Lacayo-Colt Plumbing & Heating

Be very careful.  
These guys installed the heating unit in our home.  I had some retrofitting work done later.  The retrofit workers disconnected some of the ducts (u can see them physically separated).  I called Rey to take a look about reconnecting the heating ducts.  
He hold me the main board was faulty & needed replacement, $900!

The retrofitting folks I hired was also a general contractor.  He had his people reconnect the ducts.  A year later, heating unit still works great.

Rey is the best!  My rental had a toilet leak and he fixed it within 24 hours. Will definitely recommend him.

I thought Rey did a reasonable, if expensive, job on plumbing projects a few years back so I called him when I had two separate heating and plumbing issues.  

Plumbing:   I've hired Rey on three occasions for plumbing work.   He did a reasonably priced job on getting me a new hot water heater a few years back.  Recently, though, it seems like his prices have gone up and the quality has gone down.  I asked him for an *estimate* on replacing a bathroom sink when he was at my house doing a heating repair and he just went ahead and replaced it, left the old one under my house, and charged me $700 (!!).  

Heating:  Rey changed the (newish) thermostat, did some other work, then told me it was fixed.  I checked, and in fact it was not fixed.  He then asked me to leave him payment and I told him (several times) that I would pay him when the heater worked.  He went back, sent me a confusing text about what was wrong, then asked me seven times to pay him in a 24 hour period before I could verify that the heater was, in fact, working.  (Seven times seems like a lot considering that I'm not a new customer and I have a track record of paying him after he does work!).

Anyway,  I (of course) put the check in the mail after the heater worked.  If I seem a little defensive about that, it's because I counted and Rey sent me TEN text messages about getting paid.  And I literally mailed the check the day after the work was done.  Rey seems like a nice guy and I'm sad to write him such a negative review, but he really needs to do the job right, for a reasonable price, make sure it works, then not harass and badger customers.  If he's the only person you can find, I strongly recommend getting an estimate in writing first.

Beware of expensive follow up repairs. We were happy with the pricing and installation of our heating system to our home however we needed it checked out after a couple of years as the air was no longer heating, Rey came out and took a look and told us certain parts needed to be replaced and told us it would cost $1,000.00 to do the repairs. I was skeptical so I go a second opinion...we had it fixed for $30.00 by another professional heating company. No parts needed repair.

Ray is a jerk. Very condescending and sarcastic. This without even setting up an appointment nor them coming out. After texting back and forth, I opted for a company I preferred to give my money to. I was not about to have my valuable time wasted. I wouldn't reccomend them at all. Horrible customer service and lacks professionalism.

I met with Rey to have him offer a proposal for a plumbing and HVAC job. His bid was higher than some, but my general contractor had a working relationship with him. When I reached out to him to start the job, he didn't respond to my email. I then followed up with a phone call to confirm if he was still available. When he answered, he said, I don't want to do your job. And hung up... no explanation, no further interaction. I know that contractors are busy, but I still expect some level of professionalism. Rey was downright rude and unprofessional.

We asked Rey to come give us a quote for air conditioning a year ago.  After pg&e finally updated our transmitter a year later, Rey and his team came and installed.  I changed my mind on where to put the unit and Rey didn't even blink... he said, we want you to be happy and had his crew move it.  He didn't make me feel bad he simply wanted me to be happy.  Then we needed one more vent and he came in the next day and put one in.  Every step of the process was smooth and lovely.  I loved his energy and couldn't recommend him any more.  He and his team are the best!

We had a new tankless water heater installed by Rey and his guys and were pretty happy with them!
There was a little problem with an open soldering point after they first installed it, but they were very responsive and came back quickly to fix things.
They are not cheap, but the price is competitive and I am happy to pay for good service.

I've known Rey for many years.  He tiled my bathroom and installed a new toilet.  I am still getting compliments on that job.
Recently, I asked him to replace the sewer pipe in my basement - big job, but he and his crew did it quickly and cleanly with no real disruption to me.  He also gave me hot and cold water for my washing machine, which I had never had, and hadn't thought of - all for the same price. Plus, he rerouted the gas line for my stove!
Rey  Lacayo and Amy Colt are great people and have a wonderful family.  He has a SF number and doesn't mind coming to SF.
Get his Estimate!

Rey is our neighborhood plumber, and has provided prompt, affordable service when we've needed it. He is a pleasure to work with.

Rey came to my house quickly after I called him. Our water heater wasn't working and he went into the crawl space and immediately had it working. When I asked him how much I owed, he said no charge. Hard to find that kind of service. I highly recommend him.

Lacayo Colt Plumbing and Heating is the only company I would use for plumbing, water heaters, furnaces, etc. We have had water heater and furnace replaced and a lot of plumbing work done. Rey Lacayo does an excellent job. He is reliable, gave us great advice about how long we could hold off on replacing our furnace (and when we couldn't anymore) and his prices are very competitive.  He is also a great member of our community, supporting neighborhood schools.

Ray was my go-to plumber for a few years. He was generally available, his prices were reasonable, and he did good work. But then he started to grow and his prices went up. It seemed like his employees were just less adept at getting the job done quickly. Eventually, I experienced a serious sewer problem on a large building, and his bid was way out of line with the other bidders on a job of several thousand dollars. I'm not saying don't use Ray, but be sure to get other bids before you do!

Rey came and I was so impressed. Fixed problem. Was friendly and courteous. One month later, the shower he fixed would. Ot turn off. Called and couldnt get through. Tested and learned he was outta town. Asked for advice. Nothing. Found someone to fix it. Still haven't heard from Rey-out about $800 just with his work.

Re:  Lacayo-Colt Plumbing & Heating, Oakland, California

To whom it may concern:     July, 2015

Best plumber in the World?  I can't say, but THE BEST PLUMBER IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA is my belief.  Rey Lacayo replaced our water heater--one that had been installed by one of the best-known of Bay Area plumbing companies--and made the difficult-access replacement quickly, perfectly and with corrections of the not-to-code earlier work as a natural part of the job, all on budget and only one day after we first called him!  Very impressive, high-quality work--after years with big-name companies, I now have a plumber whose work I believe in.

A month later, our toilet tank apparatus failed after many years, and Rey found time on his lunch hour to make the repair so that we would not be inconvenienced for more than a few hours.  Working inside the house, he impressed me with his cleanliness (shoe covers!) and his pride of workmanship, and he left me feeling relieved that I now have a resource I can trust for our upcoming furnace replacement and inevitable trenchless sewer line work.

For all my admiration of Rey's work, however, this letter of commendation falls short:  it cannot portray the cheerful, upbeat spirit that Rey brings to his work, a wonderful presence that makes you take him most naturally not only as your new plumber but as a friend.  I no longer dread having to call the plumber, and Rey leaves me with the sense that I will not be left stranded if I have a plumbing or heating problem some Christmas Eve.  Enjoy working with Rey if you have any plumbing or heating problem--it is honestly and positively a privilege.

Sincerely,

R. Chapman
Berkeley, California

UPDATE AS OF NOVEMBER, 2015

We have used Rey Locarno and his plumbing company for every plumbing need we have had for the past four years--and in an older Montclair property, that has been a good deal of work--and I can say only that he remains our plumber of choice by a long shot.

We have just replaced our 40-year-old furnace through his company as well, and we got spectacular work done at a very reasonable price.  The project involved relocating previous piping, building a platform for the newer, shorter furnace, and upgrading all our furnace venting to code.

Anyone who needs a smart and efficient plumber or heating contractor should consider Rey first.  He is the most knowledgeable and competent in his field from my forty years of homeowner experience, and a great pleasure to work with.

Rey is fantastic. When we needed urgent service he responded promptly, efficiently and did superb work for a price that made other estimates seem absurd. Indeed, our experience with Rey at every level was superior to any we've ever had with other plumbers - or the experiences we've heard from others who weren't as fortunate to have called Lacayo Colt Plumbing first.

Ray Lacayo was great - fixed a leak under our kitchen sink that I had been unsuccessfully struggling with for a couple of days.  Next time I'll call him before trying to do anything myself.

Rey is the best! He was first recommended to us in 2005 when our water heater broke down. He was the third plumber we called for an estimate, and the only one who had a suggestion that didn't require us to tear up the floor of several downstairs rooms. (Earthquake damage had rendered the existing pipes useless.) Instead he installed a tankless heater, which saved us money on the original repair as well as on our monthly bill.

Since then, Rey has been our go to, and we recommend him to all our friends and family. Our house was built in 1926 and the plumbing is almost as old. We are on a tight budget, and he has provided us with options that we can afford. When our ancient single-vent floor furnace died two years ago, he replaced it and gave us warmth throughout the house, quickly and at a reasonable price.

Rey is professional and efficient, responds promptly and does great work. And he's a really great guy who's a pleasure to be around.

Rey is solid.  Everything he quoted was accurate.  His workmanship is tops.  He cares about his customers and communicates extremely well.  After many other experiences with horrible contractors, I am pleased to say Rey is different from the rest!

We've used Rey for many years now.   On our old house ,we had him put in a mini-split heater for a garage remodel and also had him put in a tankless hot water heater.     In the past two years he's also helped with our new (fixer-upper) house--  replaced the sewer lateral; installed a new furnace and ductwork (so nice not to have a floor heater fire-hazard now!); and got our galvanized piping to last for the past two years.    

We're now about to hire him for a hot water heater replacement and probably full re-piping.   His team is efficient and his prices are reasonable.

$2000 estimate to replace a shower valve. The highest estimate of the three I got, by FAR. I wonder if this is because I'm a single woman and they were trying to take advantage of me. Did not hire, can't vouch for the work. But the gobsmackingly high estimate alone felt insulting.

Rey and his family-owned business are stellar. We had multiple bids to replace our old, broken furnace and thermostat with a new one, and Rey provided the most cost-effective option. He and his daughter worked with the city (during COVID, when the city is extremely backed up) to secure the needed permit to do the work. He came promptly on time with an apprentice and was able to very-efficiently replace our furnace in around 1/2 a day, including running a new electrical connection for our new Nest thermostat from our crawlspace (which meant he didn't have to cut into our walls, which was a huge win).

I will be going with Rey and LCP&H for my future needs, including an AC, attic insulation, attic fan, and additional homes we will be buying. Rey and LCP&H deliver the best quality, with the best prices. Highly recommended!

The crawl space and detached garage under my home flooded during the recent round of extreme weather. In addition to spending time manually pumping water out of my garage, my furnace went out due to being submerged in water. Despite being incredibly busy with neighbors having similar issues, Rey responded quickly, got my furnace up and running, and put together a sump pump and drainage plan to mitigate future flooding. As soon as we had a dry day, Rey and his efficient and friendly team installed the sump and drainage. For the first time in weeks, I didn't spend time during/after heavy rains pumping water out of my garage - it was dry as a bone! Rey's pricing was very fair and he and his team have been great to work with. I highly recommend this business.

Lacayo-Colt Plumbing has done so much work on our house, they are almost like family. The owner, Rey Lacayo, is personally involved in every project and stands behind his work. When having to replace our water heater and HVAC systems, Rey always recommended the best products to use. I w!ill only go to Rey for my plumbing and HVAC needs!

Great service.  These guys were fast, upfront about pricing, and incredibly polite making a big effort to avoid leaving any mess.  We had our toilet back up, they snaked the sewer line and inspected it for free.  Seems we finally needed to replace it.  Tons of plant root had invaded the line.  It was a huge job but they came back the next morning digging outside working under the house.  When they finished you couldn't tell they were ever there! Two days of work and we only needed to stop using the water for an hour and a half.  Fantastic!

I've been meaning to review Rey and the team at LCP&H for a while. We had some plumbing issues at the start of the pandemic which his team quickly took care of. He did say that it would be a short-term fix because ultimately we needed a new sewer lateral. Sure enough 3 months later it was evident that we needed the new lateral, and fast. Lacayo-Colt was there that week and knocked the job out in a day and a half. The were respectful, communicative and professional during the job. They did excellent work and the pricing was very reasonable. The only tough part of the experience was waiting almost 2 months for the City of Oakland to come inspect the lateral!!! Insane for an inspection that took 10 mins. EBMUD certified it the day it was done. Rey and his team kept in constant, transparent, and quick communication about the inspection delays and got the inspector out, finally. They filled the trenches and cleaned up in less than 5 hours. They even fixed a wax ring on an old toilet at no charge and made sure everything was good to go.

Rey did work for us on a couple occasions and his crew did a good job at a reasonable price.

Last time I called for two relatively minor issues, things went downhill.  

Having a little experience with residential plumbing, I suggested what I thought was the problem and fix.  Rey didnt agree with my diagnosis, tried and failed to fix one of the issues and tried to sell me on several thousand dollars in repairs and upgrades.

I ended up fixing one problem myself for $75 in parts (took me several hours, but I was right about the problem).  The other problem was fixed by another plumber in less than a hour for a $150 service call.

I dont appreciate being sold on things I dont need.  I just want my problem fixed.  I need to be able to trust that my plumber (or any tradesman) is giving me good advice.  For this reason, I wont be using Colt-Lacayo again.

Just talked to this guy about replacing the thermocoupler on my water heater. Couldn't give me a quote over the phone, even though I already know what is wrong with it (PG&E came out this morning and told me). On a good note he was willing to come out in an hour. However, he couldn't tell me if he had the part I needed replaced, and said if he couldn't fix it I could call someone else tomorrow. I was skeptical about the situation, given that he wouldn't give me a quote, and couldn't say if he had the part. So he told me bye and hung up. Abruptly. He really needs to work on his customer service.

After lots of texting back and forth, Rey decided that he couldn't be bothered to come to San Francisco to do a heating repair because he might not be able to park. Despite us being in their indicated service area. Very disappointing.
Do not rely on this company. Flaky and amateurish.

I can not say enough about Rey Lacayo. First meet him about 4years ago. Had an emergency at moms house New Year's Eve. My mom had a damaged heating system , cold house winter time.He came right away,fixed the problem. Then said no charge because l was helping take care of my mom. He said he gives  back to the community. I just had him replace water heater, toilet. The work was exceptional, all cleaned up.l will never use any one else, or recommend anyone else.If anyone needs plumbing/heating needs call him.If Rey cannot fix the problem, it can't be fixed.

Great guy! Rey lecayo is honest and through.  He will not sweet talk you but you can bet he will do a good job.  I have used him 4 times.  Two jobs were complicated.  He stayed until the job was done perfectly and the price was fair.

We've used Rey and team for the last 5 years or so. From toilet installations to a recirculating tankless hot water heater. Work quality is good and any issues that have come up have been resolved promptly.

I appreciate his informal nature (scheduling via SMS, etc), but can see why some reviewers might like a more formal communications. We'll be continuing to use him in the future.

Ray is the best.  On time, efficient, reasonably priced, friendly, and very competent.

Had to call in Rey LaCayo and his team to address plumbing problems left by a kitchen contractor.   Always professional and gets the job done right.  Be flexible with a no emergency calls because they are always in demand.

Rey Lacayo has flaked on scheduled appointments with us more than once. This morning we had an appointment to fix a semi-emergency plumbing problem (kitchen drain pipe busted, with out-of-town relatives due to arrive any minute). Not only did he not show up at the scheduled time, he didn't even call to tell us he couldn't make it.

Lacayo Colt Plumbing has done acceptable work for us in the past, but because of their lack of dependability, we will be looking for another plumber.

Our garbage disposal went out on a Saturday night so when a friend recommended Rey on Monday morning, I called him.  He asked me to text him our address, which I did and he dropped by that afternoon.  After checking things out, he said they would come back to replace the disposal the next morning.  His tech team arrived at 8:30 with the replacement disposal, took everything apart, cleaned out the crud and installed the new one, were done within about 40 minutes, leaving our sink and the area clean as a whistle.  Today's bill was icing on the cake - very reasonable.  A job well done - I would recommend them any time!

Rey helped us unclog a drain pipe that had created a minor disaster in our basement.  He came out on a Sunday morning, and the service was prompt, professional and effective.  It doesn't hurt that his rates are priced at a great value, and that he was friendly too!

Rey came the same day we called to replace our busted water heater, beat the other quotes we got for this service by a wide margin and gave us great, friendly service. Highly recommend him!

Had such a positive experience and wanted to share the recommendation -  Lacayo Colt Plumbing should be the business you call for all your plumbing needs.  Rey Lacayo quickly responded to my inquiry for help, offered to schedule an appointment for the next day, and provided exceptional service. He found it to be a small fix - didn't even charge me - and saved me from a much more costly and time consuming repair job. He will be my go-to for repairs, and I recommend him. Can't say enough about the fantastic experience I had with his business.

Called Lacayo Colt and Rey was out to my place almost immediately to estimate a job to fix my wall furnace. I learned immediately the furnace was faulty=old. I've had to manually light the pilot for years (day after day). Rey bid me a central heating unit for a great price, it's a small house. I'll follow-up with a review when I get the quote and possibly the work. Rey was professional, kind in his bad news delivery and considerate with next steps. I'm tough on customer service but his was great. Again I'll update on the follow through and product.

The dishes coming out of our dishwasher smelled like sewer. I've tried everything, reached out to other plumbers, nobody could figure it out. Rey did the research, even called the Berkeley water department, and figured out the problem. His team installed a one way valve and everything is working well now.

Rey's team also replaced a garbage disposal for us. A day before Thanksgiving!

Would happily recommend this company to everyone in the area.

Rey saved us $1,500.00. Yes, $1,500.00!

We called Rey at 5:10 PM on a Wednesday where we advised that our water heater pilot continues to burn out. He refused to provide a quote for a new water heater over the phone but instead said he would like to come take a look at 8:30 the next morning to assess the situation. He arrived at 8:30 and at first look said, You do not need a water heater you only need to clear the dust from the vent. Apparently, our laundry room has a vent that we never knew about as it is not easily visible (positioned behind a furnace pipe). The flow of air from this vent is required so that oxygen enters the room in which enables the pilot to stay lit.

Rey, reinforced the fact that our problem was no doubt the vent as he could, smell moisture in the air as the fresh air was not entering the area.

We immediately cleaned years of dust from this vent and our pilot has since remained lit. We also, notice the damp smell is gone! We tried for several years to get rid of this smell but did not have any luck.
 
Finally, we want to mention that we called three other highly rated Yelp water heater specialist. They all stated, that we needed a new water heater based on the age of the water heater and quoted between $1,300 and $1,800.00 even thought our  water heater is only 6 years old. I made Rey aware of this and he said, It's a scam that so many others will sell you a new water heater when you do not need.

Thanks Rey!

I have depended on the services of Lacayo Colt Plumbing for years.  Rey is knowledgeable and competitively priced.  Rey has repaired a variety of leaks in our home as well as the installation of water heaters and furnace repairs.  I highly recommend Lacayo Colt Plumbing.

Came right away, it ended up being a simple fix and he wouldn't charge us! Such a nice guy!

He didn't make a dime off our transaction. Our garbage disposal leaked. Rey inspected it and said it needed to be replaced. We requested an inexpensive garbage disposal for $250. At the hardware store Rey bought items for several clients in bulk and didn't notice he got a disposal worth almost $500. He didn't realize his mistake until after he installed the disposal. He insisted he charge us only what we originally agreed. I objected that he visited us twice, shopped for us, and labored under our sink, so we should pay him a little more. He wouldn't accept any increase in price. Now that's what I call an honest businessman.

Rey is a honest HVAC mechanic. I've recommend him to many Friends over the last 12 years. All I've received back are rave reviews. His experience and attention to detail is what sets him apart from the other mechanics I know. If you need it fixed day or night rain our shine he's your man!

I highly recommend Lacayo-Colt Plumbing. My husband and I have been in the process of renovating our home and these guys have done all of our plumbing and gas lines.
They are well priced and always show up when they say they will. The work is perfect and the owner is is a super cool guy, very personable.

Rey and his team have been great to us through projects big and small. He is responsive, knowledgeable, and very reasonably priced. It is a family operation, and it shows through the quality of their work and the attention paid to each job. We will keep using Rey as long as possible!

Hands down, the Bay Area's best plumber.

So, when you need a plumber you call them and they come and fix your problem, at least a good one does. Rey does that, all at a very reasonable price. He has saved us many times on the weekends (old house) and he also did our trenchless sewer line replacement when it exploded. So, in the plumbing department he's five stars.

But what I really love about Rey so much is him. I honestly feel like he's become a friend. He's such a sweet guy, very considerate, very clean. And what a character! He was an Olympic boxer! Ask him about his enthusiasm for ACDC! Totally cool, and totally recommended.

Very professional, reliable, does the job right.  Would be my dream plumber, but the sound is so terrible on his cell phone that I'm giving up on trying to set up appointments with him.

We've been calling Lacayo Colt Plumbing for years now.  Rey is the most honest, dependable and skilled plumber we've found after almost 20 years of home ownership.   They've replaced outdoor and indoor water lines for us and kept the drains in our older home running smoothly.  Rey's estimates are always very reasonable and the workmanship is excellent.   Highly recommended - you won't be sorry you called Lacayo Colt for your next plumbing problem.

Someone recommended Rey Lacayo at Lacayo- Colt Plumbing to me, and I was so glad I called. Rey came by quickly, gave me the best estimate I'd seen, and had the work *totally done* within five days.
We needed our washer/dryer moved to a utility room, our hot water heater removed and a tankless one installed, and our old furnace replaced and moved to our crawl space.
He is amazingly friendly, easy to reach, and feels like a member of the family after five minutes (get him to tell you his story about taking his three daughters to the AC/DC concert).
Rey and his employees are absolutely people I trust, and would use again. He went far above and beyond what we asked for and was a pleasure to work with.

Rey and his team are amazing. Super professional and kept to their quote. Even fixed a problem that was out of scope and an issue inherent to the house. Did a super job. Would recommend them to anybody and will use them for future work.

I didnt hire them or even consider it, so I can't say anything about their work. But their van almost hit us, we were exiting a freeway and they kept honking as if we were going to slow even though it was just crowded, then went around us onto the street we were going to (very dangerous in this intersection) and almost hit a kid crossing the street and had the audacity to honk at him and us, as if they weren't the ones driving recklessly and rudely.