Dutra Sewer Service

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The service we bought wasn't actually what we needed. He refunded the money we paid for the deal, called a friend and we got the work done the same day. Very professional and fair. Thanks!

They were very good. They came very promptly. They charged me more because they had to put a new cap on. So they charged me for the parts. It cost me $25 more. They have a little camera that they put down the sewer and you can see if there is any problem but I didn't have any problem. The price was good.

I have no complaints with them. Their work was efficient. They came when they said they were going to come and did the work on time. They were professional. Their price was reasonable and they gave me a discount. I called them back because it got clogged up again and they came back immediately and dealt with that. They have warranty. They are always reachable. I dealt with Chris and his professionalism was perfect. I felt comfortable with him.

1) Mike showed up literally 45 minutes after my initial phone call. He was cordial, sympathetic and efficient. We moved into our first house on June 30 - a 1986 Contemporary. No previous sewer problems ever reported. Of course our first big house issue was a collapsed sewer line. 2) This was no easy task. Emergency plumber thought it went down our front yard. I thought it went across neighbor's yard through my utility easement, and DPW confirmed this. Mike and Chris Dutra tracked it under my steep driveway. 3) By pinpointing the source of collapse, the Dutras minimized excavation, time and cost. 4) A clean out used to be accessible at the end of the driveway, however it was covered by 2'-3' of concrete and asphalt. After years of traffic and extra weight, the clean out cap collapsed causing earth and mud to enter sewer line. It finally clogged and backed up into our basement. 5) The original estimate was $2500. That was for a 5' replacement section and ground excavation. The Dutras maintained their estimate even after discovering the sewer line ran below the driveway. It turned out the sewer line dropped 4' down before 90 deg elbow into municipal sewer. This meant an extra 8' section replaced and extra 5' deep hole dug. The Dutras informed me that an extra $900 was required. Obviously I had no problem with that. He used the same high quality materials originally used including metal pipe. 6) Not only that, but encased the clean out in a steel enclosure with manhole access. Needless to say we'll have no further sewer issues with two accessible clean outs (1 near house and 1 near street). 7) The Dutras used a 100' camera line to make sure the whole sewer line was in good shape. 8) Their finishing and cleanup techniques are impressive. You'd hardly recognize any work was done. ALL IN ALL ... A+. He calls himself the Sewer King. A tough name to live up too, but he does it.

tThis is a company that I used several months ago to repair a sewer line under the sidewalk leading out to the street in front of my home in Cliffside Park, NJ. I had several sewage back ups into my basement/garage which cost me a lot of money dealing with local plumbers who incorrectly diagnosed and attempted to repair the problem. I called Mike Dutra, a Sewer contractor who gave me the fairest estimate and was highly professional and honest regarding his estimation of the problem. I was so pleased with their work and rapid response to my basement emergency. They also had the most reasonable and competitive price around. I highly recommend Mike and Chris Dutra for their expeditious and quality work as my sewage back up problems have finally been solved. -Simone Cliffside Park, NJ

I just want to say that I am impressed. We had an emergency lateral sewer break, Chris came by the same day evening to look at the problem. I was lucky enough that he has an open slot the next day. He was understanding, answered all my questions, explained the problem to me and what needs to be done. He did not try to throw in extra service to charge me money. He came the next day, found the problem and put in a fix right away. During that, he found an old system and recommended me to remove me. He wasn't pushy at all. Some people from the town was also there and they recommended it, so I went ahead with the extra work. His attitude was great and he was very honest and sincere. Its rare to see contractors like this nowadays. Chris and his team worked very well together and looked like they know exactly what to do - just shows that they are an expert at this. They do work for many of the town work as well. As for price, I didn't have other quotes, but its reasonable and within the range from internet research. Thank you very much Chris & team. Thanks Dutra!

There is only ONE word you need to know when it comes to sewer repair, DUTRA. Our sewer system was backing up into the basement. The owner Mike came in person to give us the quote. He looked at every possible angle and thought of different scenarios to find one that would work best. Our job was a "big" job, the deck needed to be removed to get to the pipe and the pipe ran out to the main under our concrete driveway. Plus we need to remove 3 pine trees in the process. Mike was honest and up front the whole way. He told me what was covered, what would be replaced what they could put back and what would happen if they had to chop up the drive way or sidewalk and exactly how it would be left when they finished. He explained that the cost would be the same to the curb whether they slip lined it or had to chop it up and if they went into the street that the price would increase. He also said they would fill any hole with dirt and crushed rock, but he was very specific that they did not cover repaving or sidewalk replacement (which you need to do 3-4 months after the job in order to allow the ground to settle correctly anyway). Once we called and told them that we wanted them to do the job, we sent in our deposit and things starting moving immediately. Mike was spot on with his estimate of 7-8 working days before they could start digging. Everyday leading up to the actual digging, I could tell that things were in motion as the utility markers were starting to appear in front of my house every day, indicating what was buried where. The day of the job, they were they right on time. They carefully removed my pine trees and put them in the back of my house and started to dig to find the pipe. Once they located it, they used the camera, they found that the pipe didn't go straight out to the street, but went partially under my concrete driveway then for some crazy reason, turned right at a 45 degree angle and went through my front yard to the sidewalk, where it turned again 45 degrees to the left and went straight out to the main. This curve ball did not phase them in any way, these guys are PROS! It seemed that the more my job throw curve balls at them, and there were a few of them, that they just smiled and liked the challenge! These guys were great! They didn't just go the "easy" route. They weren't deterred by any issues or challenges. They were able to SAVE my concrete driveway and slip line it to the front yard. They could have just played the easy card and chopped it, but they didn't. They busted their backsides to try to save it first and DID! Once they got to my front yard (which was never in the original game plan, because everyone including the town thought the pipe went straight out) they had to remove my rocks and one of my bushes. They got in there and realized that the pipe in the street and the last 45 degree turn were also bad. This was the worst case scenario, more money, Town and County Permit Fees, Closing a main street in town, repaving, etc. They told me not to fear and that they had a game plan for the next day. They called in an outside service to clean and suck out the remaining sludge and grime in the pipe that was in the street. They explained that this was necessary in order to try to save the pipe and slip line it. I was all for it, and would rather pay an extra $500 bucks than an extra $15,000 for road work. They made sure that I had sewer that night and did a great job or roping off the work site. They were back the next morning bright and early and got right to work. Again, they didn't just go for the easy route. When they realized that they had to remove part of the sidewalk, they did it with care and cut in a way that allowed them to put the side walk back without it being all chopped up. I knew going in it was 50/50 and was prepared for the worst! Again, these guys justified going with them for the job. They succeeded! Other would have failed, they didn't. They were able to slip line the new pipe through the old pipe to the main! Even when the job was essentially finished they were still looking at the angle of the pipe and making it better before they closed up the hole. When I asked about this, his son Chris told me, ?the angle on your pipe was OK, I could make it better, so I did.? They saved my drive way. They saved my sidewalk. They saved my pine trees (which they put back) they put the whole front yard back the way it looked before they started to dig, and most importantly they saved me THOUSANDS by slip lining the pipe to the main and not needing to cut up the street! Plus, they put in an outside cleanout and improved the angle of the pipe because they could?.What more can I say? These guys rock! As I said, these guys are pros. All they do is sewers and they know what they are doing! They are very specialized and come with years of experience. It's a family run business. Mike and his 2 sons, Chris and Kyle, are on site during the job. This isn?t farmed out to some other company or three day laborers with shovels. His son Chris ran the job site and Mike and his other son where there for most of the time. Even when Mike was off site, he was in communication with his sons via the cell phone. The work crew was polite and just as professional. Everyone busted their backsides the whole time and these guys work hard! No slacking or long breaks, just "shovels and elbows". A Great group of guys who come to help and fix your problem and don't trash your house. I would hire these guys again in a heartbeat. I recommend them for anyone. They may not be the cheapest out there, but they make up for it in the experience they bring, the professionalism and the money they save you in the long run, where other folks would chop and cut and not put things back! Just because someone would start a job for less, doesn't mean your going to save money in the long run or that you will get the same level of work or experience. You want professionals and a A level job, hire these guys.

First we had them come out and video our sewer line. We knew we had roots growing in the line - but the video showed us just how bad they were. No amount of root cutting would fix our problem permanently. I wanted to replace the pipe so I never had to think about these roots ever again. Mike himself came to our house to give us a quote. It was important to me to not disturb the trees we have in the front of our property. Mike's plan was to dig up the pipe from the house to the walkway and then line the pipe from under the walkway and the front yard to the street. He assured me that any landscaping they dig up, they would leave it just like they found it. The quote for this was $4600. We sent in the deposit and had to call a couple of times to make the appointment. Dealing with the office and getting this scheduled was probably my only complaint. Whoever answered the phone always said she'd get back to us and then "forgot." My husband had to call a couple of times, but eventually we got this scheduled. For the day of the work, Mike's crew showed up promptly at 8am. We talked with the head guy about what was going to happen. Turns out our line didn't come straight out but made a turn out of our house. So they had to dig in a different area than what was originally expected. His team carefully dug up the plants we had on that side and then went to work. Once in, they put the video through again and wanted to see what the line looked like from the street to where it connected to the city line. It was so clogged with roots they couldn't get the camera through. He suggested that we take care of this now, since they were already there. Mike came over and quoted us $2200 to line all the way through. (assuming they could cut through the roots and not have to dig up the street.) Sigh. I really didn't want to have a surprise expense added on - but like I said - if this fixes the problem forever, I want it done. They were able to cut through, replace the cracked and clogged clay pipe, reline the rest of the pipe and put back my landscaping like nothing had happened. They moved the clean out valve to the outside - so God forbid it ever overflow, at least it won't overflow in my basement! All in all it took about 5 hours! I was amazed! They did a great job. What could have been a total nightmare was a breeze. I would hire them again - but I hope after getting this fixed I won't have to!!

I had a lot of other people come and they wanted to fix the whole line. He was honest with me and fixed only what needed to be fixed. He was very reasonable. He was responsive to my problem. I had a good experience.

They came and did good job. They were fine. The price was fair coming out on a Sunday, I mean I was expecting more but it was less than I expected.

See above. Very pleased with work from diagnostics to recommended work plan to work performance to clean up.

It went very well. They were able to install a new water line without doing too much destructive excavation. They have a system that attaches the new line to the old one and pulls them both through at the same time, therefore eliminating much of the messy digging of the yard.

Called Mike Dutra upon a recommendation from a fellow colleague about a sewer pipe backup issue I was experiencing, Mike came to my house the same day, he provided an estimate and thoroughly explained everything about my specific situation. The issue was that I had deterioration in the existing Orangeburg sewer pipe and it needed to be replaced. This diagnosis was consistent with another contactors diagnosis, except Mike was confident that he would be able to complete the job without tearing up the town road. Mike was able to explain everything in detail due to his expertise and years in the business. Mike's sons began work the following day right on time, within a few hours the job was completed and everything was put back the way they found it. The job was great and he saved me thousands of $$$$, how often do you hear someone say they saved thousands???? On top of that, my sidewalk, which the previous contractor said had to be ripped up, was not touched!!!! They went under it. Awesome price, awesome guys, awesome job!!! Could not recommend anybody more.

The job couldn't have gone better. Very professional, punctual, top notch work and even came in slightly under budget. Highly recommend these guys.

ine unf3 Men showed up right on time 8AM. The came in with the equipment they needed. We talked for a minute and they started to work. They were to open 5 feet of the basement floor were the water was seeping up. When they had it opened the found that the pipe had a large hole on the bottom of the pipe. they found that the other part of the pipe line had a bad pitch and they needed to break open more of the floor to change more of the pipe and get a better pitch. They changed about 15 ft total. The camara showed the rest of the pipe was ok. After changing the pipe they filled up around the pipe and packed it down. Them cemented the floor closed. Cleand up and was done by 1 pm. This is a very safe company to use. I am very happy with there work.

The work these guys did was very good. They knew where to look for leak, dug and fixed it, had it refilled and seeded all within 2 hours. I really have no complaints about the quality or their responsiveness, I only question 2 things : 1. the need on day 1 for the camera (costing $300, but deducted from cost of repair IF i choose them to do the work). They couldn't see anything because there was water in the line. They knew the line was backed up. So it almost seemed like a waste of time and a way to invest $300 in them so that I would use them to do the repair.They should have enough experience to know when a camera will work and when it won't and explain that even if they don't see anything it is $300 no matter what. 2. The owners 2 sons (both great guys) and a third guy took 2 hours to do the job. $2200 = $366 per man/per hour to do the job. I understand business overhead and equipment costs and all that, but over $2200 for 2 hours work seemed pricey. Still one cannot argue that they did what they said they would do in a professional way, and did it quickly. Usually when in that situation you do not have the time to window shop on price or check around too much. In the same situation, I would probably use them again. If i had more time, I might try to shop around. Who knows, maybe it is the going rate for this type of work. Thank god it doesn't happen often! **UPDATE** about a year later (2/2013) we had the exact same problem in the exact same location. Another company came in and after taking the time to understand the pipe layout, suggested replacing more of the line and adding a cleanout. We had about 20 feet of pipe replaced and the new cleanout added for about $2500. I feel very confident after seeing the before and after of what the new company did, that I will not have a problem there again.

I had the cleaning done and called him back for a new estimate on the repairs alone. He told me the estimate was just for the repairs. I feel like he was trying to take advantage of me and charge me more than what the job was worth. I did not get a good feeling and did not have him do the job for me.

Initially tried emailing several contractors through Angie's List to get competing bids, but we had no response to any of the three emails. In early October I tried calling by phone. Dutra answered the phone immediately. After I described what wanted I was told to expect a phone call around 7pm that night. Call came through right when expected. I described the work I wanted done, and Mike understood immediately. We set it up for one of his sons to come that week to assess the condition of the drain. This was done as an additional charge of $250 and was not applied to the overall cost of the project. He gave an excellent description of the condition of our pipes, and showed me on a camera. He said they were clear, but not up to the full diameter. We thought he said that it would be cleared to the full diameter as part of the work to be done. As it developed, that was not included. In all fairness, we might have misunderstood that part of the conversation, and we did not ask for clarification. He told us to call his father the next day after Mike had had a chance to read the report. We called the next day and arranged for Mike to look at the exterior of the house so he could assess the extent of the work and give us a quote. He came that Saturday, exactly when we had arranged. He explained the extent of the work and quoted us $2,000. He said they could get to the job in about two weeks.. He said no permit would be involved, and that he would contact the utilities to mark the lawn for their plumbing. He took a $200 deposit. Ten days later we had a call that Dutra was on its way over. Chris, another of Mike's sons, came with two men to do the work. They correctly identified where the utility companies had mis-identified where their pipes were. They took reasonable care to protect the lawn and driveway. They excavated carefully, uncovering the pipes by hand before using equipment to clear the area. At a couple of points during the job Chris called me to to show me what was being done. They refilled the trench and covered the lawn as they had said. The cost of the job, while a lot of money, was about what we had expected it to cost, given the scope of what was being done. Everything was handled in the time frame that was agreed on. Communication was clear. People called and came when expected, though a little warning before the day of the job would have been preferred. I can't say enough about the care Dutra took in working around the pipes in the yard. We are comfortable recommending Dutra.

I can not have been more pleased with using Dutra to perform my job. From start to finish the job was done professional, quickly, and without complaint. Mike came to my house and we discussed the entire project from what I wanted to when it could be done. The price was very reasonable and Mike and his team showed up on time and ready to go. I felt that my needs were being addressed and handled properly form the moment the job begin. There was always someone one site who answered all questions and showed me what was being done and why it was needed. Once the job was finished, they cleaned up after themselves and left my basement just the way they found it (clean) . I would highly recommend Dutra for future jobs and would not hesitate recalling them if the need arises in the future.

They came out promptly, gave me and estimate that was better than the people recommended by the town and others. Once committed they were prompt and did a great job. The people I dealt with were polite informative and professional as well as pleasant. Follow up was good. Definitely I would recommend them and if necessary I would work with them again.

Sewer repair is never a fun process but Dutra made it as pleasant as possible. The only negative thing I have to comment on is their clean up but with this kind a job a big mess is expected. I recommend them to everyone I know that needs this type of work done. The owner Mike was onsite for most of the job and his son was in charge when he had to leave to check on other jobs. Thanks to Dutra I can flush my toilets again!

Very knowledgeable and informative estimate. Showed up on time, completed job on schedule, cleaned up property when finished. Overall pleasant experience.