Who is OHA?
The trading name is OHA HVAC, Plumbing, Chimney & Fireplaces. The business began in 1995 and works across Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia from three offices: two in Fredericksburg, on Heatherstone Drive and on Patriot Highway, and one in Fairfax on Juniper Street. Addresses, hours and maps for all three are on the contact page.
Veteran Founded, Family Owned. Frederick “Fred” Ouellette served in the U.S. Army, founded OHA in 1995, and still runs service calls as our Service Manager. He is not the only veteran here: the team includes veterans of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force. You can meet the veterans behind OHA.
Homeowners have rated OHA 4.9★ with 5,000+ Five-Star Reviews across our three Google Business Profiles.
Who stands behind the work in your home?
You are not hiring a brand. You are inviting people into your home, so here is who we are.
- Fred Ouellette, Founder and Service Manager. U.S. Army veteran. Fred founded OHA in 1995 and still runs service calls today.
- Robert Richard, Licensed Master Plumber. Virginia Licensed Master Plumber. Every plumbing recommendation we make traces back to his oversight. See plumbing services.
- Bernie Miller, HVAC service team. Bernie handles heating and cooling diagnostics, repairs and system performance work in homes across the Fredericksburg area.
- Jason Spear, HVAC service team. Jason repairs and maintains AC and heating systems across Northern Virginia.
What licenses does OHA hold?
OHA has a Master Plumber, a Master HVAC License and a Master Gas Fitters license on staff. Licensing requirements differ by trade in Virginia, so the person sent to your home is qualified for that job, and we are glad to walk you through the credentials for your job when you call.
- Heating and air conditioning: Master HVAC License on staff, with manufacturer and industry training for diagnostics, repair and installation.
- Plumbing: licensed oversight by our Master Plumber, plus a Master Gas Fitters license on staff for gas work.
- Chimney and fireplace: safety work, so we inspect first and explain what we find in plain language.
Do I deal with OHA directly, or a lead network?
Directly. When you call OHA, you reach our local office and our own technicians. There is no middleman selling your phone number to whoever pays for the lead. You can look up each of our three offices on Google Maps, read reviews from your neighbors, and know exactly who is coming to your home.
What trades does the company actually work in?
Five things, and the fifth is the one people forget.
Heating and cooling is the core of the business: furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, the ductless systems that serve additions and converted rooms, and the indoor air quality equipment that treats air rather than temperature. All of that sits under the HVAC overview.
Plumbing is the second: drains, leaks, water heaters, wells and pressure tanks, sumps, gas piping, sewer lines and water treatment. The plumbing hub organizes it by symptom rather than by service name.
Chimneys and fireplaces are treated as two trades rather than one. A chimney is a flue and a structure around it. A fireplace is an appliance. Each fails in its own way; an insert whose pilot keeps dropping out is seldom a flue problem. Both have their own hubs at chimneys and fireplaces.
The fifth is the equipment that sits at the edges: whole-home generators, pellet stoves, and dryer vent cleaning. None of those is HVAC in the strict sense, and all of them are things a household asks the same company to deal with once it trusts them with the rest.
How does the company decide what to recommend?
Diagnosis first, then a price, then the work.
In practice it means the person on site establishes what’s actually failing before quoting anything, explains the cause in plain terms, and puts a price in front of the household before starting. If the honest answer is that a repair won’t hold and a replacement is the better use of the money, that gets said — and if the honest answer is that the equipment has years left in it, that gets said too.
Where a repair involves opening a wall, a ceiling or a slab, that’s stated before it happens rather than discovered partway through, because it changes what the job costs and how long the household lives with a hole in something.
What can I expect on every visit?
- Clear scheduling. From the moment you call or book, you will know what happens next and when.
- Know who is coming. Professional communication before arrival, so there is no uncertainty about who is at your door.
- Respect for your home. We leave your home clean and keep you posted throughout the visit.
- Options, not pressure. On bigger jobs you will see your options, including financing, before you decide.
What happens after the work is done?
Twelve months of parts and labor cover on installation work is the only workmanship term the business states. The guarantee page holds the full wording, and the term doesn’t reach repairs or maintenance.
Why does one company cover this many trades?
Because the trades overlap inside a house more than the industry’s org charts suggest, and the household is the one who pays for the gaps.
A chimney that won’t draw can be a pressure problem created by a bath fan and a tightly built house. A damp basement can be groundwater, a failed sump, a plumbing leak or a dehumidifier that has stopped, and any of the four is a different trade. A generator that won’t start is a small engine, an electrical transfer switch and a fuel supply, and the person who installs it’s usually the person who should service it.
One company with all five under one name means one call and one accountable party, rather than three contractors each explaining that the problem is the other one’s.
Where does the company work?
The region runs from Fredericksburg itself outward: up the interstate toward Woodbridge and the Dulles corridor, out to Culpeper and Mineral on the western side, and down the rivers to Colonial Beach.
Twenty communities have pages of their own, all reached from the service area directory.
How do I get in touch?
Call (571) 485-9343. The office that answers can book any of the trades, and can tell you which of the three locations is relevant if location matters for what you need.
If it’s not urgent, the contact page carries the addresses, hours and maps, and the details can be sent through there instead. Anyone weighing up the company on what customers said should start at reviews.
Frequently asked questions
How long has OHA been in business?
The business started in 1995.
Where are the offices?
Three: Fairfax on Juniper Street, and two in Fredericksburg, on Heatherstone Drive and on Patriot Highway.
Is OHA licensed?
Yes. OHA’s plumbing work is overseen by Robert Richard, Virginia Licensed Master Plumber. We also have a Master HVAC License and a Master Gas Fitters license on staff. Licensing requirements differ by trade in Virginia; just ask when you call and we will walk you through the credentials for your job.
How can I verify that OHA is a real local company?
We have three local offices, two in Fredericksburg and one in Fairfax, and each has its own Google Business Profile with reviews and photos. Call (571) 485-9343 to speak with our local team directly.
Can one company really handle plumbing and chimneys?
It can, and the reason is that a house doesn’t divide itself along trade lines. The person sent for a given job is qualified for that job, which is why the office routes calls rather than sending whoever is free.
Do you work on commercial buildings?
Commercial service is offered, but the scope, which trades, which property types, which areas, is still being defined. Call and describe the building; the office can tell you what’s possible now.
What if I have a complaint about work already done?
Call the office and say what happened.
