Verified record
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from Papalia Home Services. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$290 – $710
Typical plumbing job around $500
Papalia Home Services is the Boxborough company MetroWest homeowners call when the AC dies in a heat wave or the heat quits before a storm. It covers heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical and drain work with 24/7 emergency service, and says it has been in business for 30 years. On Google it holds 4.8 stars across more than 4,500 ratings, and the recent stories people tell are mostly about speed: a technician out the next day on a Sunday to fix an AC, a Peabody couple's heat restored before a nor'easter after the tech drove to Burlington for a glow plug, a 15-year-old furnace replaced within days of the first call. Customers name the technicians more than the company. This summer one homeowner described Amanda tracking down faulty thermostat wiring and an air-handler electrical fault within a few hours of the call; another credited Jordan with getting their hot water running in about an hour. Older accounts run the same way: in a 2022 review a customer described a plumber tracing a loud running-water noise to a pump missing a critical valve after several other plumbers had tried, and a 2017 Houzz reviewer described a crew hauling out a 600-pound gas furnace on a 92-degree day at a price $5,600 below the other bid. The complaints this summer are specific and worth knowing. One Wellesley homeowner wrote that a 2024 furnace and heat-pump install left a gas permit open, and the town inspector later found unbonded gas tubing and missing carbon monoxide alarms; weeks of calls and emails went unanswered. Another described a plumber shattering a toilet with a drain snake and spreading sewage through the house. Others reported a no-show on a scheduled quote, an all-day wait managed by an automated scheduler, and a $99 service call raised to a $285 diagnostic with no fix and no promised callback. A Reddit commenter in September 2026 said they loved Papalia but that everything is now markedly more expensive. Earlier Reddit threads in Waltham in 2024 recommended the company without reservation, one commenter calling it the first number they call after being ghosted by other contractors. Its Massachusetts plumbing license and home improvement contractor registration are active, and the Better Business Bureau rates it A+.
“Loved papalia but they got bought out by a private equity firm and now everything is markedly more expensive.”
“We used Papalia for our heat pump as well as a number of other things. Always great work, and they show up on time ready to work. We’ve been ghosted by so many other contractors for various projects that I just call Papalia first now.”
“Papalia Home Services - they're fantastic.”
“Absolutely Papalia.”
“is great. We ended up using them after they bought out the company that was doing our work”
“Possibly Papalia and Rodenheiser sp”
“Papalia Home Services, a long-standing provider in the MetroWest area, is responding to this community need with special”
“They will partner with D & L Property Solutions, LLC, Lupo Carpentry, Woven Wood, Brideau, Process Cooling, Orange Oil Co., Papalia Home Services, Ron Chevarie Plumbing & Heating, and Schofield Plumbing.”
“Once the equipment was acquired, everything went very well. Install was quick and I am loving the whole house humidifier so far.”
“Papalia Plumbing & Heating, Inc., a Massachusetts plumbing, heating and home-services company, needed a way to maintain superior customer service while monitoring technicians for honesty, efficiency and faster response times.”
We recently purchased a condo and wanted to learn more about our AC system, including how it works, its performance, and expected lifespan. Paige from PAPALIA came out with a colleague and was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. She took the time to thoroughly answer all of our questions, explain the system and service contract in detail, and make sure we understood everything. She was patient, professional, and genuinely seemed to enjoy her work. We really appreciated her time and expertise and would definitely recommend Paige and PAPALIA!
Scheduling was easy, they were able to get a technician out here the next day (on a Sunday!) to fix our AC. Our technician, Sam, was great - communicated proactively on timing, was polite, efficient, and effective. He diagnosed and fixed the issue quickly. Great experience!
Technician on Friday 31July visited to address loud pulsating noise from Bosch Heat Pump installed by Papalia in April of 2024. After a brief inspection, he elevated the $99 service call to a $285 "Deep Diagnostic". Tweaked dip switches for 45 minutes with no improvement. Recommended bending open the fins on the intake covers but did not have a ladder to reach them (the intake covers are fully open...strange opinion). Stated he would have a senior technician call promptly on Monday Aug 3. No such call occurred. Called company and asked Renee for the emails of the service managers (as Papalia has been acquired by Heritage). Emailed both requesting explaining the issue and asking for assistance. No response. Also, received no response to a follow-up email a few days later. I will not do business with, nor would I recommend either of these now merged organizations.
Jordan is very knowledge. He quickly diagnosed our issue with our hot water and had us running in about an hour. He's very personable and helpful, providing advice about other plumbing issues that we have. Thanks for a great experience! I'll be a repeat customer.
We called them for a clogged drain, they sent a inexperienced plumber and the guy destroyed one of our toilets with the motorized snake, like shattered the porcelain, damaged our dry wall, destroyed about $2000 in cosmetics and got toilet sewage water all over our entire house. The guy looked at my husband and says “oh no I’m gonna get fired” and offered to pay him under the table for the damage, which he obviously did not pay us. The company didn’t offer biohazard cleaning, they just sent the plumber to the store and he returned installed a newly purchased toilet super crooked like it shakes with a loud thump when you sit down now and couldn’t figure out how to install the toilet seat so he just didn’t reinstall it. I’ve never encountered such an unprofessional and shady practices. They also are way overpriced, we paid near 40k for a sewage pipe root. They respond to all reviews with an AI run phone line. I don’t believe anyone is certified as an actual plumber after what I witnessed from the chaos they caused in my house.
Specializes in
Also offers
Service area
Languages
1 change recorded — last scanned Aug 10, 2026.
State-verified plumbing license2.8
Heat-pump installations5.0
Shower replumbed for less than other companies quoted3.7
State-verified plumbing license2.2