Verified record
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from Alewife Co. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$290 – $710
Typical plumbing job around $500
Alewife Co is a Cambridge plumbing outfit whose strongest evidence is loyalty — several reviewers describe sticking with the company for 10, 15, even 20 years across both plumbing and construction work, and more than one mentions a final bill that came in under the original estimate. The jobs described are the everyday plumbing calls: toilets replaced and repiped, faucets and shower valves swapped out, a boiler serviced with two new valves that a customer says ran better than ever that winter, and a furnace kept going with regular inspections. On a larger scale, one property manager describes Alewife coordinating a building-wide drain-down to replace aging water shutoffs during a kitchen renovation in a 10-unit Brookline condo — arriving as scheduled and suggesting better valve placement along the way. That said, the written record also holds real complaints, not just star counts. In a 2021 review, a customer described a plumber breaking a valve while fixing a hot-water issue, leaving the unit without water and, after Alewife asked for more money to fix its own mistake, ending up paying about $700 to a different plumber to sort it out. A 2026 review described reaching out by phone and email for a week with no response after asking for a repair and a quote. And in a 2024 review, a customer called the company overpriced and condescending, saying the same job was done elsewhere for less than half the price. On paper, the company's Massachusetts plumbing license is registry-verified but currently shows expired. Its Better Business Bureau profile lists it as a 45-year Cambridge plumber, though it isn't BBB accredited and carries no BBB rating. For routine plumbing work, this is a company with a genuine long-term customer base behind it — worth confirming pricing upfront and the state of that license before booking, given the complaints on file.
Frank was terrific. he hooked up new gas dryer to gasline and also installed new toilet flush button i had procured from Monique's on his advice. His last visit, he serviced my boiler including replacing two valves. it has never run so efficiently as this winter. THANK YOU, FRANK!
In the past I've had decent experiences with Alewife Co and recommended them to others. Unfortunately my most recent experience will be the last. I asked them to come out a fix 1 issue and quote the repair of another. It's been a week and I've reached out via phone and email and they've given zero response. The work quality might be good but the communication is terrible.
Mike is the best! Need plumbing service at your property? Highly recommend calling Alewife Co.
The plumber (Greg or Craig) came over to fix the faucet in the bath tub and told me he'll need to replace it and I said sounds good call me if you need something and I went to the living room to work. He calls me and shows me the detached faucet and tells me something and I said "that's a lot of calcium buildup" and the guy says "the house is old" and goes on and says something about the door frame which I don't really understand. I told him "the house is old and you can feel the floor slanted" and the guy goes "the house is settling in" and somehow become condescending and lecture me to say "if you want to live in a new place go live in a new place" and I'm thinking what is this guy talking about. He continues to say things in an aggressive and condescending ways and I'm just thinking how bizarre this situation is. Having to tolerate this rude and unpleasant person. Just unprofessional and unpleasant. Guarantee this is not the first time the person acted like this and most likely not the last time either.
I've been using Alewife for years. They have always done great work. I recently had a new toilet installed that also required repiping and the final cost came in below their estimate.
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Established 3.1 rating
Same-day fixes3.9