About Tony

Illustrated poster of a plumber seen from behind at the open doors of his van, looking out over the strawberry fields and foothills of the Pajaro Valley — Freedom Boulevard, most mornings. Illustrated rather than photographed — Tony's camera-shy, and a drawing lasts longer than a photo anyway.

I'm Tony Fontes. I've been fixing plumbing in the Pajaro Valley since 1997, and I've run this business the same way the whole time.

How I got here

Two-colour linocut portrait of Tony Fontes as a teenager, from a 1974 school photograph — Tony, 1974

I started out in 1997 with a simple idea: do honest work, charge a fair price, and let that be the advertising. Nearly thirty years later that's still how it runs. Most of my work comes from somebody telling their neighbour, or from a customer I did a job for fifteen years ago calling me back.

I don't spend ten thousand dollars a month on advertising the way the bigger outfits do. That money has to come from somewhere, and it comes out of what they charge. Keeping my costs down is how I keep yours down.

What you get

You get me. I answer the phone, I do the work, and I'm the one you talk to if something isn't right. There's no dispatcher, no rotating technician who's never seen your house before, and nobody working off a commission sheet trying to sell you a system you don't need.

I'll also tell you when something doesn't need fixing. If your sewer line has another twenty years in it, that's what I'll say, even though the other answer pays better. That costs me work occasionally. It's also the reason I've had some of the same customers for two decades.

Based in Freedom

I live in Freedom, CA 95019 and work out of my van. Being local isn't a marketing line — it means I'm usually ten minutes from a job in Freedom or Watsonville instead of an hour, and it means I already know what's under these streets. The galvanized supply lines in the mid-century houses. The clay sewer laterals the tree roots find. The hard water that eats water heaters early. After this long I mostly know what I'm walking into before I'm through the door.

Three languages

I speak English, Spanish and Portuguese. In this valley that comes up most days — you can explain the problem in whichever is easiest, and I'll explain the fix back in the same one. Plumbing is confusing enough without a language barrier on top.

The details

Trading since: 1997
Based in: Freedom, CA 95019
Licence: CSLB #761191, licensed and insured
Languages: English, Español, Português
Reviews: 70+ on Yelp