Sugar Bear Home Services

Lawrence was extremely honest and professional. Although we weren’t able to install the new thermostat due to the old wiring, he clearly explained the issue instead of pushing a workaround that wouldn’t be right. He put the old thermostat back on and even took the time to educate me on how to properly seal the heater for better efficiency. I really appreciated his transparency, patience, and willingness to help. Highly recommend Sugar Bear Home Service.

Lawrence at Sugar Bear gave me several options to repair or replace my existing furnace. We had no heat, and they were able to put us on the schedule within 2 business days. All of the workers were polite, courteous, wore shoe covers, super thorough and knowledgeable. They even cleaned out the ducts. Also, we had to widen the opening for the new furnace and Sugar Bear got the carpentry work done the same week. The new furnace is better than ever. Really, this was a 5 star, white glove service experience. I highly recommend Sugar Bear.

Lawrence was great! He fixed our problem very quickly and was a super nice guy who helped me understand exactly what the issue was. I will definitely use this company again if any issues come up in the future. Now we will have a warm cozy Christmas with our heater working again.

Worked with sugar bear for a major electrical update, spending tens of thousands of dollars with them. The work the electricians did was good. Shoutout out to Ben! However, the administrative staff were difficult to work with. Timing around inspections were not communicated clearly and left me waiting at home when no one arrived on multiple occasions. The only time they were over communicative was when they were trying to collect payment. I tried to share this feedback directly with the administrative staff and management and both were uninterested in what I had to say. There are many electricians in the Bay Area and it's too bad that the administrative staff is not honoring the work of the great electricians.

Very disappointing experience. I received an initial quote nearly 2 weeks ago and followed up twice to schedule an appointment, but was told head office would call back—this never happened. We were away for the holidays then when we returned, I later booked a technician for 12/30 between 9am–12pm, but no one arrived or contacted us. When I called to check, I was told the appointment had never been assigned and that availability was now pushed out to February, with a tentative offer for the 8th. I had taken time off work specifically for this appointment. The lack of communication, accountability, and professionalism was unacceptable. I would not recommend this company.

I recently purchased a new home in mid-December. It really should have been the happiest time for me. Two weeks in I noticed all drains would back up. I contacted my home insurance one evening desperately requesting help and they suggested Sugar Bear. Sugar Bear came the following day on 12/30. I was charged $250 plus $60 for the visit. They explained that the cause was that the house did not have a cleanout installed. The house was built in 1943 and being a new home owner and not well informed this caused me extreme stress and fear. I believed their professional opinion and agreed to have them over on 12/31. The two same gentlemen showed up the following day around 10:30-11 a.m. and explained to me that they were unable to obtain the required equipment to install the clean out and would have to return on Monday 1/3. One of the two mentioned that Home Depot had been closed due to it being New Years Eve. Later that day I happened to need something from Home Depot and noticed it was open; I thought nothing of it since no one wants to work on New Year's Eve. On Monday they returned, missing equipment (a shovel and an extension cord) that luckily I had and could lend to them for the work. By this time I had cried every day and was upset that the inspection company had not caught that the house had no clean out. I was charged $1000 for the work and was later informed that more work would be needed which would cost $8000. They informed me that they would need to go into my neighbor's home to review their sewage line as well which would need a permit. I had just invested in a new home I didn't have $8000 for a new sewage; I didn't know my neighbor yet and would certainly not want them digging up my yard. This broke my heart. I explained I could not afford it and would have to discuss with my family to verify what could be done. At first I was informed by one of the gentleman that the work they had completed would last for a few weeks and perhaps I would be able to afford replacing my sewage line then. The other gentleman informed me once I mentioned that I would not be able to afford $8000 in a few weeks that I would most likely have the same problem backing up within a few days if not the next day. The two men could sense my nervousness and my dreams of being a new home owner come crashing down. At that time they suggested I do a work around which "may" help for $7000; but would not fix the problem. A few days later I contacted two separate plumbing companies, the city of Menlo Park Sewage and the Water District who sent out two representative as well as the inspection company that had reviewed my house before I placed my final offer to review the problem. All parties involved informed me that there was a clean out under the house (a common place for older homes). I was informed that it can be a hassle to review a clean out from under a house but it was definitely there. I was also informed the clean out was installed incorrectly. The two separate plumbers explained to me that the work was not as serious as had been diagnosed. Each provided me a price to complete the work for $2000 as opposed to $8000. The city of Menlo Park explained to me that they could review video of a camera going through the sewage line for free. They did this and determined the city would need to replace a portion and no digging was ever needed in my neighbor's yard. The outcome being I had been taken advantage of by Sugar Bear. I was angry at first followed by embarrassed that as a woman I was taken advantage of but now I just feel disappointed that someone could feel good with themselves to cheat someone out of their money. I would suggest you choose someone else or request a second opinion once quoted by Sugar Bear.

A little over 5 years ago, one of my tenants informed me that there was water leaking from the hot water heater in their unit. After looking around a little, I purchased a new Rheem 40 gal hot water heater from Sugar Bear Plumbing and had them do the removal of the old unit and installation of the new model. They showed up on time, were courteous and professional and performed a solid installation of a high quality water heater that I was happy to buy from them. Fast forward to 2014--I got a note from the same tenant above that they had no hot water. I went over to re-light the pilot light, but it wouldn't re-light after several tries. I called Lawrence and he came quickly making me his first appointment of the day. I was pretty sure that it was a problem with the thermocouple, but I wasn't sure. Lawrence confirmed that it was the thermocouple. I off-handedly mentioned that I wished that I could do it myself but was hesitant because the water heater is one of the newer types that has a completely sealed and fairly inaccessible inner chamber where the pilot and burner are located. After talking about it for a few minutes and getting some tips from Lawrence, I felt confident that I could make the repair. I asked him how much I should write the check out for the service call and he said not to worry about it--no charge. I couldn't believe it! With the confirmed diagnosis as well as the tips/coaching, I would have gladly paid the service call fee. He even said that he would be working in the area that day so if I had any questions or got stuck to just call him and he'd come back over. WOW! Repair went beautifully. BTW-the morning that Lawrence came by, it was raining quite as bit. We were well into the service call and investigating the problem before I noticed that he had plastic coverings on over his boots so that he wouldn't accidentally track water and mud into my tenant's apartment. ---That speaks for itself! Thanks Lawrence!

I shoulda read all the other reviews before hiring Sugar Bear, but I was desperate and they called first. I don't usually write "meh" reviews, but I really didn't leave with a great feeling. First reason: odd dispatch interactions. I talked to one dispatcher in the evening, gave my details, and set a time for a visit the next day. It all seemed very business-like The plumber didn't arrive, so I called back. Apparently there was no record I'd ever previously called. Weird. Second reason: insistent up selling. I'm sure that the more expensive version of the service *is* more effective. But if we want the cheap version that's worked well in the past...why keep pushing? After the plumber kept pushing for the pricey option after I'd asked him multiple times for the cheap but ok version, I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. We finally did get the cheap version though. Which was good because... Third reason: $$$$. Snaking a drain on the ground floor cost us $427. That's...a lot more than we paid the last time. Maybe average prices have gone up since the last time we had that pipe snaked, but wow. It was a shock. But we were desperate, as I said. So we paid. We asked an architect friend whether that price seemed reasonable, and he confirmed: definitely more $$$ then he'd accept. So, hey. Glad our problem is solved. But we're not going to call Sugar Bear ever again.

I just used Sugar Bear to replace my gas HVAC and water heater with new heat pump models and couldn't be more pleased. It was somewhat of a complicated project as my house had major additions/renovations, Heat Pumps are only recently becoming popular, and I needed electrical work done as well. Not to mention I had installed solar, and had rebate and Google Home networking questions. Lawrence was my point person and he is very friendly, knowledgeable and extremely patient with all my inquiries. I usually don't trust contractors and go with recommendations from friends but I contacted them due to their positive reviews and was impressed with their prompt service, knowledge and reasonable price when other bids I had gotten were outrageously overpriced and put on a bit of a show to try and justify their terrible prices. I knew Lawrence is someone I can trust and with his patient and calm demeanor he and his team did a great job and I'm very happy with my new heat pump HVAC and Water heater installations. I'm glad to recommend this company for any HVAC or plumbing needs. They certainly went above and beyond my expectations and I will continue to use them in the future.

This is not a review of their abilities as plumbers as they never actually made it out to my house to fix a clogged drain. I called slightly before noon on a Friday because our bathtub drain was clogged. The operator took all our information and told us a plumber would be out to fix the problem in a couple of hours. After waiting at the house for four hours I finally get a call from the plumber saying he wasn't going to be able to come out and that I could maybe schedule something for Tuesday. I tried to explain the drain was clogged and I couldn't wait but no I would have to wait. Now I understand them getting busy, not having the time to fix our drain, but to leave us hanging for four hours on a weekday afternoon without telling us they weren't going to make it after promising they would? Totally rude and unprofessional. This is no way to run a business. So if you have an immediate plumbing need do not depend on these guys to be able to make it out to fix it or even tell you they won't make it. They'll just leave you hanging.

Mic was great. About 5 years ago he installed the water heater in our flat (before it was our flat). It just broke (with just a few months left on the warranty) so we called Mic to come fix it. We had no idea it would be a two day job, including the replacement of our water heater with a new one! Mic spent a lot of time and effort diagnosing the problem and then going about fixing it. So the service was outstanding - we got a brand new water heater and a brand new warranty, and Mic and his associates were extremely respectful of our home (one guy even took off his muddy boots so as not to get the dirt all over our floors!). Even better was the cost - despite the job taking two days (largely because the equipment wasn't available right away), the cost to install it was basically the same as it was when the first water heater was installed 5 years ago. I highly recommend Mic for your plumbing needs. He gets the job done as quickly as possible, with a smile and for a reasonable price.

I was having some plumbing work done but was unhappy that the guy didn't show when he said he would, didn't have the right tools, and didn't seem to be able to complete the job so we parted ways. Lucky for me Lawrence, who owns Sugar Bear Plumbling, is my neighbor :-) I asked him to evaluate the half completed work and to provide an estimate. I was so impressed by his professionalism and knowledge and great attitude about stepping in to complete someone else's work. He got the job done. Then the tile guy, who would have finished the job, didn't seem to have the skills to complete his part and we also parted ways. Lawrence offered to complete this job too. He wanted the project completed, done well, and a happy customer. I am not really hard to please - I expect individuals to show up on time, be courteous and professional, have the tools and skills to get the job done. Lawrence is top notch. So now I know a great plumbing company and really like my neighbor.

The day after Christmas 2010... 940am - load of baby drool covered gift wrap paper to the garage. Discover a leak over the water heater. 1000am - call heating company...lady is confident that the water heater needs to be relplaced right away, without even seeing the unit She sounds like a biznatch that wants to just make some extra cash off of me. 1015am - call Sugar Bear plumbing. Lawrence says he can be over within the hour. 1045am - He's already there. Checks out the problem, goes over what's wrong, then gives estimate with great rates. Turns our its just minor corrosion in the couplings. New water heater my ass, lady. He leaves to pick up some parts. 300pm - Issue fixed, work area cleaned. Awesome, solid job. High quality materials. Made the previous plumbing look like 2 pencils, 4 straws, and some duct tape. Do yourself a favor and call Sugar Bear Plumbing first if any plumbing problems arise, or if you're remodeling or repiping.

If I could leave ZERO stars for Sugar Bear Plumbing I would. These guys are the worst plumbers out there. My husband and I had an appointment that we booked with Bernadino. Our appointment was scheduled for Friday at 8am. Unfortunately 8am came and went but Sugar Bear Plumbing never showed up. I called the number left on our voicemail and spoke with Lawrence, the owner! Lawrence proceeded to be irritated with me, claiming this appointment was not booked through him and he had no knowledge. I asked how I would know he had an employee named Bernadino if I hadn't spoken with him to book this appointment. Lawrence proceeded to say that I was frustrating him because I was implying his team was booking things without his knowledge! Strange, because that is precisely what happened. If you want a plumbing service that doesn't show up for their appointments, is defensive and hostile over the phone when you call to inquire than Sugar Bear Plumbing are your guys!

I called Sugar Bear Plumbing heating and air for my bathtub faucets that were leaking and needed to be replaced as well as my showerhead and kitchen faucet I was given an appt window of 1to 3pm and Anthony would be my plumber well Anthony was able to start much sooner than 1 which was great he assessed what was needed for the job offered advice signed me up for the sugar bear membership program for my future plumbing needs Anthony is a wonderful plumber and did a excellent job on my faucets showerhead and kitchen sink I will recommend Sugar Bear Plumbing for your plumbing needs as well as request the services of Anthony as your plumber he was extraordinary and I also met eric the warehouse manager who came by to drop off extra parts he was very pleasant it turns out he grew up in the same neighborhood. And this review was done today I had the work done today wonderful job call them.