I am extremely pleased to offer a very high recommendation for Steven and Jody Drake. I first learned about Steven and Jody’s services from our building inspector (Terry Franks, LLC) in early 2023 during the due-diligence purchase phase of our existing church located at 2288 Moody Rd, Warner Robins, Georgia. Terry is a certified master inspector and a past president of the Middle GA Home Builders Association. Steve and Jody not only came highly recommended, but far exceeded expectations.
This massive project consisted of replacing the following existing commercial units/compressors located in two separate buildings totaling 38,000 square feet: 20-ton (2); 10-ton (2); 7.5-ton (1); 5-ton (7); 3-ton (1); 2-ton (1), mini-splits (3). While developing their estimate and proposed solution, they made several on-site visits to ensure they had a complete understanding of requirements to include interoperability with exiting air handlers.
Their mastery of technical requirements enabled them to recommend replacing the two 20-ton units with eight vastly more efficient (18 SEER rating) ductless mini split units. This not only reduced electrical costs, but established redundancy should problems occur in the future (i.e., if one goes down, remaining seven still work). They not only conveyed a thorough knowledge of technical requirements but offered the best estimate and labor warranty. Once the church property became ours and we awarded them the contract, they immediately went to work. They not only kept me informed of project progress but always provided timely responses to my queries.
Most impressive to me is that they honored their commitments. During the installation process, they overcame several setbacks. This included working with HVAC OEMs to troubleshoot issues resulting from unclear installation instructions. They also creatively overcame issues associated with a subcontractor hired to install electrical power for the eight new mini-splits. When one of the mini-split units was received damaged (twice), they worked with the OEM to get a replacement, all at no additional cost to us. They also removed all of the old units and debris from the premises.
Upon completion of the project, they continued to honor their warranty commitments, returning several times to address equipment related issues, most of which could probably be considered outside the warranty terms. This included troubleshooting a mini-split and replacing a burned-out circuit card; replacing a mini-split louver vane; replacing a fan belt in a 10-ton unit air handler unit; and isolating/repairing a severed air handler unit electrical wire caused by ongoing vibration with external metal siding. - For these reasons, I would not hesitate to use Steven and Jody again and highly recommend them to anyone who is in need of HVAC services.
Sincerely,
Ed Ratliff