Sewer Master, A Private Sewer Lateral Contractor

I hired Vincent and his crew to update my x2 sewer laterals (as dictated by the city of Oakland).

Unlike Pipe Spy, who charged $450 for an estimate and consultation (!!??), Vincent gave me a free consultation and was both knowledgeable and communicative.

His crew of guys replaced both our pipes in a single day for a very reasonable price.

Thanks Vincent & Crew!

Mr Gaines investigated my sewer/plumbing issues recently. I was prepared to spend as much as $10,000 for services rendered. I was pleasantly surprised that his focus was on solving my problem not so interested in providing estimate or quote. In fact the solution may not involve me using his services and cost me less the $10,000 I had budgeted. That is what I call customer service with integrity!!! I would recommend Mr Gaines to anyone and will call again if I have similar issues.

Lawrence

We needed to have our sewer lateral replaced before moving. We shopped around and found good reviews for Sewer Master. Vincent's timely responses and professionalism in conducting the assessment were impressive. After he left, I texted my partner, Vincent really knows his stuff! and he eventually won our business. He took care of everything behind the scenes, and within a few weeks, everything was done, including obtaining the required certificate, completely free of friction. Our property looked great after the work was completed. The cost was very reasonable (exactly what Vincent estimated), and the crew left very few traces of the substantial work they did on our property while we were away. We won't have to do this again, but if we did, we would go to Sewer Master.

We were IMPRESSED with Sewer Master!  Vincent Gaines is talented, intelligent, knowledgeable and professional.  If I could I would have given 10 stars.

In early December, on Sunday, our sewer backed up causing flooding in my art studio and laundry area.  It was especially devastating because we were preparing to leave town for two weeks.  As soon as we discovered the water I called five plumbers for estimates.  Vincent was the first to respond.  He did a thorough inspection of the sewer line inside and outside the house and then sent us an estimate for Trenchless sewer repair.  He went out of his way to explain what was needed and his price was fair.  He said he could start five days later which would mean going without showers, water in the kitchen and only flushing toilets with solid waste.  We couldn't wait!  We asked him if he could do the job sooner and he agreed to start the next day.  

He sent the nicest guys to do the job and he checked on the work often.  Because the blockage was so old, and like a brown Brillo pad, they had to abort the original plan and replace the pipes by digging a trench which went outside and down a hill.  This work took over two days, much longer than expected.  Vincent was kind and didn't charge us more than our original contract.  We appreciated this as the whole procedure was costly.

Vincent will come and check your sewer line for no charge, which he has recently done for my neighbor.  Be sure to check out his website, sewermaster-bayarea.com, you will be glad you did!

I recently bought a home in Castro Valley and needed to have a sewer inspection done to confirm an issue that was found on the home inspection report.  I called Sewer Master and Vincent showed up the next day on time ready to work.  He inspected the sewer and discover that the previous inspection was not done correctly.  Because Vincent did the job correctly he saved me 8000 dollars in unnecessary repairs and fees to the city.    If you need to have an inspection done call Vincent.

This company is amazing!  They made the lateral process simple, straightforward and well under anticipated expenses.  The representative I worked with, Vincent Gaines, was stellar in all aspects and I would strongly encourage anyone living in Montclair in particular, and elsewhere, needing a lateral inspection to utilize this firm.  Can't say enough about them besides Outstanding!

I needed someone to come check out my sewer line yesterday, with a camera, to see where it went under my property.  He was efficient, professional, personable, and quickly satisfied my need to know if planned demolition would endanger my sewer line.  He found that there was no issue for worry, and didn't even charge me for this initial check, since it didn't need any official report or attention.

I will definitely call him in the future for any and all sewer issues and happily pay his fair rate.  And, I'd like to recommend him for any of your sewer needs now!  You won't be sorry...give him a call.

Sewer Master did an excellent job replacing our old clay sewer lateral. It took three full days from start to finish and they left the yard the way they found it. They even planted back a bush they had to dig out! Highly recommend this company. Thank you, Vincent and team!

We couldn't be more satisfied with the work finding and repairing 2 breaks in a very long sewer line from our backyard cottage.  Vincent came out for the free estimate and was so clear, knowledgable, professional and nice that we took his advice about how to go about the repairs and were even more sure when his estimate seemed very reasonable.  His crew was incredibly efficient, and professional as well, finished a very big job in one day, cleaned up perfectly, and if you have sewer line problems you definitely should use them.  They are truly sewer masters!

Vincent came to our house today as scheduled.  He was on time, professional, friendly and no-nonsense.  In short, he was the perfect contractor.  I highly recommend considering Sewer Master for your next sewer issue.

My husband and I just bought a house and were confused about the process for completing the sidewalk compliance. Vincent was super helpful in explaining how the process worked and made us feel at ease. Not only that but they got it taken care of on very short notice and delivered the certificate to our house. We really recommend giving these guys a call for sidewalk compliance!!

Vincent was a true pro...dare I say master of his trade? Yes! Quick to reply, quick to schedule, quick to finish the job. Speaking of the job, quality of the work was great. I don't intend on needing to use his 10 year guarantee but I'm sure glad he reassures all his customers by adding it as the cherry on top of his services. Thanks Sewer Master!

I have only the most positive things to say about working with Vincent, the owner of Sewer Master. He did sewer lateral work on my house back in 2016. He did quality work, provided great customer service, and was quick, reliable, and courteous--all at a very competitive price. This year, he made a complimentary service call to help me figure out whether the sewer lateral was low enough to install a new half-bath. Five stars!

Vincent replied to my request for a sewer lateral inspection in a very timely manner. The initial inspection was completed within a couple days, and an estimate submitted to me the next morning. The sewer lateral clean out was installed and inspected promptly after the deposit was paid. Overall, I would recommend Sewer Master to anyone in the East Bay requiring sewer lateral compliance.

I highly recommend The Sewer Master -owner Vincent Gaines. He inspected a home we are going to list for  our client.  He was the only company that inspected the sewer for Free. Everyone else was charging my clients. Vincent scheduled an appointment with me and was able to inspect the sewer without me being present. He video the sewer and it was clean. He did some research for us and found out the existing sewer exemption certificate was already in the EBMUD system.
Thank you so much for being so honest and helpful Vincent.

My client really appreciated it and so do I!

I highly recommend using Sewer Master

Sewer Master were really great. We needed our sewer lateral replaced and they were gave a detailed estimate, communicated really well, handled some tricky requests from us and got the job done really quickly and cleanly. Highly recommended.

We had a sewer plug left in our sewer lateral and concreted over by the plumbers that built it.  The plug was periodically wedging and occluding the whole sewer lateral backing up all of the drains in our house and resulting in multiple wastewater overflows into our back and side yard.

I communicated once with Vincent on the phone, sent him a few details and pictures via text and Sewer Master (SM) gave me easily the most competitive quote for what was a straightforward, if bizarre problem.  SM was able to get a team out earlier than expected and fixed the problem in an afternoon.  If we have future issues I will reach out to Vincent again and I would definitely recommend Sewer Master to others.

Amazing work. Very professional.

Performed a sewer lateral. Job was done in a day. Clean up was beyond amazing. Work crew was very nice and professional. Answered any and all questions. Inspection was done for free. Pricing was reasonable and in line with what needed to be done. Thank you

Replaced my Private sewer lateral. The price was better that other quotes I got. They were quick- and actually called to ask if they could do the work sooner than the original date we set out. I didn't need to be home so t wasn't a problem. Everyone I dealt with was polite, they cleaned up my yard afterwards. I was satisfied with the work

Vincent and his crew are fantastic.  He came out right away to assess a sewer lateral compliance job at the home I had just purchased and provided a reasonable quote in no time at all.  The team ended up lowering a sewer line below the basement flooring, connecting to the city sewer main, and fixing a leak below the bathroom.  Everything was complete in less than two days.  The work was professional, and the crew kept the job site clean and returned everything to like-new condition.  I will definitely be calling Sewer Master for any future plumbing needs.

Vincent was great- communicative and always available when we had questions. He was quick to schedule an onsite meeting, provide an estimate, pull permits, and get the job complete despite some unforeseen site conditions at our house. We had less than a month left to upgrade our PSL and he worked quickly to get us done in time. His pricing was competitive with the other 2 quotes we received. Sewer Master made this whole process as simple as it could have been!

TLDR: Vincent is my kinda guy to work with, I'd recommend working with him if something comes up.

We had just bought a place out in Berkeley and was getting quotes for sewer lateral replacement since it was assumed we needed it. Had scheduled for a couple people to come out and give me their opinion where I had gotten quotes of 6k+ to address. Out of all of them, Vincent was the only one that had the insight and the detailed oriented thinking to realize we may be exempt. Vincent started conversations with the city and eventually got me the certificate based on the exemption he argued for.

Never met this guy in person since I just instructed him to swing by the house while I was at work but I owe him a beer since he literally saved me thousands of dollars after what paying him for his services for obtaining the cert.

Vincent is as honest and dedicated as they come. He was incredibly responsive and spent hours advising me on a very tricky situation. He is well-respected by the city and has key people in the Oakland permitting and inspection departments on speed dial. His knowledge and connections saved me countless days of further headache (and expense!). I cannot recommend his services more highly. If you need any work done in connection with sewer laterals, don't hesitate to call Vincent @ Sewer Master. He's a North Oakland native with a wealth of knowledge, and just an all-around awesome guy. I'd hire him in a heartbeat, and you should too.

Got several quotes to replace a sewer lateral that seemed expensive.  Vincent responded quickly and came to do an inspection and gave a quote that was better than the competition.  His crew came to do the work the following week and it was finished in one day.  They cleaned up well but left some old pipes and cones.  I contacted Vincent and he replied quickly and came back to pick up the pipes and cones and filled in the dirt a little more where I requested.  He filed the papers to get me the sewer compliance certificate in a timely manner.  He's professional, fast, and his crew does great work.

I strongly recommend Sewer Master!  I had gotten two prior bids and both gave exorbitant bids to replace the lateral, and without really considering my special circumstances.  Given that my lateral was short, mostly under the house and above ground, Vince suggested doing a pressure test to see if replacement was necessary.  It turned out my lateral was just fine, the City of Berkeley witnessed the test and signed off on my certificate, and Vince save me a ton of $$.  I have since referred Vince and Sewer Master to friends and associates in need of lateral inspections/testing/replacement.

I got an email from this company that they are offering a free sewer lateral inspection and estimate repairs for listings. We scheduled an inspection that was supposedly conducted the next morning. Day later we emailed them to ask if the inspection is ready and they told us they are not bidding on the project. We lost time and now need to find and schedule someone new.
VERY unprofessional.

Vincent Gaines owner of Sewer Master is outstanding. He is timely and thorough. Vincent inspected  a home for free that we had listed. He noticed previous work and was able to ascertain an existing sewer lateral certificate that had not yet expired. I highly recommend Vincent for any plumbing and sewer needs.

Pamela P.
Broker

Five stars! I had a sewer main clog last night and called a rooter to come. After charging me $400, that doofus said I needed $3400 more to fix the problem b/c the main was all busted up. WELL, I got Vincent's name from a friend and he came out the next day with his amazing camera. After looking through 90 feet of sewer line, he determined it was in pretty good shape, and it's not even clay (cast iron). And get this: he charged me NOTHING! Nada. Zilch. I will be calling Vincent Gaines again if a sewer problem occurs. Hire this man! He is one of the few honest men in the biz.

Vincent and his crew did an amazing job replacing our sewer lateral and broken sidewalk, bringing our new house in compliance with Oakland regulations.  Highly recommend!

What can I say, Vincent and his company are the ideal people you want working on your sewer system. Not only was his bid the most competitive but he worked with us to get the job completed. He is straight to the point, intelligent in his abilities, and true to his word. He allowed us to make the initial payment with a credit card (without an exorbitant charge) and was willing to wait for the EBMUD reimbursement check to complete his payment (no other contractor around was willing to do that, I know because we called them all). It took him one day to complete the job while others said 2+ days. His team was very accommodating, allowing us to change the scheduled work date due to guests. Also, he is very prompt with his responses not to mention how he perfectly coordinated with EBMUD to have the inspection done.

Sewer master helped me close on escrow on time by getting the sewer replaced and obtain the EBMUD sewer certificate great. Great job vincent!

Got a few Quotes for sewer lateral and was going to go with SM as they were the cheapest (will soon find out why) and responsive.

I was delaying the $$ and waited a couple months between the quote (which was quick) and proceeding with work which was my bad. In the mean time SM did laterals for a few neighbors who said they did a great job.

A few months later I reached out to move forward with work. After 2 emails, a text, and a call I finally heard back saying the quote was rescinded and they would not do work. My neighbors work (which I got for them) cost too much and they no longer would do job or I could pay $2250 more. Uhhhh no.

They undoubtedly to good low price work if you are in east bay but just not in marin/north bay. Being in sales I stand by my quotes...

Response to Owner-I never said you did anything illegal it's just disappointing. Also setting the expectation that people can't trust your initial price and need to negotiate with you is not how I run sales or would want to engage with someone in that manner. Also it took three forms of communication to even get a response out of you- not how I would respond to customers. Obviously you were hoping i would just go away. Sewer master does great work as I can tell but this interaction has left me disappointed enough to leave the review.

So I call this company and they say they can come out on a Saturday between 11-1. I had plans to go out of town, but I needed this done. I specifically asked the person on the phone to have whomever was coming to call, text or email to confirm firm they were coming or to re-schedule so I wouldn't waste my weekend. So I rearrange my weekend and wait.

Go figure, no show, no call.

Thanks Sewer Master for wasting my day.

In short: Sewer Master is a fantastic, local contractor that specializes in the EBMUD private sewer lateral certification process. Vincent and his crew do great work, are responsive and easy to communicate with, and provide competitive pricing.

My project included the repair of a clean-out on my property, the repair of my private sewer lateral's connection to the City mainline, and a pressure test for EBMUD. I got six quotes from different contractors and ended up choosing Sewer Master because they demonstrated the best understanding of the scope with their detailed written proposal and reasonable bid.

I paid the deposit online via credit card, without additional fee, and Vincent had a crew out at my house doing work within a few days. The crew did a great job minimizing damage to the surrounding vegetation and left the work area spotless after every shift. The line passed the pressure test with no issues and they did a great job replacing all of the concrete pavement afterwards. Sewer Master coordinated all payments and inspections with EBMUD and I received my certificate a few days later.

I would definitely recommend Sewer Master to anyone who's home is in need of any type of sewer work. It can be a stressful and confusing process and having a reliable and transparent contractor is a life saver.

Thanks Vincent and crew for handling my lateral sewer job in a timely fashion and for doing a good job on the pressure test where another (unnamed) plumbing company failed!

Vincent was awesome. Sewer Master saved the day. Needed a replacement immediately and Vincent worked his magic. Very professional. Would def recommend.

Vincent Gaines is awesome. He recently replaced my sewer lateral. It was done very quickly and efficiently. He was also very patient with me while I was preparing my house for the work, and coordinated with my other contractors.

I highly recommend Vincent's work.

When Vincent's team replaced my sewer lateral they blocked off the pipes where my bath and sink connected to the sewer. For 9 months the water from all of our showers was going into my foundation and under my house. This caused massive basement floods and terrible foundation damage.

The ground stayed so wet that a huge tomato plant grew out of my foundation. I contacted Vincent saying that something seemed wrong and he said, someone must be watering the tomatoes. And he told me he'd stop by the next day.

The next day the tomato plant was gone and he stopped responding to my texts. After he didn't reply it got far worse, my basement started flooding over and over. I got a handyman to dig up the spot that was always wet and we found that my bath and sink had never been reconnected to the sewer lateral and had been draining water under my house for 9 months.

My foundation is a mess. I had to throw away most of our belongings in the basement. He should have been helping to figure out what went wrong, but instead he disappeared and I had to pay the handyman $1000 to pump all the water out from under my house and reconnect disconnected pipes. It took weeks for it to get dry and I still can't get reasonable humidity levels. Even with a dehumidifier running constantly. I could not be more disappointed with his service. When things went wrong he disappeared.

Oh gosh, I forgot another thing. He also disconnected the sinks in the basement and was surprised I expected everything to be hooked back up again after he finished. He tried to charge me extra for reconnecting pipes *his team* had disconnected.

Beware, the work they do will be broken in ways you can see and ways you can't.

Vincent was very knowledgable, friendly and helpful. He was able to work around our schedule and got a crew out to do the work on time, when he said he would. It turned out we needed significantly less work than was originally estimated, and Vincent was honest and happy to tell us we were going to be paying around $4,000 less than we were expecting. He could have easily kept that information from us and made a quick buck, but he had the integrity to save us money instead. I can't recommend Sewer Master enough, and I know who I'll be calling when it's time to check the sewer lateral again.

Would highly recommend this company for sewer lateral repair. They were fast to identify the issue and the work was handled professionally.

Excellent work. Fast turnaround. High-touch experience.

Vincent loves what he does and took the time to help me understand exactly what was going to happen to do my trenchless sewer main. His team and his partner company Knox Sewer were punctual, courteous, and hella-fast.

Vincent is a proud Oakland native who knows his business. He gave me and my family such peace of mind all the way through. So glad I called the Sewer Master!

Vincent and his team were super responsive and came out to do a sewer lateral inspection for me. He could always be reached and responded to all of my questions. He's fast, reliable and professional. He even helped me contact the city of Berkeley for the certificate! Thank you Vincent!

If I could give more stars than 5, I would! Vincent came out for an issue that he does not handle, but still spent a significant amount of time helping me, looking at my plumbing set up, providing great counsel, and directing me to a company that could solve my problem! I tried to pay for his time, and amazing assistance, but he would not let me. I should also note that I had a company come out the day before that wanted to tear up my downstairs and charge 12,000, while I would have to live elsewhere for 4 days. Vincent took a flashlight and showed me where the pipes were accessible, and how the work could be done without destroying the downstairs. I am truly grateful for his knowledge, kindness and professional integrity! He also was just a really nice person to be around -- definitely a good energy guy!

Vincent was very knowledgeable, diligent and his pricing was very competitive. Highly recommend.

If you need a sewer lateral certificate and don't think your old pipes will pass the test Vincent at Sewer Masters is the guy to call.

Last year the City of Berkeley notified me that I needed a lateral certificate on a small commercial building that was built in the 1930s. I had four companies come by and send their cameras down the sewer. All 4 companies instantly spotted clay pipes and said the only way to pass the lateral test would be to replace them. With the sewer line entirely under concrete pipe bursting was the recommended replacement method.

Price estimates varied widely with the big name companies coming in very high. Sewer Masters and another smaller company were fairly close in price but after meeting Vincent when he came out for his inspection I felt most comfortable going with him.

Vincent's crew was great. They showed up on time and worked quickly. They blocked off the area they were working in to keep passers by safe but kept paths open for people to get by both on the sidewalk and in and out of the building.

The crew ended up having to do more digging than they expected but they stayed late and finished the job in one day. They also did an excellent job of matching the concrete finish in the areas where they had to cut holes in it to pull the new pipe through.

Recently, we've been having sewer backup issues at another Berkeley building. After clearing a blockage one of the big rooter companies videoed the sewer and found collapsing clay pipes out in the street. They came back with an expensive estimate to replace the pipes so I called Vincent in again.

Vincent came out the next day, videoed the pipes and found the failing area but said that the lateral in the street was most likely the City's responsibility. He immediately emailed his contact in public works who confirmed that the lower lateral was Berkeley's responsibility.

Vincent's honesty saved us a lot of money.

I can't say enough good things about Vincent Gaines and his crew. We had a bad sewer back up (again!) and decided it was time to get the sewer lateral replaced. We had 4 people come by for estimates and knew even before we got any of the quotes that we wanted to work with Vincent. He took the most time to figure out what really needed to be done and we just felt good about trusting him. Communication was great throughout, the crew did a great job, the quote was competitive and I would recommend Sewer Master and Vincent to anyone.

A very satisfied customer I am.  From the get go superior service to others.  I felt special initially because  Vince, the proprietor, came and looked at my issue with my lateral line as I knew it was time to be replaced.  Unlike other companies I had come for an estimate, I was impressed by the fact that Vince himself came out. not only that, besides doing the standard camera down the line look as I looked on, Vince surveyed the property carefully and discussed multiple options with me as I had 5 different connections that needed to be addressed.  At one point he even crawled under my house for a closer look (this is the owner y'all) and  in doing so helped save me a get del of money as he recognized that one of the connections was no t necessary. He then proceeded to give me a good quote broken down to the very last detail and I told him that I had several more estimates to get done as part of my due diligence, but I was impressed with him and that I would probably go with him if they were close in numbers...his estimate was the best By far because of HIS diligence and honesty.  Just as well, while I respect the work ofthe other companies I had come in for estimates ..(that's why I called them in the first place) their estimates on paper described the issues but did not breakdown the cost and reasoning for the estimates as the Sewermaster Vince had  and thus really made it an even easier decision to go with them.
The work itself was completed over three days and the workers were a diverse, polite, fast, and knowledgeable crew and businesslike about what they needed to do.  I have a new main line with a great sense of peace of mind as well and feel like my money was well spent and worth it. Thank Mr. Gaines and company!! The work was and is greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you Sewer Master!, Vincent is a expert in his field and saved me from wasting my time and money!

Sewer Master did a fantastic job and highly recommend them. We contracted them in 2015 to replace the sewer lateral on a duplex that had been sitting vacant for 10 years. It was a challenging job, on a hill and the pipes were completely torn up by roots. They replaced the entire evacuation system and also quickly pivoted to take care of a separate plumbing issue that arose during the sewer lateral replacement. A few years later I had some questions and Vincent was quick to respond and resolve permitting questions with the city of Oakland; not all contractors continue to take good care of you after they've completed their work and have gotten paid. Quality work and great customer service, thank you!

Sewer lateral review:
Responsive. Quick and painless transaction.  Reached out to setup the job and got my PSL cert in less than a week.

I couldn't be more satisfied with the work and professionalism of this company.  Price is competitive especially for the trenchless non-invasive method.  

Definitely recommend to anyone looking to change out their sewer lateral.

Amazing! Vincent and his guys work miracles. Sewers can be such a headache and so many companies misinform, overcharge or tell you that you need extensive work done. I was told I needed to have my whole sewer lateral replaced by 2 different companies. Vincent came out on time as promised, located the complete blockage, cleared it, repaired the pipe and saved me thousands of dollars. He's a local Oakland guy and if you need sewer work, call Sewer Master!

I spoke with Vincent awhile back and his assistant Mimi, just a moment ago.  Both of them are exceptionally kind and their work is outstanding.  Look at their photo gallery - it speaks for itself.  This is a tight knit group that excels at what they do.  They are prompt, clean, organized and get the job done in a timely manner.  There is no better related business than them.

Vincent was the cheapest bid we received for replacing our old clay pipe sewer lateral. His crew was quick and professional.

Highly recommend.

Vincent and his crew were just great to work with. He came out, did a thorough walkthrough, answered all my questions, and gave me a fair quote by industry standards. His crew was on time, cleaned up after getting my sewer lateral compliant, and was gone before the evening. This was something I had to knock out first, and they got it done.

Sewer Master gave us a good price, performed the work as promised & responded to all of our questions promptly and respectfully.

EXCELLENT SERVICE!!! Vincent was fantastic. I needed to locate the existing sewer lateral on a somewhat complicated site, and he carefully studied the existing conditions, used the sewer camera in 2 locations, marked the elevations on the site for future reference, and advised me of the options. I'd definitely hire him again!!

Short & Skinny: If you want to deal with someone that follows unethical and dubious business practices, feel free to go with Vincent/Sewer Master. Vincent quoted me 3x+ the estimate for the SAME EXACT work, which he/his company provided an estimate for 4 months prior. See attached photos. Save your $ and get your work done with someone who'll be honest and transparent.

I'm in the process of purchasing my first home, which needs sidewalk repair work. Since city requires homeowners to repair the sidewalk, I was looking for folks who can help to fix along with certification. As part of the seller's disclosures, one of the documents was the sidewalk repair estimate from Vincent/Sewer Master from March 2020, which the seller's agent at the time had requested. So, I looked up Sewer Master and saw good reviews, and decided to reach out for a quote. Mind you, I did not mention about his estimate from March intentionally to see what Vincent will come back with.

To my disbelief, Vincent's estimate for the SAME EXACT WORK with the same exact pictures from the previous estimate was 3X+ more! See attached photos. Thanks to having the old estimate, I was able to call Vincent out on his bluff. I sent Vincent the old estimate asking why such a huge discrepancy and he claimed the old estimate from March was a mistake, which he'd just caught yesterday. Really?! For a business that's been around since 2012 and does this type of work day-in-day-out as listed on his Yelp profile, how can someone make such a mistake? He then offers to rebid the job as if that's going to miraculously change the estimate, right?

Purchasing a home in itself is a tedious, stressful, and expensive process. As buyers, you'd hope to come across folks who'd be honest and transparent yet when you encounter such experiences, it's disheartening, frustrating, and infuriating.

My hope for Vincent is to not cheat his potential customers and be honest and forthcoming. My hope for future customers is to decide what type of businesses you choose to deal with in the future. Get multiple quotes! Vincent/Sewer Master will certainly NOT be getting my business.

If you need an honest sewer guy to arrange your sewer test with EBMUD, hire Vincent at Sewer Master.  He is totally honest and very knowledgeable.
We are so grateful for the job he did obtaining our certificate from EBMUD.  Unfortunately, many sewer companies are treating the pressure test requirement as a way to pad costs and inflate the price to the homeowner.  We wanted to sell our house with the certificate in place, not leave it for the new owner.  We got 4 bids. The scope of work and price were vastly different.  We chose Vincent at Sewer Master and are so grateful that we did.

Sewer Master is a great service, Vincent helped me replace my sewers in less than a week. Took care of all permits and provided great quality work. Highly recommend their service.

Sorry to spoil the love-fest for this contractor but my experience was quite a bit different. If you are unfortunate enough to be subject to the Contra Costa Sewer Lateral requirement when selling a residential property, you will soon learn how sewer contractors are taking advantage of the code to separate homeowners from their money. The requirement is that the Sewer Lateral, the line from your property to the city sewer, must pass a pressure test to assure there is no leakage. That is all fair and good. Unfortunately I found it was nearly impossible to get a sewer contractor to actually come out to my property and quote the work. I ended up calling EBMUD for advice on how to get an accurate, honest estimate. The individual I spoke to was frankly horrified at the typical quote I received from contractors who didn't even bother to look at my home. It was a straight $10K bill for whatever work might be required, usually open ended if additional work might be required. Sewer Master was no different except for the completely bogus detailed quote with diagrams and description of specifics, none of which actually existed on my property. It's one thing to throw out a random number. It's another to actually document details stating an on site survey inspection was done when this guy was never probably 10 miles from my home. The selling market is so tight right now that the buyers ended up eating the estimated cost to meet the sewer requirement. Too bad this crew of smarmy contractors are ripping off the general public without any oversight from the county enforcing code compliance. Needless to say, there won't be any recommendation from me to even consider doing business with Sewer Master.

We were going to get three estimates but after our second with Vincent, we knew we wanted to go with Sewer Master. We are very pleased we did!

Vincent is very professional. He takes the time to explain everything. He even came by the day of service to make sure everything was going well. He takes pride in his work and it shows in his team.

Armando was on site the day of the job and he is highly regarded in the community. My gardener was here on that day and said her landlady hires Armando when she wants things completed correctly. That was reassuring.

They are professional, the work was completed in a day, they don't leave a mess, and the best part, they did a very professional job with putting the concrete back the exact way it was. Other than one slab still drying and a little darker, you cannot tell they ever chipped away at the original concrete. I'm a slight perfectionist and they fulfilled my expectations of keeping their work in line with the original aesthetics. Even the grain pattern of the new concrete matches the existing. I'm waiting for it to fully dry and I'm sure that I won't be able to tell it was ever touched. Such a great job!!!

Thank you Sewer Master!

Have used Sewer Master on both the listing side and buyer rep side - 5 stars to Vincent and his team. Extremely responsive, reasonable quotes, and quick inspection turnarounds. If you need a sewer or sidewalk inspection, look no further than Sewer Master!

If you're reading this then hire Vincent. I don't write reviews, but had to for Vincent because of the incredible work he did for us.

We had a matter with the city regarding an issue with our sewer lateral and at every stage Vincent went well above and beyond was expected to help us find a resolution. Vincent came to our place, conducted a thorough review of the problem, and then did an incredible amount of research to find out who had originally conducted the work and was responsible for making repairs.

In addition to the extensive research he conducted Vincent was also able to leverage his strong  personal relationships with city managers to help us work with officials to identify a resolution.

Vincent was responsive, knowledgeable, patient, and determined in his efforts to help us with our problem. He literally saved us hours upon hours of phone calls and research and was persistent in all of his efforts. He's also a really nice guy and I would 100% work with him again. I can't recommend him enough.

So, we had a blockage in our sewer that revealed a multitude of roots in our clay pipes.  We had been forced by this untenable situation to not flush any toilet paper until our sewer lateral could be replaced.  That's when I got real busy asking my friends and family for a referral.
I was referred to several contractors and easily decided on Vincent and Sewer Masters.  What a thrill to finally find someone who is all about professionalism and great service at an appropriate price.
With the holiday looming, extra staff was assigned to complete an extensive sewer lateral replacement in only one day!  Staff were all about business which is exactly what I wanted to see!  I'm happily flushing and will recommend Sewer Masters without hesitation!

Vincent was really thorough when giving us an estimate and the price he gave us was fair compared to others.  He was also very responsive and was able to get started right away.  Overall happy with the result!

Vincent helped us understand and repair our sewer lateral. Every interaction with him has been positive - he's good at explaining what's happening underground and the work that needs to be done. Will recommend him and Sewer Master to anyone needing PSL work.

vincent is first class! he revised our estimate LOWER for the sidewalk compliance certification law for the city of oakland and he completed the inspection FOR FREE both times!

hes an honest, hardworking, straightforward guy and will tell you like it is and not overcharge for work. they dont make them like vincent / sewer master anymore. i would highly recommend his work for any plumbing / sewer work needs you have. i cant believe that he has anything BUT 5 star reviews. his professionalism is matched only by his likability. he personally answers most of the time i call and he knows the business like the back of his hand. theres no one i would trust more to recommend for any of your sewer lateral / plumbing needs.

sewer master / vincent rock!

Vincent got me out of a very stressful situation, going above and beyond to complete my Sidewalk Compliance Certificate just before the deadline.  Oakland's new Sidewalk Ordinance requires brand new homeowners to navigate a difficult to understand process in a limited amount of time.  No amount of reading through the posted information made the process more clear to me, except that it required the homeowner to pay a professional to go downtown to the permit office on their behalf, even if there was no work to be done or the repair work could be done on your own.  

At a time when our budget was most stretched by just having bought a home, I couldn't believe the high quotes I was getting from contractors to do what seemed like a simple job.  Vince swooped to my rescue, dropping off our completed paperwork free of charge, and making us feel taken care of.  This kind of humanity is what we need so much more of in the world, and we are truly grateful.  Having read his other reviews, I am sure we will gladly pay Vincent for any future work we may need.

Vincent and his team came to my house first, did an evaluation of what needed to be done and gave me a quote. He went through it and explained everything that I would be paying for. When they came out to actually do the work they worked all day and kept us updated on the progress. All of it was finished in 2 day. I would highly recommend the services they offer.

Bought a house in Oakland and it needed the Private Sewer Lateral replaced and certified. Gave the gate code to Vincent's team and they got everything done on time without drama. Email communications were spot-on, including providing me the certificate from EBMUD. Sewer Master is THE team if you're a busy person who can't always be around to babysit home projects but still need the job done reliably and professionally.

Vincent Gaines the owner was very attentive to the issue of replacing my old sewer for a new one. He showed me on camera so I could see the reason why I was having plumbing issues. He dug up cement and replaced it nicely. He took a piece of my lawn up and was careful putting it back. His guys left my yard better than it was before. Very honest man.

Sewer Master recently completed a sewer lateral replacement at my home.  Vincent and his team were thorough, friendly, efficient, quick and competitively priced.  Highly recommended!

Thank you, Vincent, for making 2 trips to my home to do a quick camera inspection of the sewer lateral. To be clear, Vincent came out before the appointment and did the inspection. I wasn't notified initially, so I was skeptical/uncertain as to what happened. No offense, but when do service providers provide a service without telling you that it was done and you had no idea that it was happening before the appointment time?

Needless to say, he rolled up over again after listening to my concerns. He was transparent and allowed me to record the camera inspection. Also, he gave some very helpful insight on a drain pipe that we did have issues with months ago. OK, let's be clear... Sewer Master only works with sewers... not any other type of pipe, so I really appreciate his patience in dealing with our inexperience.

VINCENT and the team at Sewer Master Bay Area are THE ONE to call!

We needed estimates to obtain an EBMUD PSL certification up against the deadline. Where other companies simply eyeballed the job and tossed out an estimate for full replacement (w/o even properly identifying the location of the existing lateral), Vincent conducted a thorough TV inspection and locate on the existing line, concluding it was not likely to need full replacement. He provided an accurate estimate for the needed work.

Vincent is straightforward, honest, an expert at his trade, and Sewer Master delivered on time exactly as promised - PSL certificate obtained in less than a week!

He went above and beyond for us in several ways, including adjusting the price proactively when slightly less work than initially anticipated was required.

We'll happily go right to Sewer Master for any future needs without messing around with other companies. Thanks to Vincent for the great service!

Sewer Master told me what I needed & how to accomplish that. He responded quickly, was professional & courteous.

We were very pleased with our emergency sewer lateral job...
We got our reasonable quote quickly, work started next day, and Vincent was great to work with. The team were professional, quick, and did great job.
I would use Sewer Master again .
Thanks Vincent! - jen

Over 5 years ago Vincent's crew replaced my sewer lateral quickly and neatly, and I got my certificate taken care of without a single worry. The cost was the most reasonable of ALL my estimates, and my confidence in Vincent was fully earned.

Fast forward to now.  Our house is for sale and an issue with a permit threatens to create a real problem for potential buyers.  The permit had been originally pulled prior to lateral replacement in case it was needed (but it wasn't in the end).

You can imagine my concern...  I had paid these guys five years ago now. Why would they lift a finger for me, right?   Wrong!   Vincent reminded once again why I instantly felt at ease with him. He found our records, and told me he would need to go to city hall himself to straighten things out.  I work with contractors all day every day, and in my experience if one of them says they'll do something on your behalf that doesn't earn them money...  well, you know how that usually goes. Well Vincent is not those guys.  His integrity and good nature are exactly what every one like me is hoping to find when you're in over your head. Vincent will get the job done right and he will stand behind his word.  Outstanding!

Sewer Master has a masterful individual as its leader.  Vincent may appear a bit rough on the edges but make no mistake in doubting his work ethics and commitment to executing your job.  He gave me an estimate to perform sewer lateral but mind you, the work that was predicted by him was less than what his crew ended up doing.  Work scope became bigger but there was only $100 increase from the original estimate.  Not only this, but he executed the work in a very short notice including getting the certificate of compliance from the city, all within 2 days!  He was also very accommodating in getting paid late, directly from Escrow which was closed a week later.  Look no further for your sewer needs.

Sewer Master was awesome.  We live in Crocker Highlands in Oakland and needed to get a sewer lateral inspection done as part of our home remodel.  After a suspicious 1st bid from another plumber(a referral) that all too easily concluded we needed our entire lateral replaced for close to $5,000, I found Sewer Master on Yelp and cold called them. Vincent's team was efficient, professional and importantly, honest to a fault.   He offered to run a pressure test first to see if they existing line would pass and sure enough, it did.  Next thing he is scheduling EBMUD out to get the pressure test witnessed and voila, I have my 7 year certificate in hand. I also appreciate that he used texts to share updates, photos and scheduling, which made it easy to reach him and get updates.  He was schedule conscious, accurate in his estimate(which was exactly what his bill was in the end) and responsive.  I could not say enough about Vincent and Sewer Master.  They are a local Oakland business and we support! Cheers-

Blessed to be a first-time homebuyer of a cute California bungalow, which of course, meant a very old sewer lateral that needed to be replaced.

Got 4 bids, Sewer Master's came up the best so decided to go with them. Paid the $500 deposit, work was scheduled in ~2 weeks, with work completed in one day. Very straightforward, received the EBMUD compliance, everything seems A-OK. No hidden fees from the estimate, paid online by credit card, and happy to have one less homeowner project to worry about. Thanks Sewer Master!

Vincent is clearly an Oakland veteran who deeply understands the intricacies of Oakland's sewer system. He was prompt, reliable, straightforward and a clear expert. Look no further!

We contacted Sewer Master to conduct an assessment of our Sewer Lateral. Vincent was responsive to our inquiry and scheduled an appointment to come to our home. He arrived promptly at our appointment time, completed a thorough assessment and outlined our options. We are very satisfied with the work completed and the ease in which Sewer Master assisted us with obtaining our Sewer Lateral Certification. I highly recommend Sewer Master!

Vincent was able to make sure the work was done on time and under budget!