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Big Brothers Plumbing vs We Love Small Jobs
Alameda Plumbing Contractors Comparison · Updated March 2026
You're comparing a specialized plumbing company with a general contractor who lacks workers compensation insurance.
| Big Brothers Plumbing | We Love Small Jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 5.0 | ★ 5.0 |
| Years Licensed | 10 years | 31 years |
| License # | 1015557 | 703749 |
| Workers' Comp | ✓ Yes | — |
| Bond Amount | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Location | Alameda, CA | Oakland, CA |
| Website | www.bigbrothersplumbinginc.com | welovesmalljobs.com |
Key Differences
What Customers Say
Big Brothers Plumbing
Customers consistently praise Big Brothers Plumbing's rapid same-day response for emergencies, transparent pricing discussions before work begins, and respectful job site practices including cleanup and property protection.
We Love Small Jobs
We Love Small Jobs earns loyalty through long-term relationships spanning decades, with customers highlighting the crew's willingness to tackle unusual problems and their competence on both small repairs and larger structural projects.
Key Takeaway: Big Brothers focuses on speed and communication for urgent plumbing needs, while We Love Small Jobs builds reputation through sustained relationships and problem-solving ability across diverse general contracting work.
Customer Reviews
Big Brothers Plumbing
Chuck at Big Brothers Plumbing did an excellent job. We had a huge leak and needed help fast. Also, Ashton was very helpful in relaying our information to Chuck and sent him out the same day.
Called in to Big Brother because our relatively new Navien tankless heater stopped working late last night. After setting up a same day appointment, Sarai followed up with me and asked me to check a f...
Big Brothers Plumbing was great - friendly, timely, and able to quickly determine and solve the problem! Highly recommend!
We Love Small Jobs
My attic ladder fell down and needed replacement parts for repair and avoid replacing the entire ladder. We Love Small Jobs searched at length before finding the right fitting parts, scheduled the re...
We Love Small Jobs is a wonderful organization, run by super helpful and professional staff. The job they did for us was done superbly well by a competent, very helpful crew, both on time and on budge...
I am giving We Love Small Jobs 5 out of 5 stars. Over the last 20+ years WLSJ has done both small and large jobs on my house. Here is a list of the work done over the years for me: tore out, refram...
Consider Big Brothers Plumbing if...
- ✓ You have a plumbing issue: leaking water heater, clogged drain, broken toilet, malfunctioning garbage disposal, or any fixture problem requiring immediate attention.
- ✓ You need same-day or emergency service, particularly for situations like water heater failures or significant leaks that require quick response.
- ✓ You want workers compensation insurance in place to protect yourself from liability if a technician is injured on your property.
- ✓ You value transparent pricing with detailed explanations before work begins, especially helpful if you're a newer homeowner learning about your systems.
Consider We Love Small Jobs if...
- ✓ You need general contracting work like framing, structural repairs, or remodeling projects that fall outside plumbing scope.
- ✓ Your project involves unusual or hard-to-solve problems requiring custom solutions, such as sourcing specialized parts or tackling repairs other contractors have declined.
- ✓ You're willing to verify liability coverage with your own homeowner's insurance and accept potential exposure given the lack of workers comp on file.
- ✓ You have a small or oddly-scoped job that doesn't fit standard contractor categories and need someone with three decades of problem-solving experience.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
- → If considering We Love Small Jobs: Ask your homeowner's insurance agent directly whether your policy covers contractor injuries when workers comp is not in place, and what impact a claim could have on your rates.
- → If considering We Love Small Jobs: Request proof of general liability insurance and confirm the coverage limits protect you adequately for your specific project scope.
- → For either company: Ask for references from projects similar to yours completed within the past year, and follow up with those homeowners about their experience.
The Bottom Line
If you need plumbing work, hire Big Brothers Plumbing. They specialize in exactly what you need, carry workers compensation insurance, and can respond the same day for emergencies. The choice is straightforward. We Love Small Jobs only becomes relevant if you need general contracting, structural work, or remodeling—and even then, you must address the workers compensation gap by confirming liability coverage with your insurance agent before signing anything. Don't hire a general contractor for plumbing work when a dedicated, properly insured plumbing specialist is available.
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Frequently Asked Questions
General contractors can perform minor plumbing tasks, but their customer feedback focuses on framing, structural work, and unusual repairs rather than plumbing systems. For dedicated plumbing issues like water heaters, drains, or fixtures, Big Brothers Plumbing has the specialized experience and service model designed specifically for those needs. If plumbing is part of a larger remodeling project, ask We Love Small Jobs whether they subcontract that portion or handle it in-house.
It's a real liability concern you need to address before signing any contract. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor lacks workers comp, your homeowner's insurance may become the primary coverage, potentially leading to claims against your policy. Before hiring We Love Small Jobs, contact your insurance agent to understand your exposure and confirm whether you're comfortable with that risk for your specific project.
The comparison isn't straightforward because they operate in different fields. Ten years is solid experience for a specialized plumbing company, providing ample time to handle hidden issues, complex diagnostics, and emergency situations. We Love Small Jobs' 31 years matters more for general contracting where building code changes, structural knowledge, and trade relationships accumulate differently. For plumbing specifically, Big Brothers' decade of focus is more relevant than a general contractor's broader timeline.
Big Brothers Plumbing is explicitly structured for emergencies, with customer feedback consistently highlighting same-day service and responses within hours for urgent plumbing failures. We Love Small Jobs operates as a general contractor with a different service model focused on scheduled projects and unusual repairs. If you have a plumbing emergency happening right now, Big Brothers is the clear choice.
Looking for the Best?
See our ranked list of top plumbing contractors in Alameda.
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How We Compare Contractors
License Verification
All license data is sourced from official California CSLB records and verified regularly.
Review Analysis
Customer reviews are aggregated from Google and analyzed to identify patterns in service quality.
Detailed Comparison
We analyze credentials, insurance, experience, and feedback to highlight meaningful differences.
Not all licensed contractors are created equal. While a valid license is the baseline requirement in California, contractors can vary significantly in experience, insurance coverage, and customer satisfaction.
- Experience matters: A contractor with 15+ years of experience has likely encountered and solved problems that newer contractors haven't faced yet.
- Workers' compensation protects you: If a contractor without workers' comp insurance has an employee injured on your property, you could be held liable.
- Reviews reveal patterns: Individual reviews can be misleading, but patterns across many reviews often reveal a contractor's true strengths and weaknesses.
- Bond amounts vary: A contractor's bond provides financial protection if they fail to complete work as agreed. Higher bonds offer more protection.
Taking time to compare contractors on these factors can save you from costly mistakes and help ensure your project is completed by a qualified professional.
Data Sources: License information from California CSLB. Ratings and reviews from Google. Last verified March 13, 2026.
This comparison is based on publicly available information. We recommend getting multiple quotes and verifying all credentials directly before hiring.
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