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Established in 1950, Baker-Elman has been family owned-and-operated for three generations, Baker-Elman Plumbing is your pipeline for all your plumbing needs. Baker-Elman Plumbing has been in business for over 76 years and we are able to provide quick and efficient regular and emergency service to all over the Greater Boston. If you need a plumber, we will be there.

Owner David Elman has been in the family business for over forty years. He is a third generation master plumber with extensive experience in the repairing of older plumbing as well as installations of new fixtures, boilers, water heaters, general maintenance as well as renovations and rehabs.
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David Elman, 3rd generation owner of his family plumbing business with 40 years experience. We are a very customer service oriented company that spends time with its clients either on the phones or at their homes. Whether it is a small repair to a major renovation or replacement we will spend time helping to sort out the necessary information so that the homeowner feels comfortable with their decision.
David was raised in Newton and has been involved in his family business since he was a young boy. David's dad and uncle ran the business, after the passing of his father he became the owner with his uncle. For the past 20 years, he and his wife Sheryl have taken over the reins and worked very hard to maintain his family's good name.
Baker-Elman Plumbing has been providing services to the western and southern suburbs of Boston for over 60 years. Residential and commercial plumbing. Residential gas. Kitchen & bath remodels and renovations from beginning to end. Water heater repairs and installations. Rheem, Ruud, A.O. Smith, State, Bradford White, American.
If you need help call our office at 617-244-6500 and there will be a telephone number of the technician that is on call to help service your needs. We make every attempt to call our customers before we go to your home. If you are not home or don't answer our call we will just move on to the next call on the schedule.
Reviews (25)
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Jane Buxton
Jun 09, 2022
Baker Ellman came out for a clogged toilet. They performed some work and told me to call if problem not resolved. I called to say problem not resolved but was told they would come out for an additional service charge. I felt this was not acceptable since the original job they performed was not done. I was than told I should have contacted a drain company and not them. Why did baker bellman take the job if they could not resolve the problem? $398.00 later still have a clogged toilet.
Jing Kim
Apr 20, 2022
I have been using Baker-Elman's service for more than 10 years. Their quality has been excellent and without any doubt. Their technicians are very skillful, delivering a high quality of work. They are always on time, very professional, polite and truly diligent to their work! Unlike many other companies nowadays always pushing their customers to write a review after the service, this company has never asked or pressured me to write any reviews after services were provided. I really like their honesty and down-to-earth way of doing business. Highly recommend their service to everyone!
Benjamin Siegel
Apr 18, 2022
Really, these folks are great. I've used them for years and while it's never fun to call a plumber, these are among the most responsive, professional folks in town. David and Mike came to our place within a week of our calling the office and talking with Susan; they helped us with a number of tasks efficiently and well. David gave great advice about general house stuff well above the call of duty. Very grateful to have these folks in my address book!
Jeffrey Zaremski
Apr 06, 2022
Professional and timely service provided by the individual who diagnosed our issue. But what's extremely disappointing is the $20 additional fuel surcharge that the company has added (and not communicated). While I understand oil and gas prices have increased and may have cut into their bottom line in the short-term, this hidden fuel surcharge was significantly higher than the amount of gas they used to commute to my house. Very much nickel and diming that resulted in greater profits to the company at the expense of the individual service they provided me.
William K.
Mar 18, 2022
The team at Baker Elman fixed my hot water problems in two different areas and did a great job. Highly recommend.
Kellie Lamb
Jan 25, 2022
John the plumber is out there fixing burst pipes, no heat, and no water emergencies all weekend. Best plumber out there, doing it with patience and a smile in the freezing temperatures. You're the best John L. Thank you for giving the customers prompt and dependable emergency service.
Elizabeth C.
Jan 14, 2022
Accurate Baker-Elman recently replaced our old gas boiler and hot water heater. Our first point of contact in the office was Susan, who was very helpful throughout the whole process. Steve, who was the Service Manager, came to our home to assess and quote the job. He is experienced, which was helpful in our situation since we had an older system to be replaced.

He factored in the square footage, the rooms to be heated, size hot water heater and the existing baseboards to confirm the boiler BTU requirement. His quote was received timely. Steve was exceptionally responsive to any questions we had. The technicians for the install (Andrew, Dave & Mike) were very professional. Andrew clearly explained the work to be done.

They completely cleaned up the work area after they finished and arranged for the large boxes of trash outside to be removed the same day. This is really a reliable plumbing company that stands behind their work. I highly recommend Accurate Baker-Elman plumbing!
Nina Greco-Nihan
Jan 14, 2022
I truly can't say enough good things about David M! He came to inspect our system due to a loud noise and replaced a circulator. He was timely, friendly and informative. Throughout the process, he let me know estimated costs before performing the job. I really appreciated the time he took to show me where important valves and meters were. David's kindness went a long way and was so appreciated. He even won my (nervous) dogs over. Thank you David! We will definitely use Baker-Elman again.
Sean Andersson
Jan 05, 2022
Baker-Elman connected the plumbing on a new sink and vanity in our basement. They were on time, friendly, and efficient. Scheduling was easy, we were notified when the plumber was on his way, and they were very clear about the costs up front. Would definitely use again.
Robyn Cohen
Sep 27, 2021
Great experience with Baker-Elman. The person answering the phone was friendly, helpful, and professional. She had me take a picture of our leaky toilet to be sure the plumber would have all the necessary parts for our service call. I was given a same day appointment in the afternoon but when a spot opened up earlier, they reached out - so I had a plumber at my home within 2 hours of my initial phone call. The plumber, Michael, was friendly and professional. The price was totally reasonable. All in all, I could not be happier.
Maria V.
Sep 21, 2021
Dishonest company that wanted to sell me a completely new heating system on the lie that my boiler was irreparably broken. Ion came out for an emergency visit over a weekend when we had no hot water and was able to tell me the system was in bad need of a cleaning as it was overrun with soot. I paid for the emergency visit, and was grateful to have the assurance we were not in danger, but no actual work was done. Ion then no showed on the scheduled appointment time the following Monday, and I had to call the office, where it was confirmed that my visit was never added to the calendar.

I am giving 2 stars because the ladies I spoke to in the office - Kathleen and Lisa - were courteous, patient and lovely to deal with. Ion finally came out Tuesday, with one other person. He started to vacuum the boiler and quickly brought me over to show me white specks in the soot, explaining that these were "shards of metal from what has to be a broken heat exchanger" and said he will see what they find when they complete the cleaning.

I gave them space to work. In about 90 minutes, the techs tried to turn on the boiler and it released smoke again. At that point, they came upstairs and told me that there was nothing else that could be done for the boiler and a complete heating system replacement was my only option. I asked if Ion was 100% sure and clarified if this was due to a cracked heat exchanger, and Ion confirmed it.

Within minutes, he was measuring spaces in the wall and telling me about forced air system options and the rebates and financing I could receive from MassSave. If Ion would have followed up with the estimate that night, like he said he would, it would have been likely that I would have hired Affiliate Baker Ellman to do the work right away - that is how desperate I was to get hot water back.

I am a single mom, it is COVID times and one of my children is too young for the vaccine. Ion and I talked about these factors, and he seemed sympathetic, but also quick to take advantage. Fast forward 2 days, Ion still had failed to provide any written estimates, and I had done my own research and was ready to move forward with a propane install.

I called a different HVAC co and instead of just proceeding with giving me an estimate for propane install, the technician got curious about the boiler and after looking at it, confirmed that the heat exchanger was indeed intact, and that the cleaning that was done by Affiliate Baker Ellman was only partially done. The system was still filthy (pics attached) and I had paid Baker Ellman a total of $600 to date. Worse, the heat exchanger info was blatantly incorrect, because it was explained to me by the other tech that in the case of this, water would be leaking from the boiler, and Ion never even turned the water off.

I tried to speak to Affiliate Baker Ellman and request a refund of the non-emergency visit, but was ultimately mansplained and talked over by the supervisor there, who basically denied that the heat exchanger info was communicated as it was, as if he was here when it happened, or a homeowner like me with no knowledge around HVAC would be able to make up a story about a heat exchanger.

I am disputing the charge with my bank and have a complaint on file with the Attorney General's office. Please be careful and check in on any older folks and single moms you know - companies are taking advantage! Update: another HVAC company completed the cleaning and successfully fixed the issue! I will be working with them exclusively going forward.
Hye-Lim J.
Aug 19, 2021
This place is exceptionally reliable. My condo's management office recommended this place when my shower's hot water lever broke. Calling to make an appointment was a breeze (I forget who answered the phone but she was very patient with me and pleasant). Right after making an appointment, I received an automated text message for confirmation, and another one the day before the appointment as a reminder - which means this place has a system. Connor arrived within the promised time window and fixed what I've asked for. Communicative, professional, punctual, quality work - what can one ask for more from a contractor? Should I need any future plumbing fixes, I will use Baker Elman again. Highly recommend.
Dick K.
Aug 11, 2021
One time they couldn't come immediately, not sure why, but thats unusual. Generally they are excellent. Been a customer for 5 + years, in Brookline.
A. W.
May 28, 2021
I can't believe that people complain about plumbers when they can contact Baker-Elman. They are unbelievably competent, reasonably-priced and show up when they say they will show up: in short they are everything that many plumbing companies are not. Every employee I have encountered from the front-office staff who takes care of customers to the tradespeople who come out to do the job exude competence and care for their clients.

Two winters ago when our old boiler had problems, Baker-Elman came out to fix it, replaced a part for a $150 or so, and reassured me that the old boiler would more than do its job for the winter when any other plumbing company would have immediately tried to upsell me on a new boiler. This year I took advantage of gas company incentives and finally decided to upgrade to a high -efficiency boiler and could not be more pleased with the work that Baker-Elman did.
Meredith A.
Dec 01, 2020
I found these guys through Angie's list. They were responsive and came out and unclogged my shower drain when they said they would. The only thing I had to chase them for was the bill, LOL! I reminded them to charge me last night and got the bill this morning. Their pricing seems very fair to me. I will definitely call them next time I need a plumber!
Sarah A. Downey
May 28, 2020
These guys are great. I used them recently to install a sink and a pump in my basement so I could continually drain my dehumidifier into the sink rather than having to dump it out 3+ times a day. They were super professional throughout the entire process: gave us lots of information and were responsive during the initial consultation, showed up exactly on time for the installation appointment, did the work well and quickly, and charged a fair amount. I will definitely use them again for plumbing work. It was also great of them to service East Boston (where I live) from Newton (where their HQ is).
Sean W.
Feb 28, 2019
Baker-Elman offers the best of both worlds - the professionalism of a big company and the care of a family business. Top to bottom, every person in the office and every service tech has been terrific. Don't waste your time with other companies.
John H.
Jan 19, 2019
This is the best case of a multi-generation business becoming too big for its plunger-so they do all they can to suck jobs not to their liking out of their system: 1) the "we're booked til' (name month 3 months ahead of whenever U call, 2) have a secretary "just follow orders" and lie about prev. customers/giving references to non plumber outfits (e.g Drain Busters, etc) and telling you they can do tasks without telling you it is actually best left to someone with a license, 3) have absolutely no loyalty if you're not in their affluenza burb area (which is also disjoined as "SHaron and Newton" for locations.

My parents used them in the early 1960's, when I was a child.we had a sticker on our H20 heater, which is why I remember. They came over once, to change a water heater, but spare me their prices for warranty on it being "graduated scale".I think they would more likely be doing business with me if they cleaned up the Challenger explosion Nevermind my individual experience.hope you have fun convincing them to come out themselves rapidly if you have an emergency. Baker-Elman=stale cookies in the office, Elmer's glue level of customer service-can't say they aren't technically adept though.
Matt G.
Oct 19, 2018
This review is only on one visit, but have to say I was very impressed with Baker Elman from start to finish. I had my hot water tank replaced, from when I called to schedule the appointment to when the work was completed everything went smoothly. When scheduling the appointment over the phone, the person I spoke with explained in easy to understand terms what they would be doing and the cost (very helpful for someone like myself who knows very little about hot water tanks).

I also needed to have my bathroom sink stopper fixed, when I emailed to see if they could take care of that as well I received a response within minutes saying they could. A very satisfying experience across the board.
Heather B.
Mar 13, 2018
Amazing plumbers and team. One aspect of this team I appreciate is that there is a professional team dedicated to scheduling the work that comes in and communicating with homeowners- this makes all the difference in the world in terms of expectation setting and not over promising. When the plumber comes out he or she is on time, courteous, gives information and options, and respectful. Thank you for all the jobs you've done for me so far- drain clearing, boiler repair, hot water heater replacement. Every job has been top notch.
Joe C.
Sep 13, 2017
I have used Baker-Elman three times. Once to install a new furnace and water heater, once to fix the heat in the dead of winter and once for a urgent pipe leak. The furnace and heater installation went very smoothly and on schedule. The two urgent calls were handled within hours. My experiences with Baker-Elman have been fantastic and I have recommended them to others.
Tania P.
Jun 29, 2017
Had a terrible experience with this company and will never be using them in the future. They are unreliable and poor communicators, to the point where I got stuck waiting for a long time and no plumber ended up coming. We scheduled an appointment so I planned to be home during the agreed upon time frame. They called and emailed saying a plumber was on the way.

More than hour later, I called to find out if he was lost or had the wrong address and they said they sent him elsewhere. They were extremely rude during this phone call. I was literally waiting by the door for over an hour so the guy wouldn't ring the bell and wake up my babies, and they decided to change their plan based on what was convenient for them, not the customer. Terrible business-people & communication, very disappointed, not worth my $$.
Nate E.
Jun 30, 2016
I'm basing this off of just one visit, and a simple job at that, but I'm really impressed so far. I had another plumber out here to do a simple kitchen faucet install, and after quoting me $400 and then saying he couldn't fit under my sink, he left. I called Baker-Elman and they were really pleasant on the phone, setting me up with an appointment a few days later.

The plumber showed up on time, was very nice, and did a great job. The whole thing took just over an hour and cost me around $160. I will continue to call Baker-Elman for any future plumbing issues. These guys are great.
Sheryl R.
Feb 25, 2016
I have used Baker-Elman for several years and have always had absolutely superb service. They will come on an emergency basis, show up as scheduled, do excellent work and clean up after themselves. I've worked with many plumbing companies and this one is the one to call!
Stephanie G.
Aug 29, 2015
Great service yesterday. We live in a condo with a unit below ours. The seal on our toilet broke and was leaking water into our neighbor's unit below. We needed fast service so that it wouldn't cause too much damage. We called and someone was at our door within 45 minutes. They did a great job, the plumber was professional and the job was done right.