show up the next day and even waited out in front of our house until I got home. The Technician and I did not hit it off. I wanted repairs but he wanted to have their estimator come out and give me a price for a new unit. Fortunately, Andrew Dobbins, the owner of the company called a week or so after his employee's visit to our home. Mr. Dobbins was not happy that we received anything less than superior service. He asked if he and his general manager could come take a look at our unit, to see if our 20 +/- year old unit could be fixed instead of being replaced. I'm happy to report that they made my satisfaction their priority. They made time to come back to our home on the same day that I spoke with the owner. He and his associate spent an hour going over the unit. Things could not have gone better. It turns out that there are a couple of fairly in-expensive fixes that should keep the old unit running for another season or two. I was very pleased and I'll definitely use this company again. Small businesses of integrity are hard to find, so make a note of this one. They even gave me my $55 check back, but considering all of the time that they spent to "make it right" I refused to take the money. Instead we worked out a compromise. I took the check and then signed it over to a mutually acceptable charity. This company stands behind their work. I compliment them on their ethics as well as for their follow-through. I have two other AC units that will eventually need attention and I will most assuredly call Intelligent Design to have that work performed. When a consumer can find a service business that they can completely trust it's a bit of a gold mine. I don't mind sharing my map to this mine with other Angie's members.

Service Tech was knowledgable and professional.

The young man arrived on time for the service call. He was very polite and well mannered. He explained everything he was doing in great detail. He put shoe covers on his feet to protect my flooring. I opted to get a quote on a replacement system for my home. I liked the fellow who gave me an estimate so much I decided to have him quote the removal of a evaporative cooler on my daughters house and to replace it with air conditioning. I am in the process of deciding on the replacement. I am very happy with the quality of service and responsiveness of this company. The owner called me himself to make sure I was happy.

They were punctual, efficient and competent. Extremely honest... We would definitely use them again. They gave us good advice about our system and did not try to sell unneeded services. Diane Steward

PERFORMANCE DID NOT MATCH MARKETING. Positives: All personnel maintained a professional demeanor in all person-to-person interactions. Company owner is knowledgable on what should be done. Great marketing and sales pitch When system over sizing was discovered, Contractor made the harder by proper decision to replace the system, instead of just making the too-large system function as best as possible. Negatives: Issues repeatedly had to be brought up by homeowner. Multiple city inspection failures. Rarely saw technical manager on site. Repeated waits for appointments, mostly on weekends. Several missed or late appointments. Repeatedly technical manager would leave site with techs to finish job, but techs were not able to complete work as promised. HVAC System sizing was wrong. Corrected after significant battle to invoke teh 100% satisfaction guarantee. Would not honor 100% satisfaction guarantee even on equipment that could be readily removed (water heater install). Buried dangerous torn electrical wiring behind kitchen vent hood, only to be discovered by homeowner and requiring third party electrician to remedy. Many more "small" issues not worth mentioning. Questionable business decisions: including attempt to bind Homeowner to a new contract with significant changes and verbal question whether Homeowner would revise Angie's List review for financial consideration. Response to Provider Response: Poor impression for a company to try character assassination. Many statements are false.

Cathy and I had been looking for someone to replace our AC and Heating after a scary experience with the AC going out last summer, and having to have a repair that was more expensive than we expected. We happened to be driving and saw one of the company vehicles and called the number. We had previously gotten estimates from another company, and it was higher than Intelligent Design, and they seemed to be canned and not really customized for our home. The first company recommended a larger system and did not do any education so that we could be more informed, like Intelligent Design did. Both Cathy and I are employed in technical careers, and the communication was at a level that suited us, and was adjusted as the conversation went, and we came across things that we did or did not already know. We were both very impressed with the professionalism, knowledge and collaborative attitude with Intelligent Design. After taking many measurements, and doing calculations, Intelligent Design recommended a smaller, multi-stage unit from a recognizable brand, and the reasons they liked that company. The installation was quick, clean and the installers were very respectful of our home. We certainly would recommend Intelligent Design to our friends, family and neighbors.

The serviceman arrive on time and asked to see the compressor, fan and thermostat. After tis was shown to him, he proceeded to remove the compressor housing and to power wash the cabinet. He then turned the system on at the theromstat and ran it while performing the diagnostics and testing the system. He then put the cabinet together and turned the unit off at the thermostat. He informed me when he finished. He advised me that the system checked out well overall and that the only problem he found was that the compressor fan was drawing a lower amperage than what it was rated to draw and that eventually it would have to be replaced. I gave him the Angie's List coupon. He sent me an electronic invoice detailing the service performed.

The process went well. It took about an hour and he pointed out possible problems i may have in the future. I company followed up the next day by phone to see how it went.

Chris came to our house exactly on time, explained very clearly what he would be doing in regards to checking the equipment and even put on paper slippers when entering the house for cleaniness. All of the work he did and recommendations were well explained without any pressure tactics and said a few repairs could extend the life of our unit from two to four years. I did appreciate that he did not attempt to sell us a new air conditioner, which has been my experience with other companies. Very satisfied with his work.

We researched Angies list and the BBB and narrowed it down to 5 companies that were rated A on both. Intelligent Design came and did by far the most thourough detailed survey and estimate. I researched all the aspects of what I needed to know for about 5 months. I knew exactly what I was looking for on equipment and installation company. Only 2 of the 5 companies met my minimum requirements for what an installation company should be doing in an estimate. The other company had a higher price for all the work that was going to be done and Intelligent Design included additional things we wanted that would have been extras from the other company. The install crew was great!! They showed up when they were supposed to. They cleaned up everything. The quality of the workmanship is fantastic. The duct cleaning got an incredible amount of dirt out of our ducts. The AeroSeal process got us from a 17 square inch hole down to 0 loss. The Owner came out for a final inspection of the project and answered any questions I had. I am very pleased with my decision.

I had a mitsubishi mini split system installed in my home about four years ago. It was installed by Williams Heating and Cooling hear in Tucson AZ. All was well for a few months. It started getting noisy so I called Williams and they came out and put a new motor in and cleaned the unit. After a month or so it started doing the same thing. After a few more service calls Williams suggested I invest in a small air compressor and clean it my self. It never got any better and Williams never offered to make it good. I was never happy with the unit or Williams Heating and Cooling. I would never recomend Williams or Mitsubishi to any one. I recently did some remodeling to my house and decided to put a new A/C system in. My neighbor had just put a new system on his house and he recomended Intelligent Design. He took me on a tour of his new system and had nothing but good things to say about Intelligent Design and the employees. I met with Andrew Dobbins the owner of the company. He did an inspection of my house and we talked about what I expected of an A/C-Heating system. We talked for about an hour and decided to install another mini split system. This was not an easy decision to make but Intelligent Design has a 100% money back guarantee that if a customer is not happy with the installed equipment they will remove the equipment and refund all of the your money. My system was installed in two days. The work area was kept clean and left clean. The installers were friendly and professional. Andrew came to my home and did an inspection of the installation and made sure all of my questions were answered and that I was happy with my new system. I highly recomend Intelligent Design and the Fujitsu mini split system.

Thank you for the great job. Your techs where very clean and left the workplace spotless. The system is great and we look forward to saving money from our up-grade. Cant say thank you enough!!! I will sign up for the service contract soon.

I called several contractors about a new HVAC to replace the original builders-grade system. The other contractors recommended systems without any energy survey. It turned out that the systems recommended too small to do the job. Intelligent Design ran the appropriate survey and ultimately concluded that no new system was required or economically justified. However, I decided to install a humidifier and air purifier, which was done promptly, professionally, and without incident. Overall, our experience with Intelligent Design was exceptionally worthwhile.

My wife and I live in Rancho Vistoso. We decided to make a visit to the local home show where we met Andrew the owner of intelligent design. We had already gotten 4 quotes but decided to get one more. We are very glad we did. Andrew and the team were excellent. We decided to go with them because of the quality product, install quality, and fair pricing. The install crew was perfect. They were very detailed in keeping the house clean. The sealing of all the nooks and crannys in the furnace room to save on energy was amazing. The previous install leaked a lot of air in there. The whole job only took 4 hours. The new system is much quieter and lower energy use than the old. We couln't have had a better experiance.

Very pleased! Andrew and his team were prompt and called the day before to confirm appointments. All services were as advertised and professionally done, and on time. When we do replace our two AC units, Intelligent Design will be getting our business!

ONLY COMPANY TO NOT SHRUG OFF J-LOAD. This is a vital component to figuring out what size system you need and not only that but not all condensers are equal. Just cause it says it is a 4ton, it may be rated for less BTU's. All the other quotes just looked to see what was already installed and quoted pricing on that. Andrew and his crew figured this out. Found our leaking air supply lines and found that our return was not the right size. The install was a difficult one because we were moving our unit from a closet to the attic to free up space?.but they did it and with a small footprint. Boy it upsets me when workers come by and leave dust, footprints, work materials behind not these guys. Wes and Chuck were awesome. Would I recommend them?Heck yeah! Already have, they are also coming by the workplace to set us straight. thanks guys.....although the HVAC experience has been great, still waiting to hear from the Solar portion of this instal-will update when available..

I got 4 quotes. I went with intelligent design because they explained everything with far better competence than the other companies. They were not the cheapest but also not the most expensive. I definately think I got the most for my money. The attention to detail in the estimate and by the installers is the best I have seen from a service company. I am a mercedes car mechanic and I am very picky about the quality that service is done. I was very happy that all the work got done in one day. We had them remove and seal the swamp cooler drop. They increased the intake and ran all new electrical and refrigerant lines. My monthly payments are only $120 per month for a 17 SEER Lennox system with a programmable thermostat. I was hesitant at first due to the initial cost but I am very happy I upgraded my system with Intelligent Design.