National Property Inspections | San Antonio

Andrea Eskin of San Antonio describes owner Rodney Twyford as a meticulous home inspector. "He was absolutely the best," she says. "He checked everything inside and out, and came up with a prioritized list of what needed to be done or what could be held off. It was exceptional service from start to finish."

The two-time Super Service Award winner and licensed home inspector says he's always had an eye for details, and leaves no area of the home uninspected - even roofs, attics and crawl spaces.

"I'm able to discover conditions that could lead to deficiencies or even disaster if not addressed properly," says Twyford, who previously worked as a fuel driveability technician for Ford. "That's obviously a huge asset in this business."

That level of thoroughness impressed Armando Garza of San Antonio during a one-year home warranty inspection. "He got into every nook and cranny and found things we were unaware of," he says. "He appears to have perfected his craft."

Twyford, a certified Residential Energy Services Network energy auditor, donates services to his church.

Alamo Water Softeners | San Antonio

Husband and wife owners Allen and Trudy Townsend return as a Best San Antonio Contractor for the second straight year. They say they follow a simple business philosophy - do what's right. "The profit, while great to have, is not our No. 1 objective," Trudy says. "It must be a win-win for the customer and AWS."

Glenn Yap of San Antonio lost patience with the constant sales pitches from other water softener companies and was pleasantly surprised by AWS when they installed a water softener and reverse osmosis drinking water system.

"There were no high pressure sales tactics used, no pushing to a more expensive system that cost a few thousand dollars," he says. "Another huge plus is all the equipment they installed was made of standard parts that anyone can service."

Allen says a top priority for AWS is to keep services affordable for customers. "Our water softeners are custom built to our specifications, to be as cost effective as possible with as little maintenance for the customer as possible. Not with recurring revenue in mind," he says.

Carlos Febus of San Antonio says AWS went the extra mile to determine why his new water softener was leaking when he hired them for a complete installation.

"They were digging in 100-degree heat for 45 minutes, but discovered the leak was not from their work," Febus says. "Despite that, they refused to accept money from me. They really go out of their way to provide outstanding service."

Trudy says the company tries to be transparent by putting price ranges on their website. "Most competitors are overpriced and will not share accurate prices unless they're face to face," she says.

The company received 12 Page of Happiness nominations in the last year. Alamo, which is registered to work in the city, also offers energy-efficient products such as its Gold water softener, which uses 30 percent less water compared to most others.

First Priority Appliance | Universal City, Texas

The next time San Antonio member Cathy Cook experiences a problem with any of her appliances, she's calling First Priority Appliance owner Jose Alvarez. "He was great," she says. "He fixed the dryer, then gave the washer a look, which he didn't have to do."

In business since 2001, First Priority has built a strong following among Angie's List members, who submitted 20 Page of Happiness nominations in the last year. In addition to providing great service, members say he talks to children about his work and is friendly with their pets.

Alvarez's work requires no license, but he's EPA certified. "I try to make the customer understand exactly what I'm doing and what we have to do to get the appliance working again," he says.

Seymore Staining | San Antonio

Jan Harvey's wooden deck takes a beating in the San Antonio sun, but she had trouble finding a good deck-staining specialist until she hired Gregory Seymore's company.

"He and an assistant cleaned and sanded the deck on hands and knees," says Harvey, who found the company on Angie's List and initially hired them in 2010 and again in 2011 to refresh the deck and patio. "When they put stain on it, it looked the best it's looked since I've had it."

Seymore, who's registered to work in the city, honed his work ethic serving eight years in the U.S. Air Force and then working for a friend's deck company. In 1997, he saw a need for a business focused on outdoor wood staining to keep those sunbaked decks and other woods looking great. "We love turning something they thought would never be pretty again into something that looks awesome," he says.

More Best San Antonio Contractors of 2011

Find these companies' full profiles at angieslist.com to read more about what makes their service superlative

Abelia Sprinkler Repairs | San Antonio

Acres North Animal Hospital | San Antonio

Alamo City Arbor Care | Schertz, Texas

Boerne Painting & Remodeling | Boerne, Texas

C.A.P.P.S. Plumbing | San Antonio

Garage Door Repair Co. | San Antonio

Heaven's Best Carpet Cleaning | San Antonio

La Cantar Animal Hospital | San Antonio

Rubbish Works of San Antonio | San Antonio

Sergio's Crown Molding | Helotes, Texas

TEX-PERTS Cooling & Heating | San Antonio

The Window Experts | San Antonio

Top Notch Gutters | Seguin, Texas