By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
When Athens native Christian McGowan was 14, he began to learn all the ins and outs of the construction business as well as the “art” of plumbing. He worked for farmers in the area, and experienced what has become nearly lost in our culture—the value of apprenticeship. Farmers by design are no-nonsense customers who need it done the right way, the first time. The “lives” of crops and livestock literally depend on it, and that commitment to doing excellent work began to be a part of Christian’s DNA before he could even drive.
Christian worked for AllStar Plumbers, Inc. for 10 years, and started Stain Plumbing & Construction in 2015. In 2018 they gained their A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. As is the case with so many of our Athens Now clients, Christian greatly appreciated his time at AllStar, but got bitten by the “business owner bug” himself and knew that he needed to launch his own company. Eventually he and his wife, Bethann purchased an older home on Mooresville Road with the intention of restoring it, and they are on their way to completing that between working their businesses. Sometimes it can be slow going in the remodel/restoration department when you have kids, activities, careers, and in our case most recently, winter storms. The address, which is the same as their home, is 17345 Mooresville Road, Athens, AL 35613, and they are available 24/7.
Speaking of winter storms that have recently plagued much of our nation, Stain Plumbing & Construction posted a public service announcement that could save folks a lot of aggravation and money, which I found most helpful. Weather reporters will tell us from time to time to let our faucets drip in frigid weather to prevent pipes from bursting, but don’t always give us the rest of the story. Here is the basic rule: If the outdoor temperature has been at 32⁰F for 12 hours, it’s time to start dripping. If the temperature has dropped to 25 degrees for 4 hours, it’s time to get your drip on and keep it on until the temp gets back up to freezing. Stain has been busy recently handling emergency calls for septic systems and pipes, and they have a cheery and maybe a bit cheeky tag line and call-to-action: “Call number one so you can keep going number two!” – Very important in freezing weather, no?
Stain does all aspects of plumbing and septic work, clearing grease traps, and putting in new plumbing for housing developments. They also do complete installs of sewer and septic systems. They have a fulltime crew of five and are at present looking to add a helper to their team.
The second part of the Stain name and brand is “Construction,” and while Christian certainly has a heart to help people out of plumbing distresses quickly, he greatly enjoys “creating” new homes. Most of their construction-based work at present is site work, preparation, building pads, and laying new plumbing for developers, but they are a highly experienced construction firm themselves. Right now (between busted pipes and large-scale new construction demands), Stain is building two 1500 sq. ft. starter homes, so if you are looking to build, well, look no further!
Stain Plumbing & Construction’s review rate online is 4.9 out of 5, and here are a few for your perusal:
“Arrived early and went right to work upon my arrival. Christian was courteous and competently worked the problem and solved it in under an hour. Price was very fair. Cleaned up after the work was completed. Will definitely use them again for my future plumbing needs.” -Douglas E.
Very responsive and provided ideas to decrease the scope of work but achieved the results I wanted. Will absolutely use them again, and soon. Did the job right the first time. Love that! -Chris M.
“My experience was absolutely wonderful. They are very professional, punctual, easy to work with and pricing is highly competitive. I needed the plumbing services and I highly recommend this company for all your plumbing needs!!!”
-Deanna L.
“Stain Plumbing and Construction was my builder, and plumbing contractor. They did a very good job. Easy to work with. Listened to me and made every effort to do the job to my satisfaction”. -Villard R.
I asked Christian why, when I have several choices in our area regarding plumbing and construction firms, should I choose Stain. He said, “I do excellent work. Reasonable.” Call them today and see what he means.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
