Baker Elman Plumbing

Baker-Elman is going to be my plumber for now on, and I could not recommend them more highly. To start with, Betty, who answered the phone, made sure up front that she understood what parts needed to be ordered for the toilet, sent me a picture of the kit from the catalog to verify that she knew what was broken (I actually knew what was broken.) That saved a trip and saved me $$. The gentlemen were professional, respectful, worked efficiently, and explained exactly what they had to do to fix the outside water faucet. The new workings make it so much easier to use!

I sent an email late on a Sunday night and received a call back first thing Monday morning. Sheryl at the office was most helpful and was able to have someone come out that day. The service was fast, friendly, and reliable.

The plumber told us that a consulting fee would be charged even though no service was provided. We understand it is commonplace for the plumber to collect some fees because his meter starts when he hits the road, but we were still a bit shocked to receive a bill of $130, before the 10% Angie's List coupon. Betty from Baker Elman told us that $130 is the price to pay just for the plumber to show up at the door. We will keep this in mind.

It didn't go so well. basically they were very friendly and they did a good job at what they did. But the problem was after that left another leak had opened up inside the wall. And I think it was because they had disturbed the pipe. They were willing to come over and assess it. But once I realized what had happened, I basically had a friend and myself fix it because it was up inside the walls and, unfortunately, it caused a terrible problem. But we were able to fix it. If we had them come back, they were something like if another problem was caused by this problem we can't cover it. Maybe they did tell me it could create problems if they try to fix this pipe - and it did create problems - and it would have cost way too much to try and fix it. I had to cut holes in the walls and repair the pipes myself with some putty. They weren't willing to do it that way anyways because it wouldn't meet the code and it was just a terrible mess! I know they were very well recommended. But I was not happy with the way the job went and I can't really say it was their fault, because it maybe would have happened no matter who did it, but I basically regretted having them come. They were very professional but it caused a terrible mess. I don't even know if its their fault because they warned me that it could create this problem. But they weren't careful enough - I didn't think so. They caused another problem with this repair that they had told me they couldn't completely avoid and so I took the risk. It just created a terrible mess and maybe it was unavoidable but I ended up having to fix it myself because it would have cost too much to get a plumber to come fix it to meet the code. The price was average. Or maybe it was above average. I didn't have a problem with the price.

I called for a same day dryer disconnect. The woman who answered the phone was very friendly and helpful, telling me they were fully booked but she would call me back if someone became available. Sure enough, they were able to fit me in. Similarly, they were able to push up my appointment to connect the dryer the next day so that I wouldn't have to go the weekend without it. Both plumbers who came to do the disconnect and connect were quick and did a good job. I appreciate that they have a crew of plumbers so they can accommodate many jobs in a day. The price seemed high, but I don't have anything to compare it with, so I gave them an A on price anyway. I would recommend them and would use them again.

I have hired Baker-Elman on multiple occasions for two houses. They are always on time, and come in at quoted amount. They can be trusted with a key as I have done so with two properties. On another occasion they found a faucet that matched the one my mom had in her 45 year old house, she was so happy and so am I.

Wonderful, wonderful experience. I had gotten several quotes from other plumbers in the area, and decided to go with Baker Elman both because of price and their proposal. After they came for the initial quote, I called several times asking questions and I found that everyone I spoke to was extremely patient and willing to listen to my concerns. We had two very nice and extremely professional young men show up on time the day the work was done. They spent the time to talk through all the options with me and, although I wanted the sink positioned in a way that would make the work more difficult, there was no push back whatsoever. Let me reiterate - they were the best possible people I could have wanted on the job!! They were quiet, extremely polite, and did very, very clean work. The pipes had to be exposed (basement), but they installed them in such a discrete way that they aren't noticeable. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

I have struggled with how to write this review for weeks. Over the course of a month, I have had 6 different plumbers from this company working in my home. 5 of those plumbers have been fantastic...they were on time, they were respectful & friendly, a few very sweet with my eager 4 year old who loved asking questions and watching as they worked and those 5 plumbers did the work quickly and efficiently. I was very pleased with their service. But beware...if you choose to work with this company, it would be in your best interested to request to NOT have Frank work in your home, especially if you have small children. When Frank arrived to install our new dishwasher, he arrived at 9am instead of 1pm when we had be scheduled. I'm still uncertain how the time mix up happened. I was a little thrown off because we had places to be that morning, but I didn't want to send him away so I let him in to do the work anyway. We bought a European brand dishwasher that apparently is a little different to install than you average dishwasher. From the beginning, Frank seemed a bit put out that he had to install this "odd" dishwasher and was visibly frustrated with the instructions. I sympathized with him and apologized several times for handing him a challenging task. But I went on with my morning feeding my 4 year old and 1 year old breakfast in the next room. Then a little while later I hear him muttering under his breath and he seemed to be getting increasingly frustrated with the job. And I keep checking in asking if there was anything I could do to help and he just complained that the directions were just *crazy* and he was going to call the dishwasher company to ask some questions and give them a piece of his mind. So he seems to figure things out with the company on the phone and then he goes on to tell them how much he disliked their instructions and that they should be doing a better job. Ok, he's really frustrated. I can understand that. But what happens of the course of the next hour crossed the line from an understandable frustration to completely unprofessional and appalling behavior. I hear him starting to swear under his breath and not wanting my children to be around this, I take them upstairs. Once we are out of sight, he really starts to let it go and I can hear him from upstairs swearing loudly at the dishwasher, shaking it violently in frustration, throwing his tools around in his toolbox and pitching a royal fit! This went on for quite some time until I became so enraged and offended by his behavior that I asked him to take a break and calm himself because I was finding his behavior disturbing and upsetting. He fumbles around with a half-hearten apology and then storms out of my house. At this point I was so uncomfortable with this level of anger with a complete stranger in my home that I decided I'd had enough and when he returned 5 minutes later I told him that I would like for him to leave. He tries to convince me that he's almost finished the job, but I tell him that I no longer want him in my home behaving that way. So he calls his company and I hear him trying to explain things (but leaving out a lot of what he's done) and he leaves telling me that someone else will come to finish the job. He does apologize several times, but I at that point I feel the damage has been done and I just want him out of my house. I found the entire event nerve rattling. A plumber comes in to my home, displays disrespectful and unprofessional behavior and upsets me to the point of tears. Who does that?! Who behaves that way...and in front of children, no less! The redeeming quality of this company is that my husband & I spoke with both owners who were apologetic and the manager of the crew, a very gentle and kind, grandfatherly type then came later that afternoon to finish what Frank started...only to discover that most of what Frank had done was wrong and had to redo most of the work. But with kindness & patience, he did the work the right way. Also, as should be expected, we were NOT charged for that portion of the job. So in the end, I feel that they did the respectful thing to fix a terrible mess and I appreciate that...but I just had to share the full story because I found it so awful and upsetting. If Frank continues to work for this company, I would strongly suggest that they seek out anger management courses for him, as well as professionalism 101. You have so many wonderful plumbers on your team, it's a shame to have one spoil your reputation.

I've used Baker Elman twice after a strong recommendation from a colleague and been very happy each time. Very responsive by phone, extremely punctual, and very professional. I'm sure I could find someone a little cheaper, but you get what you pay for. We were in urgent need of a new water heater and they were able to send someone out that very day. Very knowledgeable over the phone and very willing to discuss and explain options.

They were great. The office manager helped us get a new hot water heater through out warranty and they were out the next day. We didn't have to do any of the leg work. I cannot say enough about their wonderful service.

He was on time, know what he was doing and got the job done. Exactly what I needed!

They were on time and professional. He did he three different things without charging extra for doing them. One of the office women came out on Friday because they did not want the job to cost more than it should. She came out to take pictures of the job to be done to make sure they provided an accurate estimate, no additional charge for this. I was very pleased.

We have used Baker-Elman plumbing several times now and do not intend to go anywhere else. They are extremely nice, very professional and knowledgable and always helpful.

When we woke up on Monday morning with no hot water, we feared the worst. And it happened. Water all over our basement, water heater failed after exactly 10 years and one month. We had called Baker-Elman previously to swap some sink fixtures, but this was a major repair. We called them right away (around 8AM or so), gave them the info about our current water heater. They quoted us a price of $2295, which was high, but they said they could come out that day and replace it ASAP, so we went for it. While we waited, we went to our local hardware store and bought a shop-vac to start clearing the water out of the basement. We did the best we could getting everything out and dry-ish, and the guys arrived about 2PM with the new replacement water heater ready to go. It took about 1.5 hours and then, before we knew it, they were done! They were fast, professional, and had a friendly demeanor. We were very happy with the quick same-day service, and the two friendly servicemen. Worth every penny, and now we're good for another 10 years!

The kitchen sink was leaking. The person on the phone was polite and easy to talk with. Luckily they had an opening/cancelation. They came over right away, spent time carefully diagnosing the problem, and quoted the job on the spot. They then ran a new disposal over from another location for an immediate install. They also detected a very deep clog, which I did not detect but realize was there since the water was draining a bit slower lately. The plumber did a fine job, honestly did what was needed, was very friendly, and professional. Price was reasonable. I once used Roto-Rooter and was *massively* fleeced by them--got a bad taste in my mouth for plumbers after that and started trying to do a lot of work on my own to avoid that nightmare again. No time anymore to try that. I am very happy to have found a good, honest plumber in my neighborhood!

We tried to turned on our outside water supply from an inside on/off switch in our basement after the winter season only to find that once we did that, the rest of the house lost water pressure. So we suspected a burst pipe. However, because our basement if furnished, we were concerned that plumber would have to take down the whole basement to find out the source of the leak. We called another Angie's List "A" rated plumber, who heard that our basement is furnished, took down our information and never followed up with us. Even after we have called him back twice. We finally called Baker Elman. The lady at the office was very professional and schedule an appointment for us. Took down the detail description of the problem so the plumber can anticipate what they are going to be facing when they get here. Frank show up on the day on time. Get to work immediately. And suspected that the burst pipe is in our crawl space. Went in and identified the burst. And worked in that crawlspace for almost 3 hours to fixed the broken pipe. Gave us advice on how to prevent it from happening again in the future. Apparently he said the pipe had bursted at least twice before. But since we only own this house for the last 6 years, we did not know. The experience overall is very positive. And they price very reasonably and automatically gave me an Angie's List member discount even though I had only mentioned to the lady at the office once when I made the appointment. I would definitely used them again.

Everything went smooth from start to finish. I have a 3-family in Dorchester and we have been using oil to heat the steam heat radiator system that heats all 3 apartments each with its separate boiler. I selected Baker Elman after a competitive process where I got 4 other estimates because of the high cost of this job. Communication, workmanship, and everything was great. They were able to work well with the chimney people (I have vented out my chimney instead of punching holes in the walls of the house) and everything came out fine, from installation of 3 Weil-McLain gas boilers, each with its own automatic feeder, copper pipe, and gas line.

Everything went well. They arrived when they said they would and completed the work in a timely manner. Great communication with the front office.

I would use them in the future.

They are very good. I appreciated the fact that they were right on time and went about their work very efficiently. They showed me things we needed to know about what they were repairing. I was a difficult task replacing the kitchen sink because of the way the old sink was put in, but they persevered. It was a professional job, they used lots of approaches to get the job done.

My tenants had a bathroom faucet that was leaking. The shutoff valve was also not working. I called Elman and while I forget the name of the woman I talked to, she was very pleasant and set up an appt in fairly short order. They asked that I email them a picture of the type of faucet so they would have the correct parts which is a great idea that I'll use for other services. I wasn't there at the time but my tenants said that the plumber that showed up was on time, professional and took care of the problem in a short amount of time. The price, while not the lowest I was quoted via email, was reasonable. I would use them again.

I had to shut the main water valve off to stop the water in the toilet tank from spurting like a geyser. I couldn't shut the toilet valve as it wouldn't move - it hadn't been used in years. I called Baker Elman and was referred to another number since it was a Sunday. I called the number, left a message, and within 5 minutes got a call back from Kenny. I explained the problem to him and he was very up front about having to charge double time on a weekend. Told him we couldn't live till tomorrow with the main off as there were elderly people in the house. He told me his price and asked me not to judge them by that price. He told me he would call me back in about 5 minutes, which he did, and then told me he expected to be on the road in 15 minutes. He arrived promptly, fixed the problem and we are all set. Given that it was a Sunday, I expected to have to pay more, and the service we got for it was excellent. Thanks for saving our day!!! I would definitely call them again for my plumbing needs.

The same plumber came on both visits and was perfect (for my needs): totally straight up with me about what was broken and what it would take to fix it. Suitably pessimistic/conservative about how hard/expensive it might be. Called out a number of side issues that he happened to see along the way -- not to up-sell, but just as things to keep an eye on, and how to keep an eye on them. When he came back to reinstall the toilet, he gave me h*** about my tile work, grumbled about how he'd never be able to get the toilet seated... and ten minutes later, when I poked my head back in, had it sitting there solid as a rock. :D Great constructive feedback on my own handiwork, as well as being helpful in the actual install and in providing some context/priority to some other projects. The pricing felt fair (and was in line with what I'd heard from other companies when I called around), and even the folks in the office were great to deal with around scheduling (and, specifically, making sure they were scheduling the _right_ thing). Had a happy surprise in the end, where they were actually available a week _before_ they had promised they would be.

Provider arrived on time, declogged drains and showed me how to do it myself for future references. Susan at the office is very pleasant, professional and responsive. Based on my interaction with her I chose this company. Prices seemed on-par with other companies so I will call them back for future work.

I am quite pleased. Baker-Elman did a free estimate and scheduled the work to accomodate my schedule which was very helpful. They were very communicative and returned calls right away. Mike showed up on time and got right to work. It was noisy work (it always is) but he was done by lunchtime and I could not be happier with the new baseboards. They're quiet, look nice and modern and totally worth the money. I had real problems with very noisy older baseboards that were disrupting my sleep and this seems to have solved the problem. I admit I was skeptical but decided to give it a try and I have no regrets. I would absolutely call them again for other heating and plumbing needs. It's not cheap (I had other estimates for the same job that were a bit less) but I went with Baker-Elman based on reviews and their willingness to accomodate what I wanted.