Marv's Backhoe Service

As first time home buyers with our very first project, this was a big one! Howard and his crew were INCREDIBLE. They walked us through all the sewer and water main replacement options and provided an extremely competitive and fair quote. Howard has over 35 years of experience and it shows! He was knowledgeable, patient and completely transparent. He also has a great working relationship with the city and it's inspectors which is extremely important with these big projects. The work was done so quickly but with such care and attention to detail, I was astonished. Each member of the team was knowledgeable, courteous and very tidy. We had an extremely tricky water main replacement and I couldn't believe the problem solving and ingenuity that Howard and the guys brought to the project. I almost wish I had another sewer or water main to replace so we could hire them again! I would not hesitate. They are in demand but it was so worth it.

Wow! Hubby and I were so impressed with Howard, and his crew, Dylan and Anthony. Our sewer was mostly not ours, it joined up with the neighbor's - we had nothing to "pipe burst" we were really getting our first sewer! (Whole trench, steep lot, it was a major job). Howard took care of everything, has wonderful manners, is super thoughtful, and he not only gave us a sewer, he "landscaped" our lot to make it much more level when he replaced our dirt, he spent extra time on it, and brought extra dirt the next week. It was a pleasure having such a pro! P.S. Get his cell phone # from the city, and only call him on that, for best turn around. His answering service takes messages but he gets so many calls firsthand, his ear buds are always in, and he's always taking calls, but I waited a long time when I used his answering service. Get the cell #, then get Howard! Howard is the best, ask anyone!

All work was professional and done in a timely manner. Efficient an good to work with.

It was a great experience. We were having some drainage issues, so they installed a sump pump for us. It solved the problems; we haven't had any leaks since. They were very knowledgeable and professional.

The job was done at a reasonable price and it was even lower than what was originally quoted. He was prompt, on time, and everything was completed thoroughly.

Our 86 year-old sewer line was collapsing, so we first got some quotes to pipe-burst the old line. These ran in the $6k to $7k range. However, this also would have required obtaining easements from neighbors. Marv's Backhoe came back to us with a plan that allowed a full re-ailignment of the sewer so that it passed entirely within our property for less than the cost of pipe-bursting. He worked with us on the yard preparation phase of the project, showed up on time, and was in and out in two days. We would emphatically recommend Marv's Backoe for major sewer work.

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Howard and his crew arrived with their backhoe and removed a large section of our 35 year old asphalt driveway. He maneuvered his backhoe between our two houses, with only about 18 feet separating them, masterfully. He did not damage any plants...other than those that had to be removed where the pipe was replaced...and was able to dig, replace, and refill the soil expertly. He only removed the amount of asphalt that was necessary and let us know that we did not have to replace the whole driveway, but could patch it if we weren't able to take on that bigger project. He and his crew worked skillfully all day and replaced both my and my neighbor's side sewers which involved, in one instance, digging beneath cement steps without any damage. I was very impressed with his excellent communication skills and his very professional and positive relationships with the various city inspectorsand line locators. He and his crew completed the job, tested the new sewer, and left the project as neat as was possible, given the driveway section removal. Since they completed the work, I have seen Howard and his crew at 3 other homes in Tacoma's Old Town just this month, replacing other side sewers. He even stopped by to be sure that everything was working as it should. He is very skilled, ethical, communicative and fair professional and I would use him again without question.

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We were referred by our realtor to go with this company. This job was part of an escrow hold back agreement that we had negotiated when we purchased the house. Marv's came out and replaced a sewer line but in the process they severed a second sewer line that was unknown to us. The way I found out was I called another plumbing service out thinking it was a clogged drain line in the house and they scoped the line and discovered that when the main sewer line was installed, the second line that connected to the main line was severed. The other plumbers told me that it was impossible for Marv's to have not seen the second line when they were installing the other one. I called Marv's back out and they said that this was not their fault because according to the sewer inspection report there was no second line found, and if we wanted it fixed they would have to charge us to come back out. I later found out that it is bad practice to take another professional's advice on a job you are going to do and it is better to do the inspections yourself so that way you can be sure of the job before bidding it out. When I asked them if there would be any negotiation on the second job they initially refused. Meanwhile we could not use our bathrooms on that side of the house at all because the severed sewer line. On top of all that my wife was pregnant at the time and getting up and going down stairs to use the restroom was most inconvenient especially since there was a bathroom attached to the master bedroom. This went on for another four weeks. The last conversation I had with Marv's was a terrible one. I tried to get them to see if he could lower his price and he finally agreed to do so but on the condition that he got paid for the first job he did. To which I replied that according to the Mortgage Company that was handling the escrow hold back, they said that they were not allowed to release any funds for a particular job until that job was completely done. Marv's took this to mean that I was threatening not to pay them for his services and he demanded the phone number of the Mortgage Company, which I gave them, and then they hung up on me. They proceeded to call my realtor and lied to him saying that I threatened not to pay them and that I was very rude to them, when in fact it was not me that had any control over the money being disbursed at all. And when we finally did get the sewer lines fully operational the Mortgage Company paid them for his services. At this point we were completely frustrated and at our wits end so we hired another company, Jim Dandy Sewer and plumbing, to come out and finish the job. The difference in service between Marv's and Jim Dandy was night and day (as you can read on Angie's list). I will never work with Marv's again and I caution all of you to be very wary of this company. They were rude, unprofessional, unwilling to take responsibility for the quality of their work, and not sensitive to their customers' needs.

They were able to do my work within three days of me calling them. They were able to come on the day that I wanted. They were very careful backhoe not the tree roots of the big trees. They explained everything to me. They got the work done and were very professional.

We had a complete blockage of our side sewer on a Saturday and called a national franchise rooter company, who made an unsuccessful attempt to clear the line with a snake. The next day, the same company sent out a video technicician, who could not see the obstruction due to pipe being filled with undrained water/sewage. They did precisely locate the obstruction, which was in the city right-of-way in the alley and in the proximity of the junction with the city main sewer line. They gave an estimate of $13,000-17,000 to perform a large excavation and possibly replace the side sewer line. We decided to get a second opinion and called Marv's Backhoe Service. Howard from Marv's Backhoe Service returned my call on a Sunday, came to assess the situation (on Superbowl Sunday!), and recommended that we call the city sewer department FIRST to determine if the problem was in the main line or was city responsibility. He also provided an estimate for the excavation and side sewer repair, in case the city determined it was our responsibility. This estimate was much lower--in the $4,000 to $5,000 range, I believe. In the end, the city ended up doing all the work because the obstruction was right at the junction between the side sewer and the main line. Howard obviously gave us very good, honest advice that made him no money but potentially saved us thousands of dollars. I would definitely call his business again if we ever have a sewer problem.

Initial responsiveness was great. Howard came out and asked relevant questions and explained the entire process to me. He emailed me a price within a week ($4,000- totally reasonable). I followed up asking for a real, legit estimate and never heard from him again.

Howard was professional about his work and worked on the site with the other employees. They started right away and were done with the sewer line in a day. The weather kept them from putting the sidewalk back for about a week. As soon as the heavy rain quit they poured the cement and completed sidewalk. They even cut up some of the wood from the tree for future firewood.

The city's measurements were wrong so they checked with their line detection machine and finding the exact location. This service saved us money so they wouldn’t have to dig a bigger hole to find the line. They also worked with the city to get permits. Marv’s accommodated there schedule to make sure the job was completed immediately since the line was completely blocked. I watched them complete the connections to the main city sewer line to our main line and they took care and did a great job with that. The price included cement that was completed by another company in a very professional manner. They did a good job by compacting gravel and dirt for the cement to be poured.