RICH MATHEWS & SON Inc.

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Coordinated everything inclusive of old tank removal, boiler removal, electric, and inspections. Installed temporary hot water heater (electric) to keep things going while we waited for gas company to complete the gas line and for some of the pipes to be removed and re-installed properly. Everything professional, friendly, neat and service provided timely. Paid attention to details and made sure everything was ready to go for the cold weather. A pleasure to do business with.

We were very happy with the heating system upgrade Rich Mathews did for us. As many others have attested, Rich always answers the phone directly (always an instant pickup in the 7-8 times we phoned) and he took a good deal of time to explain the pros and cons of several different options available to us in upgrading our system. We were able to schedule a visit to our house and obtain an estimate within a few days of our request. After comparing several estimates from different companies we decided to go with Rich for a standard efficiency boiler installation. This was based equally on price as well as our confidence in Rich's understanding of our house and current system setup. After tentatively scheduling our appointment for within a few weeks during the busy fall season, we were pleasantly surprised when an unexpected opening allowed him to come in within a few days for the installation. Over the course of 2 long days Rich performed most of the installation work himself, along with the assistance of an electrician and a disposal crew that removed the old furnace. All old piping was upgraded and secured as necessary and he also installed an extra carbon monoxide detector in the basement for additional safety. Permitting for the job was completed as expected and there were no unexpected additional costs. The old boiler was removed promptly and the cleanup after the job, while not meticulous, was satisfactory. Rich came by after the installation to check on the system, and as of several weeks after the service the boiler and water heater are performing well and we're very happy with the increased speed at which our heat is delivered into the radiators and rooms. The new water heater is also working perfectly. Overall we are very satisfied with the fact that Rich was able to install the boiler sooner than expected and at a fair price. He was very personable and friendly, and also accommodating to our schedule. We greatly appreciated his detailed explanations and instant availability by phone to address any questions and concerns. We'd gladly recommend him to anyone seeking work on their heating system.

a heartbeat and highly recommend him. Our hot water tank quit and once again I needed to decide on merely replacing it with a standard gas fired heater or if I wanted to up grade to a more eco-friendly system. I also had two old but functioning boiler units heating my home that weren't the most energy efficient and probably getting near the end of their life. Of course researching and making the financial commitment to these kinds of improvements takes time and of course meanwhile there's the inconvenience of having no hot water. Enter Rich Mathews, plumber extraordinaire. He fixed my immediate problem by installing a new hot water tank as a temporary measure (or permanent if I decided that was all I wanted to do) so that I would then have the time to make decisions without the pressure of no hot water. Rich is very informative and tells you what all the available options are and what the pros and cons of each are. He answered all my questions and in a way that didn't leave me feeling confused or stupid. We opted to get rid of our two old furnaces and to go with a high efficiency Burnham Alpine boiler and HTP stainless steel indirect hot water system. Rich also made sure we knew about the rebates available to us for both the heating unit and the hot water unit and followed up with the necessary paperwork from his end. Even if you knew nothing about plumbing, the quality of his work is evident the minute you walk in our furnace room. Everything is done with meticulous care, precision and cleanliness. Anyone who knows a bit about plumbing sees the equivalent of a work of art. Lastly, Rich Mathews is reliable, quiet, clean, professional, knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor. We would hire this guy again in

I had Rich out recently to replace my old leaking gas water heater. While he was there I asked him about my gas heating boiler. It was 35 years old and I knew I probably wouldn't get through another winter with it. Rich and I talked, and he informed me about the many options for heating systems. We decided on a gas fired cast iron boiler from Burnham. The installation went very smoothly and the new boiler is a much neater installation than the one another plumber had done 35 years ago. He was prompt, very neat and methodical. He also seems to have a good rapport with the local inspector who commented on the choice of boiler. I will always use Rich in the future and recommend him to anyone in the Somerville, Cambridge area.

I've had great experiences with Rich in the past, so when my old water heater started leaking, I immediately called Rich. He promptly answered my call and came out the next day to install a new Bradford-White gas water heater. As always, he was prompt, friendly, and did great job installing the heater. He's very meticulous about his work and it shows in the very neat installation. He explained the features of the newer model heaters and told me to call if I had any questions. I will definitely call on Rich in the future and suggest the same to others.

As other reviewers have pointed out, the experience with Rich starts with the first phone call: he answers the phone. This is a common theme with Rich as he is always available and always, ALWAYS answers the phone. Rich has done work at my two rental properties as well as my primary residence, and I wouldn't hesitate to refer him to anyone else. He completed three complicated oil-to-gas conversions that I funded using the MassSave Heat Loan program. Rich was integral in helping me navigate the process and deal with the various hoops that one needs to jump through when using this quasi-government program. Moreover, he provided referrals to other vendors every step of the way including chimney liner (Boxford Chimney - highly recommend), oil tank removal and electrical. All his referrals were just as top notch as Rich, and he even took the lead in coordinating and scheduling with each of them. Rich also replaced four water heaters, installed a package boiler and made various repairs to my home system (even though he didn't install it). His work is fastidious and his level of "customer service" goes above and beyond. I've had other contractors see RIch's work and comment on how clean and well executed everything is. Rich truly cares and makes strategic and thoughtful recommendations every step of the way. And as far as pricing goes, I found Rich to be very transparent with his pricing and extremely competitive with other quotes I secured. I can't say enough good things about Rich (and Rich Jr) and am grateful I've made my way into his customer rolodex.

I called and Rich answered the phone. He happened to be in the area so he arrived at my house within 30 minutes. Luckily he heard the intermittent noise and knew what it was, a noisy check valve caused by excessive rusty water clogging water flow to heat our external hot water tank. He cleaned the pipes and showed me how to clean them more extensively than I had been so it won't happen again. From initial phone call to completed repair, 1.5 hours, can't beat that.

A wonderful experience dealing with such an honest, meticulous, hard working, safety conscious professional. There aren't enough adjectives to described this guy. I had an oil to gas conversion complete with hot water storage. He was so knowledgeable and informative, his experience showed. He payed attention to detail especially in the area of safety. He called the gas company in first thing when he found my gas meter and pipes unsecured and loose. His pricing is competitive but his real worth is in the quality,experience and attention to detail. The other bids I received missed safety issues, incorrect capacity and the fact that there was asbestos on and leaching from the old boiler putting my family at risk. Rich immediately noticed and told me about the asbestos and took precautions to eliminate exposure to my family and got me in touch with a firm to remove it. The contractors he suggested for boiler and oil tank removal were priced significantly lower than others I received. My down time during the conversion was 1 hour down for hot water and one day for heat. My new system, a work of art. He is a professional, knows his stuff ( his father did it for years before him) and he is an enjoyable person to talk to and work with. Hiring him for your oil to gas conversion , a "no brainer"

We called for an estimate on replacing our gas home heating system. Rich Sr. picked up our call while on vacation. He promised to get out to see us upon his return in a few days and did so promptly. He was on time, very thorough, and knowledgeable. His estimate, was a little higher than some others, but in the ballpark. Ultimately we went with someone else because we preferred their product and the associated rebates available, but we felt our experience was positive and would not hesitate to suggest people call him to quote their job.

"Exceptional service". Rich personally answered the phone and was at my Dad's house the next day for an estimate to convert from oil to gas. He took his time and explained everything to my Dad (93 Yrs) & I in detail. He was extremely knowledgeable and didn't leave any doubt about what needed to be done. He also quoted us a price the next day. He is extremely competitive. He is very knowledgeable and courteous. He arranged the installation of a new gas Service & Meter. Rich personally supervised every aspect of the job, and kept us updated from the start to the finish. The oil tank removal company and chimney repair company that he recommended were very reasonably priced and did a great job. Rich and his team always came when they said would. They were friendly, courteous, focused, responsive and thorough. They cleaned up at the end of the day. My Dad is 93 years young, so it was Great that Rich kept the down time to a minimum (water shut off etc). He even arranged to have an Electrician set a Hook Up so that he (Rich could supply a Temporary Hot Water Heater for my Dad. He has a very friendly and outgoing nature that made the whole process run very smoothly my Dad loved him! This type of service is rare to find. His work ethic is what separates him from others. Rich never ceased until he was satisfied the job was done perfectly. A Great plumber! 100% recommended!!!

Services are always performed promptly and professionally

Called this company around 10 am Saturday morning, had a problem where I had no hot water in the house since Friday night. Owner (Rich) picked up, said he was on a job, couldn't come out but to call others, and if wasn't fixed by others, he would stop by after 1 pm once he finished up his current job. After calling other companies on Angie's List, no one either picked up, called back (after leaving messages) or didn't show up after promising to show up. I called Rich back around 2, he was still on the job, but said he would stop by after since he hadn't finished his job yet. Sure enough, at 4 pm he comes by himself, courteous, polite and very professional from the get-go. I explained the situation in further detail, he asked me a few questions to try and pinpoint the problem area, ran his diagnosis. Found out it was a faulty zone control value. I have 3 zone control valves so he narrowed it down to the middle one that wasn't working, he swapped it with the another one out of the three, but one still needed replacing. He didn't have one on him, said he had one in his house, he would go and come back to install it (he lived in the next town over). He came back 20 mins. later, installed the new zone control valve. He then proceeded to educate me on trying to diagnose the problem myself for future reference. He was patient, answered all my questions, and had no attitude. My hot hot water heater/boiler system is the Weil Mclain Gold Plus 40, indirect heat gas. I went to the manufacturer's website, and Rich was listed as someone who sells and repairs this brand. He told me he works mostly on the superstore model and not mine but he still was able to fix my problem. In total, the time was about 1.5 hours, including the 20 mins. he went home to get the valve, so parts and labor at $175 isn't bad, could be cheaper but it was last minute, weekend, and I didn't have to deal with the attitudes that come with people in this profession so I can live with it. I would use him again in the future (he also put his company's sticker with telephone number on my water tank).

Rich came highly recommended and was able to install my system quickly to allow me to take advantage of expiring incentives and rebates. His communication was consistently good and he showed up when he said he would--sadly an unusual thing to find... I had gotten other estimates and Rich was able to come in at a competitive price and did a very professional and clean job installing my boiler and water heater setup. He seems to install a lot of the more modern high efficiency boilers and it gave me a higher comfort level than working with a plumber who only installed such systems once in a while. When I was not happy with the appearance of the venting for the system on the outside of my house, he did whatever he could to make me happy. He rearranged the venting to minimize the visual impact of that exterior pvc piping and explained the constraints he had to work with in order to vent the system safely. I'd happily recommend Rich to anyone installing a new heating or hot water system.

He did a great job. He’s just a very nice gentleman and he works very hard. He in fact put the water heater in first before putting in the furnace. We had some issues with the furnace. He was about ten miles away from where I lived and during the snow storm he drove his truck all the way to my house at about 9 o’clock in the night to fix the furnace and the water heater. He took him about two hours to do the job and then he drove back home in the snow storm. He left about midnight. I would absolutely use his services again in the future.

"Exceptional service". Rich personally answers the phone and was at my house the next day to give an estimate for conversion from oil to gas. He took his time and explained everything to me in detail. He was extremely knowledgeable and didn't leave me in doubt about what needed to be done. He also quoted me a price the same day. I had received several estimates before deciding to hire Rich Mathews Plumbing to do the job. Price wise he is extremely competitive. He is knowledgeable and courteous. Because of his connections with the gas company he was able to have the boilers delivered much sooner than they were willing to do for me. Plus the installation of a new gas meter etc. Rich personally supervised every aspect of the job, and kept me updated from start to finish. Both the oil tank removal company and chimney repair company he recommended were reasonably priced and did a great job. Rich and his team always came when they said would. They were friendly, courteous, focused, responsive and thorough. They cleaned up at the end of the day. This is rental property so it was important the down time was kept to a minimal eg water shut off etc. He has a very friendly and outgoing nature that made the whole process run smoothly even my tenants loved him. He even did stuff for free. That type of service is rare to find. His work ethic is what separates him from others. Rich never ceased until he was satisfied the job was done perfectly. Great plumber. 100% recommend.

Extremely professional. His attention to detail borders on the obsessive: he was hesitant to take the job because the existing plumbing made it difficult to attain his required level of result. Other plumbers were willing to do a slap-dash job for the same price, but rich came up with a solution that improved the heating system as a whole rather than the particular task I was hiring him for.

Any time I have contacted Rich, he calls back quickly and is very responsive. I would definitely recommend him.

He was a bit on the high side but very nice to deal with

Recommend highly! Returned initial phone contact within 1 hour. Came to house exactly at time he said he would. Prompt, professional, expert diagnosis of the problem(s). Replaced thermo unit for pilot light, cleaned vents and tubes. Once system was running, diagnosed that the firm that did the installation 7 years ago had improperly wired the air intake so it was running at the wrong time (no one else had picked up on this). Rewired the intake to come on at the correct time, and shut off properly in the correct sequence. Returned to replace the blow off safety valve because he was concerned there was improper leakage that could become dangerous (others had said "don't worry about it"). Rich was prompt, professional, expert, dedicated and delightful--exactly the kind of professional you would want servicing your equipment. Recommend highly!

Rich Mathews called me very soon after I emailed him on a Sunday with specs for a job --- gas boiler + HWH + some miscellaneous work. I was a little out of his travel range, but he offered to consult on the phone for several minutes. He gave extremely solid, real-world, substantiated advice, told me his unit and model preferences and the reasons for them, and ran through cost savings vs doing only part of the spec. Anyway, this is not a job recommendation per se, just generous and professional behavior on the part of a stranger. (And yes, he is part of the family of the same-name spelling, the other two being a nephew and father.)

Where do I start? Rich Mathews is the most responsive and professional residential contractor I've worked with. He is a "master plumber" and it shows; his work is neat and thorough. It's clear he knows his trade when he can size up existing conditions, and his predictions are right on. He fit me into his schedule and got the work done, from equipment order to final inspection, in just 2 or 3 weeks. Once hired, he was consistently on the job, showing up right when he said he would. He found and coordinated subs. He was easy to reach on his cell phone and was great about checking in regularly by phone to update me on daily progress. Highly recommended! P.S. I don't usually rave about contractors like this, but Rich gets all straight "A"s.

This was the best experience I've ever had with a home services company. We'd been out of town for a couple of major snowstorms and the snow was blocking access to the cellar entrance and the exterior where the vent and flue were to be installed: Rich came over and cleared a path for himself with his own snowblower. There were some issues with the installation due to peculiarities in this old house, like the foundation sill extending a couple of inches inside the line of first floor interior walls, so installing the baseboards resulted in a broken drill bit on the first try and extra work from then on. Not a problem, no complaints, no suggestions of any extra charge although the time to install the baseboards went up by about 50%. Work was started on 20 December with delivery of the boiler and masonry work, completed on 23 December, inspected and signed off by the city inspector on 26 December. A great job, and I'll probably hire Rich Mathews & Son when I install central A/C.

Peter never showed up, or returned any of my calls. I ended up waiting a few days and called Rich and was told that things were busy, and he would get back to me. Never heard from them again. Needless to say, I will never recommend to anyone I know.

It went well. Since we had oil, our job was subcontracted out to someone that does the oil heat products, but it was overseen by Rich. Our job was done on the weekends as the oil person has another job. This worked fine for us. They suggested a new way to do our zones, and a new hot water heater that has a lifetime warranty. They were very neat. They removed all the old equipment. The technician left one evening, and we had no hot water and we called him. He came right back as did Rich Mathews himself to make sure everything was fixed and working again.