Mirabella Plumbing & Heating

Genevieve A.

Last summer, just after renovating our bathroom, a leak sprung in our basement. And it was a nasty one too! Among the three units in the building, we were able to narrow it down to my unit as the source of the leak as it was only active when the water was turned on in our bathroom. Long story short, not only was the leak really bad in the basement but it was causing major damage to the wall in the unit below mine. Now keep in mind, my WHOLE BATHROOM had just been redone! I mean new tub, tiles, floor, sink, toilet, light fixtures, paint job....EVERYTHING! Considering that we didn't know exactly where the leak was I was very stressed about the prospect of having to do damage to my new bathroom to find it. Prior to calling Joe of Mirabella Plumbing, I dealt with two other plumbers and they were the ABSOLUTE WORST! The first guy was too gung ho about exploring my bathroom via holes in walls and flooring to find the source of the leak. I mean that was the point right....absolutely not! I couldn't bear to see my new, beautiful sea glass painted bathroom carelessly destroyed so this plumber could go on his scavenger hunt! He had to go! And the other guy was nice at first, since he came out to take a look for free; abut his hourly rate was crazy ($250 and you don't even know where the hole is)! Jesus the Christ! Anyway, I find Joe on Yelp (thank you Yelp) and immediately I liked this guy! He was sensitive to the fact that we had just renovated our bathroom and he himself was concerned about not causing too much damage. He actually took the time to investigate the source of the leak, by narrowing down possible locations. It turned out it was coming from our tub from a smaller pipe that ran across our bathroom floor and connected to the main pipe right below us; right before it connected to the main pipe is where the leak sprouted, which is why it was leaking in the basement and into the wall of the downstairs unit. Joe figured this out on his second try! How much damage do you think the other guys would have cost me before they located it?! Anyway, Joe finds the leak and attempts to repair it but it was pretty persistent. After trying a couple of methods, coming back a few times and even going as far as consulting with another plumber, he got pretty resourceful. He finally managed to permanently plug up the hole, saving us thousands of dollars (as the only other option would have been to replace the pipe altogether). I was so appreciative as he could have easily chosen greed and told me my only option was a new pipe. It's not like I would have known any better. I was very grateful to Joe. He was on time, patient, kind, FULL OF INTEGRITY and most of all he considered my humanity throughout the whole process. If you've never dealt with issues pertaining to owning a home, you don't know how stressful a situation like this can be, but if you ever find yourself here, take it from someone who's been there- GO WITH JOE!!! Hopefully, I never have a situation like this again, but if I do, I'll be calling Mirabella Plumbing. Thank you Joe; you're the best!

D J.

Replaced water heater. Great experience overall with communication, pricing, and job.

UPDATE 4/2017: called Joe to fix something and seems he is no longer in business.

Don B.

Joe helped me with a water hammer problem over the phone.
His recommendation worked, and I'm putting Mirabella at the top of my short list for plumbers.
Mirabella also did excellent work on our second floor bathroom about ten years ago.

J O.

We called Joe in for a simple but important job - hooking up a gas dryer, exactly the kind of thing you want done as carefully and expertly as possible. His work was quick, professional and exceeded expectations; plus, he was easy to communicate with.

After getting in touch with many other plumbers who sought to turn the job into something far bigger than it was, or were charging extravagant rates regardless, we were relieved to have found Joe, who charged a reasonable rate for a job well done. We will definitely be in touch for any future work.

Samuel F.

Responding to a shower leaking into the wall (fortunately, only when on), Joe was able to look at the problem same day and make a repair the next morning. $190 for the fix. Don't know how that compares, but I can't complain. (About the repair, anyways. I can certainly complain about the over-hasty job installing the fixture done by the seller of the house.)

Kekito G.

I needed a garbage disposal replaced so I called Joe and he was available that week to do the job. He quoted a price on the phone and he stuck to it even though it was a significantly harder job than anticipated. The old disposal was rusty so it couldn't be unscrewed so he had to be creative to remove it. Nice guy and great service.

David S.

Always pass by the shop where the service truck was located. And one day I NEEDED a plumber...he was there pronto and fixed the rapid Leakey faucet ( instead of replacing it) the bill was about $200 A very fair rate . (. I myself am in the service business and understand rates.) he will now be my go to plumber. David stagnone

Sara N.

I unexpectedly came home to rushing water coming from a pipe under the bathroom sink. I called around to a number of places and everyone said they couldn't come until the following week, then I lucked upon Mirabella. He warned me that he was booked for the day and wouldn't be able to come until that evening, but he listened to my problem and upon hearing that no one else would come offered to stop in before heading out for his first call to see what the problem was so he could come back that evening with what he needed. He was thankfully able to slow the leak which meant I didn't have to spend the day in the bathroom emptying out the sauce pan that was being filled about every ten minutes. He came back that night and switched out the broken pipe with in 15 minutes. He never once complained about the 90+ temp in our un-air conditioned apartment and patiently explained the problem and solution to both me and the landlord. Mirabella is exactly why I believe in local, honest business. I cannot recommend them higher.

Juliet M.

I got to thinking about things that ought to be reviewed on yelp more often than the local cupcake shop (we all know they're both delicious and overpriced, okay), and I thought about how awful plumbing problems can be, especially if the experts continue to botch the job. And then I thought of Joe Mirabella, who had serviced my old apartment three years ago.

And I thought to myself, ""That guy was AWESOME!"" He is friendly, funny, and, moreover, competent and hardworking enough that I remember him three years after the last time I saw him. Not only did he always do what he came to do efficiently, he would explain all of the issues to us. He was happy to look at other small things, without fanfare, for which I'm ultra-grateful, because what I thought was abysmal water pressure in the master shower... was cardboard that had lodged in the showerhead. (he didn't even tease me for not thinking to look)

So, considering the nature of plumbing and heating emergencies and that they often require you to let a stranger into the most private areas of your home, I think that knowing Joe is good, trustworthy, and totally not awkward about it is vital. If I were still in Cambridge-Somerville, I wouldn't call anyone else.

Tom W.

I've had two experiences with Mirabella Plumbing.

First, last winter, one of our radiators (an old hot-water type) started leaking from the valve. I called and talked to what I think was the owner, Joe. I was expecting to pay an arm and a leg to get a plumber to come out on an emergency call. Instead, he coached me through fixing the leak myself over the phone for no charge.

Next, a couple of weeks ago, we had a burst in a baseboard heater. It was an unused room, so we had the heat turned off. But, the pipe froze and burst. I was able to shut off the circuit to avoid a flood, and so there was no emergency this time. Again, I talked to Joe over the phone. He explained clearly the pricing arrangement: which was a fixed hourly rate plus materials. George arrived to do the work. He was very efficient and professional. He allowed me to ""watch and learn"". He patiently explained anything I had questions about, showed me how to purge the circuit. He also did a quick check of the overall condition of the heating system, and explained how I could check it myself periodically.

I would recommend them without reservation