Verified record
O'Brien Plumbing Works is a Burlington, Massachusetts plumbing outfit run out of 317 Cambridge Street, and the reviews on file circle around the same detail: father and sons showing up together. Reviewers name Peter O'Brien and his son Max repeatedly, and one review describes "Pete and his 2 sons" arriving to handle a water heater installation. The strongest praise centers on urgent jobs. In a 2021 Angi review, Max O'Brien arrived quickly to fix a leaking water heater the night before Christmas Eve and walked the customer through the furnace system afterward. Another review from the same year describes a blocked drain diagnosed by Peter over the phone and cleared by Max within about an hour the next day. A 2020 HomeAdvisor reviewer says Peter checked whether a failing water heater was still under warranty before scheduling a quick installation. Across both Angi and HomeAdvisor, the company shows a 4.3-star average from 20 ratings each. The record isn't uniformly smooth. A 2024 Angi review, the most recent on file, praises the technician's promptness but describes a $1,100 bill that included permit and inspection charges the customer says were never mentioned upfront. Two reviews from December 2019, one on each platform, describe rougher experiences: one customer says a tub was broken during installation and the company never returned to finish the job after a pricing dispute; another says a sink and shower installation was canceled four times, leaving her without running water for a week. Angi and HomeAdvisor both list a Massachusetts plumbing license (12463-PL-M) for the company, alongside thermostat installation and service work beyond core plumbing. Before booking, it's worth asking for a written estimate that spells out permit and inspection costs, and pinning down a firm installation date given the scheduling complaints on record. For a leaking pipe or a dead water heater, the reviews point to a crew that answers quickly and explains what it's doing — just get the paperwork and the schedule settled first.
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from O'Brien Plumbing Works. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$290 – $710
Typical plumbing job around $500
I would thank them for the work and services. Max was very prompt and polite. We were definitely taken aback with the bill. We were not informed about any of the charges around: 1. Time taken for pulling the permit(1hour@$180) 2. Time for inspector coming in(1hour@$180) 3. Price for permit These 3 costs total to $425. The material cost of $263 definitely seemed marked up. * I wish they had mentioned about expecting these costs so that we could make an informed decision. * We have had several permits pulled in last year ( had frozen pipe burst situation so had renovations going on for multiple months) and never were charged for the time taken to pull permit or for inspectors time at the time of inspection. * Max mentioned it was going to be $180 an hour and you were here for 2 hours from start to end.. The father(Peter) kept mentioning about the emergency charges that there are plumbers that charge $300 an hour, I was clear that we were okay with waiting for a couple of days so there was no question of those charges being applied. He kept giving an explanation of the bill being high enough but it seemed very vague. We were charge $1100 for 2 hours of work to fix a slow gas leak that National grid had identified and pointed to us so they shut of our gas supply. National grid guys had told us that it would be only 1-2 hours of plumbing work. I would not recommend them for sure for the sour taste it has left for us. I wish we went with presidential plumbing or 128 plumbing that we have gone in the past. They are expensive but you know the quote before hand.
So glad I had a chance to work with O?Brien Plumbing works! I had a scary water heater leak on the night before the night before Christmas - Max O?Brien responded to the Angi post first, and arrived quickly, fixed the leak expertly, and also showed me around the system so I better understand my furnace. Plus he cleaned everything up when finished. He was polite, knowledgeable, and expedient. Thank you O?Brien Plumbing Works!
Had a few bathroom fixtures replaced along with a new kitchen sink faucet. The owners son came out to perform the work and he was both personable and professional. We are very happy with the work.
Peter was quick to reach out to me on my request to clear a blocked drain. When we talked over the phone he clearly understood my issue and committed to get his Son over to address the issue the next day at around 12:30. The next day Max showed up at pretty much 12:30 and got right to work. Max turns out to be a very capable plumber and corrected a pretty severe issue in about an hour. He took the time to explain to us what caused the issue and what he did to correct it. This was a very pleasant service experience under not so great circumstances. These guys are very good to work with and I would recommend their services.
Peter was great. Very responsive and right away told me my water heater might be under warranty and it was! He checked this for me and I was happy to hire them for the new installation which was scheduled quickly and performed great. I would hire them again
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1 change recorded — last scanned Sep 8, 2026.
Transparent diagnostics5.0
Honest, no-upsell service5.0
Rapid response5.0
Repeat, years-long customers5.0
Honest pricing5.0