Mid Peninsula Plumbing

Vincent S.

I'm a property manager & real estate agent & deal with repair companies and services constantly. I have many accounts set up and for Plumbing problems ""Mid-Peninsula Plumbing"" is #1 on my list to call first. The reason for this is they are prompt, knowledgeable and down to earth to talk to and even flexible on price in some situations [plus they are less than their competititors who take longer to respond].
It seems no matter who the company or person is someone will write a bad review such as the one I saw on here about the hot water leak and sewer problems. I have a background in construction and it did give me a good laugh as it doesn't even make sense. My guess is sometimes people are upset when they have to spend a lot of money to fix a bad problem and who easier to blame than the company they called to fix it. As for getting a city permit in 30-minutes that would be an all time record! LOL!!

L J.

We have had Russ out 3 times... 1 fairly huge issue, 2 separate small issues. On all 3 things, they called back asap... and handled it super fast and smoothly. Russ is experienced, efficient, and the cost is reasonable and well worth the peace of mind! Thanks Mid Peninsula Plumbing!!

Tuck C.

We hired Tom's company to replace the pipes in our new home in Foster City about a year ago. The work was done in a timely manner and very professionally. Our house had paper laid out where they needed to work and all the pathways... which honestly we weren't too worried about because we hadn't moved into our home yet. We loved the results. And boy did we need it. Our water pressure was non-existent and it wasn't until after we had the pipes replaced did we notice the difference. We had to put restrictors in our shower because it felt like a firehose. One of the most noticeable effects was how quickly the toilet water refilled. All of this is great but it was what he did recently that compelled me to write this review.

Our daughters room had this musty smell that we couldn't figure out. I got to a point where I wanted to buy a gas detector to figure out what it was. Her room was next to the water heater and I wondered if there was gas leaking through the wall perhaps. I recalled that Tom's team had to move and disconnect the water heater to change the pipes. I called him again and would have been willing to pay him for a visit to check it out. My guess was perhaps that it might have been the condition of the input gas line.

He basically said he'd be there the next morning to check it out. Promptly the next morning, he thoroughly checked the line and the input and even expelled some gas to let me know the difference. A year after his initial job, Tom himself was willing to come out, check things out, and put our concerns to rest.

I will be recommending him to all of my neighbors (who have been complaining of really bad water pressure because of their older pipes).

Yuda Z.

Tom was very professional and nice over the phone which was why I chose to go with him initially. It is also the reason why I have gone with 2 stars instead of 1 star.

Unfortunately, my experience with his company has been quite unpleasant. Since this is my first experience using a contractor, I made some early mistakes as well. Maybe more experienced homeowners will have less problems. Use at your own discretion.

Description of experience:

1. Initial visit to give price estimate was verbal only. I did not know to request for a written price quote. This led to later arguments over how much I should pay and I ended up paying an additional 400+ dolars for labor and still had to pay another plumbing company $8000 to make my house liveable again.

2. Tom initially quoted me $2300 to fix a hot water leak. While fixing hot water leak, attempted to fix a sewer pipe leak without first consulting me. This led to subsequent problems where they could not reconnect the sewer pipe and I eventually paid over $8000 additional dollars to a different company to fix the problem.

3. Could not subsequently give me a straight answer on how to fix the sewer pipe leak. Mentioned prices upwards to $30,000 and tearing down half the living room and bathroom floors. Subsequent consultation with other plumbing companies gave me very direct answers of how it can be fixed by simply building a new sewer pipe line for less than $9000.

4. When I asked Tom about the solution of routing new sewer line through driveway, he told me it would be extremely difficult to get city permit. He also mentioned he was close to people on the city board and could get the permit but was unsure about other companies. I subsequently went to San Mateo city hall and it was VERY EASY to get a permit and took 30 minutes.

5. When hot water pipe was ""fixed"", I called him mentioning there was hardly any hot water in the bathroom and he came by on a Saturday (which was nice) but told me there was no issues and that the primary issue was the valve was old. The plumber working under him later came by later and found that some pebbles had gotten into the pipe and was blocking flow of hot water. I have no experience in this but should this have been something he had checked instead of telling me it was the valve?

6. Took a very long time (roughly 2 weeks) to get me receipts on the work so I can process through my insurance claim. When things were finally cleared and work on the hot water pipe was completed, called me the very next day asking for payment in 1 day. I don't think this is reasonable at all. I had to write an email citing CA civil code 3260 after consulting with my company lawyer. Final payment to him was made 4 days later (including a weekend) so I had some time to verify the work had no further problems.


I would summarize by saying when Tom was in agreement with me, he was very courteous and professional. I'm sure he's a nice person but if things in the project go wrong, prepare to face alot of potential problems. I also question if some statements he makes are exaggerations or not entirely truthful.

J R.

Called about a leaky pipe. They were able to come out the next day and fix the issue. Price is good for the area ($105 per hour - one hour minimum plus parts). I will definitely use them again for my next plumbing issue.

Pat B.

During recent work on the house, I once again called Tom when we needed a new toilet in the renovated down stairs powder room. He arrived on time and quickly completed the installation without having to disrupt the other workers in the middle of their job. What more can you ask for? Mid Peninsula Plumbing is my plumber of choice.
I highly recommend Tom and his crew; fast, friendly, professional service, he treats every job as if he was doing it for himself.

Julia H.

If any of you is looking for a plumbing project, this is the company to go to! Tom, the owner is VERY honest, reliable, fast and affordable. I had him repipe my entire rental house, while I live 6 hrs away. This is how reliable and awesome he and his crew is. He just worked with my tenant and updated me daily.

I am certain you will not regret using his service one bit. I am now going to call him for any plumbing related work. Super...super...super AWESOME!!!!

Nospinzone Z.

I have been using Tom Gara's (the owner) services for years to do plumbing work in my house and rental units. He is a REAL PROFESSIONAL, and here is why :
- cost effective
- extremely knowledgeable
- customer friendly
- always delivers on time and on budget

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Scott B.

I highly recommend Mid Peninsula Plumbing and especially Tom the owner.

He worked on a bathroom and laundry room addition in our house that involved alot of heavy lifting (cement cutting in our garage to gain access to the waste pipes). He was always on time, courteous, clean, professional and cost effective. He even found a way to temporarily set up our laundy in the garage while he did the work. We loved the work he did!

Also, one year later, we noticed a smell coming from our laundy closet. We asked him to come and take a look. He came on the next Saturday to look it over. Turns out it was my washing machine that needed a cleaning and nothing to do with his work. He helped me fix the problem and he wouldn't even accept a payment for his visit.

I would definitely use him for any additional plumbing work in my house and would recommend him to all my friends.

Cassandra F.

Mid Peninsula Plumbing basically re-plumbed our entire house last year... we're talking all new copper pipes, gas lines were moved around, he even installed our fixtures, tub, toilet, disposer, and fridge. He did a lot of work for us.

Tom Gara, the owner, is awesome. He is very trustworthy, professional, knowledgeable, and works quickly. He showed up when he said he would and he did everything right the first time. Every bit of work that he did passed inspection with no problems at all. The inspector actually commented on how good the plumbing work looked. We really trust the work Tom did and the greatest part is it was all done for a great price.

I absolutely recommend Peninsula Plumbing for whatever plumbing needs you have.