Keep an eye out for Blake Watters, licensed plumber, in his fully equipped vehicle, ready to handle 24-hour emergency repairs. ‘If you have a leak, we’ll take a peek!’ From replacements to installations, he has got your plumbing needs covered. Courtesy Photo
WINCHESTER – Have you ever noticed how, if you are planning a project around the house involving plumbing, when it is in the planning stages, you might think your home handyman skills are just a little bit better than they actually are? The fortunate people figure this out before they start cutting, tearing and joining, but for those who aren’t so fortunate, it’s good to know that help is available 24/7.
Blake Watters is the owner of H2OS Works, a full-service plumbing company. Watters officially started his business in November of 2024, but he has been learning his trade for much longer.
“I started plumbing in 2019,” he says. “And then I did my apprenticeship program, did all my schooling. I went to Kingston, and I got my license back in May.”
While there are some projects around the house the average person can take care of without too much difficulty, but plumbing isn’t one of them. The issue, you see, is the water. What starts out as a tiny, little leak can grow, and it’s not like you can hide it or ignore it. A little water can go a long way. That’s why once friends and neighbours know you’re a licenced plumber, you’re going to be busy, and that is exactly what Watters has discovered.
“Well, yeah, that’s just been like that ever since I went out of my own,” says Watters. “I have, knock on wood, have yet to have a day of sitting at home. It’s good so far, the work that’s coming in.”
Watters says that his plan was to go about building a career the right way. He went to school and became trained, then worked his way through his apprenticeship until he earned his licence. “That’s the other thing,” he adds, “Once you have your license, it’s the freedom that I can go anywhere because everyone’s always looking for a licensed guy.”
Watters says he prefers working in residential, single-family homes, or really any residential kind of thing. While he has done some commercial work, it is working with people to make their homes nicer that he really enjoys, because he gets to work on different things rather than doing the same thing over and over again.
With the company I worked for before, I used to do basically just new construction, but that’s kind of why I went out on my own, because the option was to go work with someone else doing service. But I still always wanted to go on my own, because my brother is an electrician, and we could do a plumbing/electrical thing.
Ultimately, Watters said, he started his own business because he wanted the interaction with people. “I enjoy interacting with people instead of just doing that new construction, track housing thing. It’s the same guys every day in and out, and it gets boring after a while, too, if you’re doing the same thing again and again. You almost don’t even need a tape measure; you know what the measurements are going to be.”
Watters says that some jobs are seasonal, like sump pumps which always seem to stop working in the spring. Right now, in the winter, there is a lot of demand for things like new bathrooms or bathroom renos. During the pandemic a lot of people spent money on their homes instead of travelling and Watters says that hasn’t completely stopped yet.
H2OS Works is based in the Winchester area but frequently works within an hour from home.
“Merrickville, Winchester, Prescott, I’ll go there,” said Watters, but I work a lot in Ottawa, places like Findlay Creek, South Keys, the Barrhaven area.
If you’re looking for a plumber, Watters isn’t hard to find. Just look for the big blue van with the H2OSWRKS licence plate on it. You can also reach him by phone at 613-774-4040, (text as well) or by email at blake@h2osworks.ca. If a licenced plumber is what you’re looking for, then the search is over.
If you would like to have a light shined on your business, please contact us at: editor@etceterapublications.ca or call us at 613-448-2321.
Terry Tinkess is a professional photographer, educator and journalist. He has been making a living with a camera and keyboard since 1999 and has been featured in such publications as The Ottawa Citizen, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, The Globe and Mail, The Miami Herald, Ottawa Construction News, The Ontario Construction Report, Ontario Home Builder Magazine, Reed Construction Data, Canadian Potato Business and most recently, The Record and Eastern Ontario AgriNews. Terry lives in Ingleside, Ontario with his wife Brenda, Mia the anxious Pittie and cats Wally and Chubbers.
