John Owens Services

Erin C.

Reasonable, honest, knowledgeable and responsive. I highly recommend this company. Very pleased with all the work they've done.

Peter L.

Our old water heater needed to be replaced and we decided to go the intelligent route of tankless water heater. After seeking proposals from several plumbers recommended by a trusted hardware store in Fairfax, we chose John Owens Services for several reasons.

First, he is a Rinnai specialist and knows the tankless water heating systems very well. Second, his price was within reasons even though I could have save a few dollars buying the unit elsewhere or chosen another unknown plumber. The third and most important reason is the end result. John and his worker delivered and installed the heater on time and did a splendid installation job backed by a full extended warranty from Rinnai. Using modern technology and best quality pipes and fitting, the installation was a work of art in itself and strictly by the codes enforced by the town of Tiburon.

Anyone who would write a negative review about this company may have hidden reasons to do so and, like many others, I can attest of the superb quality and ethics of John and his crew. I think that I have found my new plumber for my future needs.

Chris C.

I got a quote for a Rinnai direct vent heater from John Owens. John told me that he would order it from Ferguson Plumbing supply in Corte Madera. John quoted me $2203 for the heater (Rinnai 8000 BTU direct vent model EX08) and $945 for the labor and materials install including a run of 45 feet of flex gas piping. Total quote was $3148.

I have used Ferguson myself in the property management business for years - so I sourced the heater (Rinnai 8000 BTU direct vent model EX08) directly from them for $1191.49 incl tax and shipping.

So I got the exact same heater for about half the quoted price. Then I called John Owens to find out why they had not returned my calls about installing what I had purchased. They told me they only install heaters and systems that they supply.

I feel that 100% mark-up is excessive, especially when the labor was already quoted. I understand contractors typically add 10% to 15% for disbursement on supplies. I did not like this attitude in the least because not everyone in Marin has money to burn. I think John Owens should have quoted a labor price that was fair to me and them - and let me have the freedom to save some money on the heater unit itself.

Steep R.

John Owens and his capable crew deserve at least ten stars.

I converted my little house in San Francisco away from a traditional hot water heater and into the 21st Century with an on-demand hot water unit, and replacement of a long dead wall heater with Rinnai products, and I couldn't possibly be happier with John's expert service and the Rinnai units.

I was able to easily make the appointment via email, and John arrived on time with his incredible knowledge and skills, and his jolly personality. We discussed various options for my house and after a thorough review of the existing heaters, the gas lines and the electricity box, John provided a complete estimate and that was the price upon installation. They even took away the old units for recycle/disposal, and left my house neat and tidy. They also take care of registering the units with Rinnai for warranty. Talk about service with a smile!

On installation day, John arrived early with his team, with all the tools and parts and whatever else they might need right there on hand in their well-stocked company trucks.

I really admire John's professionalism and prompt service, and I highly recommend him. It is obvious that he loves what he does, and I respect that he shares his knowledge by employing and training other people.

So here are TEN STARS FOR JOHN OWENS SERVICES!!

Cecily D.

I was very disappointed at the lack of ""go-to"" attitude. I called this company because it was an authorized service provider for Rinnai. And, I thought as it was in Marin, it knew ""the lay of the land"". The first appointment was cancelled (by them) because it was raining very hard (which happens often in Marin in the Winter), and the owner was fearful of driving his 2T truck** up the hills of Mill Valley to get to my house. Strange, as trucks used by UPS, the garbage company, the recycle company, Golden State Lumber large flatbed trucks, Davey Tree trimming trucks with large chippers hitched behind, PGE repair trucks (with bucket rigs) and even a drilling rig have all been on this street, and all but the recycle trucks have been up my driveway, in addition to there being a large parking apron right off the street. So, we rescheduled for when it is not raining (today), and he didn't show up; his office admin (his wife) claims he tried to call me several times (nope; I've got call waiting), and that he drove by several times trying to find a place to park his truck. Well, obviously I've moved on, and found another service provider who understands that if they are providing services to Marin County, they need to know how to drive here. And, my advice is that unless your service location is on flat land, with access of at least a wide 2 lane street, don't bother calling him. **By way of comparison, an Ford F250 weighs 3T, and they are used by service and repair people all the time on my street , so maybe this guy just needs to move to Iowa!

Matt Q.

John was super responsive, even came down early before a job he already had scheduled to help us out. He had our furnace back working in no time at all and he highlighted things we may want to consider replacing soon but left that decision up to us.

Great person and awesome service!

sue d.

John is a knowledgeable and fair plumber. He found and installed the most efficient radiant heating system for my needs. John is thorough, efficient and a problem solver. As well as installing the heating system he was able to solve my problem of low water pressure in the shower. John had just about everything he needed on his truck so I didn't have to wait or pay for multiple trips to the plumbing supply store. He is pleasant to have around and I felt he cared about my project. Whatever you need you can trust John to be fair and get the job done!

Laura M.

John is a contractor who goes above and beyond the expected. He has been my contractor for a major remodel and finish work that my late husband, who was also a contractor, had left unfinished when he passed away. When I've had plumbing emergencies, John came out to do repair work without hesitation, even on a weekend!

He is smart, clever, creative, and helpful. And tops it off by being a really nice guy.

I've recommended John to a client of mine who had a difficult deck rebuild in the Berkeley hills. She said that she and her family enjoyed having John around and were impressed with the care and detail he devoted to their project. You will not be sorry if you choose to work with John!

Howard T.

John is fantastic. He's incredibly intelligent and thorough, and what I most appreciate about him is that he's a problem solver and he's constantly thinking about different approaches to solve the issue. Literally, between the two weeks time between evaluation to doing the work, he came up with multiple solutions, and seemingly, each one was a better, more elegant solution.

Just to provide some context, we have a reasonably sized home with a single furnace, and essentially, our downstairs (where most of our bedrooms are located) was barely getting any heat, which meant our bedroom and that of our children were ice cold (especially once it started to get cold). I had three people come in and take a look--one contractor never responded, another one proposed a solution, but they didn't seem particularly confident (and this one is very highly rated in Southern Marin). John was the third, and he sent me a high-level proposal the same afternoon he saw our home.

Again, I was very impressed with his competence, intelligence, and communication skills. He delivered within budget and more or less within the timeframe he said he would (he came back a week later to make sure everything was ok, but he didn't charge me more).

One time he arrived a few hours later than he said he would arrive, which created a slight snag, but now, especially when compared to other service providers, I'm nit picking! Just wanted to be fully open to the Yelp community.

And you should read the filtered reviews as well. I'm thankful when I was looking for someone to solve our heating issue that his reviews weren't filtered yet, as I used those for the basis of finding John!

Artie S.

We needed some work done on our heating system.
We like to do business with local people. John came promptly, diagnosed the problem and we made an appointment to come back the following week.
The work that John did was fast , efficient and done properly.
we would definitely recommend and use him again in the future.