Attics on the island, crawlspaces downtown: the job in St. Augustine
Cook's runs St. Augustine every day from a shop in Palm Coast. If you live anywhere along that stretch of US 1, the drive to the day's first job is already the drive you'd make.
Openings for the St. Johns County routes
- Service technician. Troubleshoot and fix equipment of every brand in homes and small commercial buildings, from a 2006 builder-grade unit in Murabella to a salt-pitted condenser on Vilano to a flood-soaked air handler in Davis Shores.
- Install technician. Put in new Lennox equipment and take out the old: conventional changeouts in St. Augustine Shores, ductless and small-duct systems in the historic districts, elevated-platform installs along the bayfront. Brazing, electrical, duct modification, a tidy finish.
- Maintenance tech manager. Build and run the seasonal tune-up routes for the county, keep agreement customers on schedule around rental turnovers and snowbird seasons, and make sure no checklist gets rushed.
- Apprenticeship helpers. Ride along first; carry, observe, ask questions, then take on more.
What a day on this route is like
Air conditioning work in St. Augustine is not easy, and we won’t pretend it is. Summer afternoons hit the low 90s, dew points run through the mid-70s, and the I-95 subdivision attics are brutal by ten in the morning, so we schedule attic work early. Downtown, the work is the opposite: tight crawlspaces, plaster walls, coquina that doesn’t forgive a careless drill, and a preservation board that cares where the line set runs. On the island it’s salt, sand and stairs. Out in Flagler Estates it’s long driveways and well water that scales up a condensate drain.
The variety is the point. A technician who can do all four of those well is a technician who can do anything in this trade.
The temperament that lasts on this route
People who like explaining things to homeowners, including the retirees who make up a quarter of the city and want to understand what’s being done. People who can keep a rental-turnover schedule without being reminded. People who’d rather work for a family that’s in the building than for a regional office they’ll never see. On-call rotation is real, since somebody has to pick up at 3 a.m., but it’s shared, scheduled and paid.
Where the day starts
Trucks, inventory and dispatch are at the Palm Coast shop. The routes north into St. Johns County are among the busiest we run, and they’re staffed by people who know the drive. Tell us where you live when you apply; it factors into the route you’re offered.
Applicant questions
If I live in St. Augustine, where do I report in the morning?
Home base, where the trucks, the parts and the day itself begin, is the Palm Coast yard at 37 Fairmont Ln. How the first stop is arranged for technicians who live in St. Johns County is worked out with the office. [[CONFIRM WITH JERRY]]
How much of the job is historic-district work?
A meaningful share. Downtown, Lincolnville, the Abbott Tract and the 1920s districts send us ductless, high-velocity and retrofit-duct jobs that require more care than a slab-ranch changeout. If that kind of problem-solving appeals to you, this route is the one to ask for.
Do I need to know mini-splits before applying?
Not for the helper role; you’ll learn them here. Service and install technicians should be comfortable with ductless equipment, because the historic core and the beach cottages run on it.
I've done construction but never HVAC. Is there a way in?
The apprenticeship helper position. A clean driving record, comfort on a ladder and in a hot attic, and the willingness to learn are the requirements. EPA certification and the trade come with the training.
Interested?
Call the shop or write to {{email}} with your experience and where in St. Johns County you live.