Marin Plumbing

Brian Cooke has been of tremendous help to us with repairing a broken exterior faucet pipe and locating and repair leaks in different parts of our irrigation system. Brian is very professional, pleasant, always keeping us up to date with time spent and showing up on agreed time. We highly recommend his services

Brian is a real professional, honest, efficient, truly committed to excellent customer service. I highly recommend him. He handles everything himself so he is accountable, and doesn't carry overhead other companies do.

Brian works very slow. His initial visit for an hour was $300 just for consulting on replacing gas tank water heater. He then took almost 2.5 hours reviewing and measuring for implementing tankless gas water heater and charged me $500 plus. Brian then told me that installing a tankless will cost 8k to 14k and that he needed at least half the amount ($5k) as a deposit before he can begin working on the project.

He said that by law he can only ask for $1k for deposit but he did not want to proceed with my project without a $5k upfront fee. He then still demanded $500 for his assessment. Bottomline, I gave Brian $800+ for just a lot of talk and issues on my old house. My takeaway: Brian is slow and expensive. Give him at most 15min to provide an estimate. He will give you an orientation, show you his credentials, his licenses and insurance, etc but the time spent is money out the door.

I made a critical mistake of giving him options to consider and he spent 4 hours deciding between tank or tankless. 4 hours x $200 = $800. In fact, Brian took 2.5 hours figuring out where to install tankless water heater.

We have used Brian with Marin Plumbing twice and have been very satisfied. He is responsive, friendly and professional. His work has been excellent.

Brian at Marin Plumber turned out to a be a furtuitous find. After seeing his truck down the street at a neighbors, I decided to give him a call to fix a few minor plumbing issuies which were listed in my home owners inspection report (after buying a home in Petaluma). At first I was surprised to find out he charged for his time to do an estimate; however, his professional manner and level of skill / expertise was clear. Plumbers can be an interesting bunch and I only want quality folks working in my home / around the family. Brian is the honest hard-working professional you'd want around your home.

I gave him a try and he started with resealing a toilet. I thought I'd start there and based on his performance continue elsewhere. He did an excellent job. Saved me money on stuff I didn't need, and pointed out things that needed to be done. He was VERY fast (good deal for the price per hour), clean, and knowledgeable. I was so impressed I went through the whole house's plumbing.

Worth every penny. I learned where all the important shut off switches are, what repairs are worth it or not, and a schedule of when items can be updated (or when they might break). He even knew the failure points in two of my automatic flush toilets; which, can reak havic down the road. I also appreciated all the pointers and items he showed me that I could do on my own time (small home Depot stuff).

He also gave me free parts to fix small stuff on my own. Honestly, I'd encourage everyone to book an hour of his time / expertise and just walk around your home. You'll save a lot of headaches, time, and money with his feedback. In sum, take a chance! You'll like this guy.

Found Marin Plumbing on Yelp. Brian was the only plumber to call me back out of 6 people I called. He work with my elderly parents and explain everything to them. My mother said he was on time, clean, efficient and very sweet. I also have called him to work on my bathroom toilet. Called me right back, explain everything on the phone in detail on what to expect and how much.

Nice guy, but look out for your checkbook! He does not charge by the hour. He charges by a pricing schedule that's glossy and laminated and, in my case, worked out to be about $275 per hour. There are plenty of other clean cut, responsible, and professional plumbers who charge by the hour so you pay for what you get. In addition, you pay $69 for the privilege of having him drive his "mobile plumbing shop" to your house, and that fee is added to the other fees charged. Good plumber, but the pricing is a gouge.

I've used Brian's Marin Plumbing many times for a variety of plumbing needs over the past at least 10 years. He's always been honest and direct. He's clearly and carefully explained the needed fix, the cost, and likely repair time. He's kept me updated as his work proceeded. He's very polite and takes great care to leave my home spotless when his job is done. Marin Plumbing is my go-to plumber. A+ service.

I live in Fairfax, my water heater recently began to leak under my house. I supply building materials to the tile trades, and have heard only good things about Brian with Marin Plumbing. When I have a project, I simply want it done right the first time so I don't have to worry about it again. So I called Brian of Marin Plumbing. He met with me at my house and was VERY thorough.

He explained all the available options to help me make the best decision for my needs. We decided to go tankless after discussing all the options. The installation simply looks awesome. Looks like plumbing art tastefully mounted on the side of my house. Couldn't have asked for a better job. There are many plumbers out there, BRIAN IS A REAL PLUMBER! I will only recommend Marin Plumbing to my clients, soooooo happy. Thanks Brian, you nailed it!

I came to use Marin Plumbing because I needed a licensed plumber to come out and do calculations on a gas line for a new fire bowl. I went to my REALTOR's website and found their local recommendations page and Marin Plumbing was on the list. I called and scheduled an appointment for Brian to come out and do the calcs required. Brian spent about 3 hours at my house exploring ALL existing lines and doing all the required calculations.

When the calcs were brought to the town to get a permit for a new gas line (my existing lines, it turned out, could not handle the load required for the fire bowl we ordered according the the fire bowl manufacturer), the lady at the city said Brian's calcs were "perfect". Permit in hand, Brian proceeded to install the new gas line.with great care and attention to detail.

The other crews doing other parts of our backyard renovation project really liked working with Brian. Another part of our backyard renovation included installing a new drip irrigation system. For this purpose, the Landscaper suggested that we run a new water line to a new place on our home. Brian came back and did this project quickly and effectively.

His attention to detail is excellent and he's just a really "good guy" to work with and I felt very comfortable having him in and around our home. If anyone were to ask me for a plumber recommendation, I would enthusiastically tell them about Marin Plumbing.

We called Brian based on a neighbor's recommendation, and were immediately put at ease on the phone. He is professional and clear, he managed my expectations as far as schedule and pricing, and he arrived in the stated half-hour window. He is fully equipped, and we were comfortable with the pricing and service guarantee. In our case, we had a problem, but not an emergency. Brian was able to come within 2 days, and he listened closely when my husband told him exactly how far we had gone already in our due diligence.

That saved him several steps in his own investigation, which saved us time, and he was able to finish the job in two hours. He had everything he needed in his truck, too -- a rolling plumber's supply store. By his own admission, he's a clean freak, and he took care not to track anything into our house, or impact anything more than the job required. Turns out we had to go in through the siding - we had expected as much, so we gave permission.

Once we had was confirmed where the issue was, Brian worked quickly and efficiently to fix the problem. Also he gave us a referral to a person who can help us put the siding back on, if we need it. :-) Our cabin was expanded casually over the past 50 years, and we suspect much of the work was done by the previous owner (without professional help), so there's a lot that's questionable; I felt that Brian's "chalkboard" showing how plumbing is usually connected, and where our problem could be, showed me that even our crazy pipes and connectors could be tested systematically and ultimately repaired.

We were relieved to work with someone whose price sheet, invoices, and initial consult all matched each other. I love having something to point to, to say "This is what you told us we get." He is also concerned with not wasting water, which adds to his appeal in my book; gives him an extra reason to do the job right the first time. We are confident that Brian will stand behind his commitments, and will cal him again.

I was referred to Brian at Marin Plumbing by our contractor. We were very impressed by his professionalism, his follow up and his meticulous attention to detail. He also takes the time to explain his diagnosis and suggestions for repair and/ or improvement. We appreciate the personal service and highly recommend Brian at Marin Plumbing.

Great service. He came on the day of the napa earth quake. Fixed the minor earthquake damage to my plumbing quickly. Fortunately it was a simple fix so price was reasonable for a Sunday eve emergency call.

Marin Plumbing was timely, thorough and more than far in their pricing. I asked him respond to an emergency which he did within 45 minutes changing his schedule to fix my problem. He had all the equipment needed to diagnosis the situation including a pipe camera, multiple mechanical "snakes", etc. which many of his competition lack. Although the pricing is a bit complex he explained it completely only charging me for the time he was working. He actually gave me more service than I paid for which I greatly appreciated. I appreciated working with an experienced owner of the company.

Well this is officially my first time to make a review on yelp. Marin plumbing was referred to me by a friend (after a insanely high quote from another plumber) and I was so pleased with the service that I felt obliged to write a review. Its amazing when I read the other reviews that people can have such dramatic different experiences than what I had.

The information about what was wrong, the cost etc was explained very clearly. I agreed with the work and it was done as it was said and I was very happy with it. Thank you Brian, you are our plumber

Brian Cooke is so professional and honest, all pricing is done up front and he gave me options on how to save a couple of bucks too. i also called him in a panic due to my operator error and he kindy talked me thru some no cost solutions that worked. iwould refer him to anyone that needs a plumber

I am a licensed landscape contractor here in Marin County. I have worked with Brian on multiple jobs. Brian is always professional. Brian works hard and gets the job done. Brian is very pleasant. Brian is good person. The last job we did we all passed inspection with flying colors. Thank you Brian

I was wowed by the professionalism of Brian with Marin Plumbing. When he first called to make an appointment, he gave me a two hour window for his arrival. He even offered to come do the work on the weekend! He then called me as he was leaving his previous job to narrow down the time for my window. Unlike those cable companies who leave you hanging around all day, he was there the first minute of my window which was 11 to 1, he was there at 11.

To be honest, when he called he was there waiting for me! Talk about being on time! Fantastic. I appreciate the fact that he considers my time valuable. I also must mention that he entered the house in booties as to not track dirt into the house. To a clean freak like me, I knew that meant he would leave the apartment in a better shape then when he arrived.

He was meticulous in his work laying down blankets and towels around the work area. He was able to assess the work needed and walks you through all the options and prices before beginning his work. I really appreciated knowing what the why behind the work needed and pricing. He is extremely fair with the pricing options. He makes sure that you are comfortable with the work he plans to do.

Now to the important stuff. He knows what he is doing. I know, I know that is expected with a plumber correct? Well, sadly a lot of plumbers go out and put a "band-aid" on the real issue. They may be cheaper at first, but you will pay for it in the long run. You know that saying, you get what you pay for? That is a wise adage to think of when you are choosing your plumber.

Someone may give you a lower quote to get your business, but do you really want a quick fix when it comes to a toilet not working a pipe burst. I don't want to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. Brian is from Marin County, and has worked in the business for 24 years. He is an expert in his field. As the owner of Marin Plumbing, he answers calls and arrives with a truck full needed parts and tools.

Unlike plumbers, who need to leave a job for parts and come back, he is like a retail store on wheels. When your time is concerned, that makes a big difference. Okay, so pricing. He is priced on par with his competitors. Sure, there may be plumbers who offer cheaper rates, but again how are they able to offer those prices? Brian is fantastic when walking you through the price options.

I also appreciated knowing the how and why behind the quotes. He has you agree to the prices before he starts the work. Here is the best part, at the end he will walk you through the work he did and what that entailed. I was delighted with Brian as a plumber. I would absolutely recommend him to friends and family. There are two things I will always defer to the experts for, car maintenance and house maintenance. I will certainly call Marin Plumbing the next time I'm in need of a professional plumber.

Same deal, Brian gave us the talk on customer service and his tiered pricing model. He came to clean out our drain and fixed a broken elbo on our faucet. When I called him a month later to tell him the elbo was leaking he said he had no record of it and that it would cost the same again for him to come out and look at it. It took him a day to get back to me and told me it would take him a few days to get to our house since he was so busy and should use him as a secondary resource. So much for paying extra for customer service? Brian is more of a salesman than an plumber. Don't let his stick get the best of you!

For some people, a cheap price is all that matters. They do not mind inferior parts, recurring problems, missed appointments or messes left behind. Brian is a "Professional" plumber and his charges reflect that. I would put plumber disasters close to the top on my list of things to avoid. I have used plumbers in the past that made me very nervous. Brian always explains how much his service is upfront and if things go wrong, he sticks to it.

He offers an annual package of services (including some preventative maintenance) which turns out to be a good deal for any owner of an older home like mine. Like any "membership", if you don't use it, then then you paid too much. For me, it worked out well. For me, he has replaced a faucet, fixed a bathtub drain, and cleared our upstairs drains.

The bathtub turned out to be a problem which he spent several hours fixing -- but he stuck to his quoted price. When he leaves, you can't tell there was ever a plumber there.

Confusing pricing model, more time spent talking than working, "Smooth-talked" my 86-year-old mother in law and then greatly overcharged for a simple clearing of a kitchen drain ($357!). Refused to refund the overcharged amount after two written requests, and when the exact same problem reoccurred about a month later, refused to stand by his origninal work.no satisfaction guarantee whatsoever. Also, was amazingly rude to my wife on the phone, belligerent and condescending. Steer clear and don't be hoodwinked by this "fixed price bandit" the way we were.

While Brian is "professional" and thorough, he is in it for the money only. He came to my house and, even before he looked at my toilet he tried to sell me a program which signed him up for some time to come. He then looked at our toilet and wanted $500 for a tank rebuild. I gave him the minimum and sent him on his way. I got Chuck from Preferred within an hour of calling and he fixed it for $129. So do NOT call Marin Plumbing! They will try to rip you off!