Today Kevin Burke, the owner of Valley Plumbing, went into my Contacts List as "My Plumber." As a do-it-yourself home builder, I had totally remodeled our Rossmoor condo three years ago. But I had used a handyman for finished plumbing instead of a real plumber. As a result, I had two sinks that had worked loose and one was leaking. When Kevin arrived, he diagnosed my issues in moments and made repairs immediately. The actual repairs took less time than discussed on the phone and Kevin adjusted my repair cost down which was very fair. He had added me to the end of his Friday schedule -- which saved me from waiting over the weekend for the next available plumber from Yelp. I suggest you trust Keven for your home plumbing too. It is hard for a consumer to select a home repair plumber because so often they seem geared to sell more hardware and services than required. The larger the company the worse for the consumer in my experience. Often the plumber on the truck gets bonuses for selling more stuff. My strategy is to find the independent plumber who is a self-employed. He is more likely to understand the need for satisfied customers who give word of mouth referrals. Thanks to YELP this is easier than the Yellow Pages. I noticed that Kevin was rated low by consumers who had ordered plumbing services through Sears. My experience is that Sears procedures for sending out a repair contractors often are caused by the Sears people themselves. The causes are many from of lack of experience, the inadequate screening of the job, to communicating to the field contractor. Rather than use this hit or miss method, I suggest you pick YELP's highly rated 4 and 5 star performers and read the reviews. Also in my experience, in our 2013 remodel of kitchen and laundry resulted in us choosing all our products from Sears because of their highest ratings in Consumer Reports. Sears delivery was right on time and follow up warranty has also been great. Kevin Burke and his Valley Plumbing were great for us. I suggest you give him a call for plumbing repairs and installation of new plumbing products for the bathroom and kitchen. His motto is "Get to Know and Trust Your Local Plumber." read more

TOTAL SCAM ARTISTS. They work for Sears. Sears rep *insisted* the price I paid for the water heater and installation was it, no more charges (I paid a total of $1300 when heater was only about $750) was it, I wouldn't be charged anything else as long as the heater was already to code (which is is, in newer home). I was already warned by another plumber that the stores hire plumbers that come to your home and then ask you for more money. This is EXACTLY what Valley Plumbing did. He comes and tells me he needs to take a "couple of minutes to do a quick inspection." I already felt something was off. Inspection? It's clear the heater is in a newer home, up to code. Then, he comes back and says, 'I NEED ANOTHER $400." Are you kidding me??? I already paid nearly $800 in installation! SCAM. TOTAL SCAM. Luckily, I had been warned so I knew better. I argued with him that I was assured there would be no more costs. **As soon as I told him I knew it was BS because I had spoken to another plumber, I could see in his face that he knew he was caught and shut up.** Company tries to scam you out of a lot more money because Sears doesn't pay them enough i guess. But $1200 to install a water heat? ABSURD.I'm going with the plumber who has 5 stars from *everyone*. Told me $1300 flat.Cost of getting a new water heater is already ridiculous, why get even more ripped off? read more

I am disappointed with the service I received from Valley Plumbing. I rely on Yelp reviews and so I feel it only right to share my experience. I'm rating it two-stars based on Yelp's rating system. Two stars = "Meh. I've experienced better." Three stars is "A-OK." This service was not A-OK so I have to give it two stars. Our water heater was leaking water from the pressure-release valve (T&P pipe). Kevin said we needed a new water heater. He put in a new heater promptly, but then our new water heater had the same problem. Kevin came out several times to try to fix it, but it continued to leak. Eventually, he ended up replacing the expansion tank on top and the problem was fixed. This makes me wonder if we needed a new water heater at all. The original problem may have been the expansion tank ($40), not the water heater ($1250). Our water heater was old, so it probably needed to be replaced at some point, I'm just not convinced it needed to be right now. I'm disappointed that the problem may have been misdiagnosed, but more importantly, that Kevin was not overly responsive to correcting the problem. It took about a month to get the water heater functioning properly. Kevin said he wanted to make it right by giving us a deal on a side project we discussed. I called him about a week ago to let him know that the water heater problem was fixed and asked him what the price would be for the additional project. He said he would call me the next day to give me a quote. It's been a week and no word from Kevin. My advice if you have plumbing needs. Shop around. read more

I'd strongly suggest you go elsewhere. Kevin has done two jobs for me. The first was done well and I was pleased. But the second was not. It started in February with me calling him, asking him to come bid on a custom shower trim job. The valve was set too deep and I asked him if we should move it. He said he could get extensions and I trusted him. I shouldn't have. Anyway, to make a long story short, this job started in February, went on for months. It's still not finished, even after I've paid him $900 and gave him an expensive knee brace for his bum knee. The valve trim is now broken - he broke it after, in my opinion, what was a shoddy install job (the cleaners knocked the trim off the first time they washed the shower!) On several occasions, he said he'd show up to finish, but he did not show up. He has NEVER once been on time to an appointment with me. He very rarely answers his phone and his voice mail is full so the only way you can get him is via text. I'd been calling and texting once a week, but it looks like I'll need to get someone else to finish the job I paid him for. In my opinion, Kevin and Valley Plumbing are extremely unprofessional and unreliable. Find a reputable business. Better Business Bureau is my next stop. read more

Kevin has helped me several times over the past 4 years with various plumbing issues, primarily clogged drains and the installation of sink faucet. The two things that mattered most to me were: 1) price and 2) how quickly Kevin could resolve the issue. I found that Kevin is personable, professional, honest about time and cost estimates and anticiapted results. I have never had a better experience with a plumber (or other contractor for that matter) and wish him the very best in his business endevours. Give Valley Plumbing/Kevin a shot and judge for yourself... read more

Ever have one of those funny smells that you couldn't track down and over the course of a week it gets worse and worse. I finally tracked it down to be a small leak under the kitchen sink that made a fantastic playground for mold inside the cabinetry. I gave Valley Plumbing a call and received a call back only an hour or two later, in comparison to never receiving a call back from another local plumber. Kevin from Valley Plumbing was able to schedule me quickly and made it to the appointment on time. He was extremely quick and managed to fix the leak, remove an outdated water filter, replace a couple of valves, rerun the exhaust nozzle from my garbage disposal that had been installed correctly, reseat one of my toilets, and fix a faulty bathroom sink handle, all in less than two hours. The best part of the service was that he didn't try to up-sell me to get extra work. The upstairs toilet has always had a mild issue and he came up with a great cost-effective solution. The bathroom sink handle had broken but he was able to rebuild it without having to go to the store to get parts. His proactive attitude was highly appreciated. read more

The reviews are mostly spot on. I called Kevin and left a message that I wanted to replace a faucet with a new one I purchased. He called back a few hours later with a quote and a possible maximum parts replacement. I checked around with other plumbers, and decided to go with him a few days later. Although he said he would show up with a helper, it turned out that it was just the helper. BUT, the helper was a young man named Greg, and though I wasn't so sure about him at first, he turned out to be a nice guy and did the replacement with minimal fuss and around the estimated time. He recommended replacing other parts, and I gave him the benefit of a doubt. Considering that replacing the other parts were extra work, and I could see that he did indeed replace the parts, I think I'm generally happy with his work, the timeliness, and the reasonable pricing. Note: Valley Plumbing guarantees its work for a year, but there isn't any sort of formal contract, though I did get a yellow receipt and a little magnet with Kevin's name on it. I got the sense that they're the neighborhood plumber upon whom you'd call when you need fast and reasonable service. Nothing fancy. They tell you what they recommend, and they get the job done. read more

Kevin and his crew repaired a broken sprinkler system and pressure control valve which wouldn't stop draining and wasting water. Awesome service, great experience all around. No one likes to be in the position to need plumbing help, but if you do... call this Kevin!!! read more

Both times sounded under the influence of something. Unreliable. Says he'd come and didn't come. Said he'd call back and didn't call back.

Kevin and Greg were great! I got home on a Friday afternoon to find my hot water heater leaking profusely! They couldn't get a water heater that evening, but he still came out to drain the water heater and make it so that we could still use our cold water without it leaking more. They said they would come out the next day with a new water heater. We were actually going to get a water heater through my husband's uncle, and they were flexible and worked with us until we got it and then they went and picked it up and installed it quickly and efficiently. I really appreciated them not charging weekend or evening hours, being flexible and not charging us ridiculous amounts. They were nice and dependable and I will definitely use them next time we have plumbing needs! Thanks! read more

If you are in the need for a good quality plumber in the Lamorinda/Walnut Creek area, you're just not going to do better than Kevin at Valley Plumbing. I use him, my friends and family use him and wouldn't use anyone else...I've had a few issues with apartments or houses over the years and Kevin is always a friendly guy who does a great job. I like to show support when I have a good experience with and this one is long overdo.... read more

So Kevin and his equally dedicated friend just left after replacing a hot water heater that had begun to produce water that smelled like rotten eggs! Research proved it was bacteria inside the tank so not a good thing. It can be dealt with but I chose not to. Never mind that these guys are so efficient that our 5 stars might mean the are too busy to make it when we need them, but I am willing to forego my needs to help them out. As busy as they are somehow they work you in. Trust that they will get your job done in record time and done well at reasonable cost. What more could you ask for? read more

Unfortunately, my experience was more like those who gave Kevin one star than the five-star reviews. Long story short, he came to fix a faucet that came loose after another plumber had installed it incorrectly, and to install a hot water dispenser. The dispenser installation was fine (i.e., it worked), but what bothered me is the markup on a $20 valve he said he needed to make the dispenser work. He didn't tell me until after installing the valve that he was going to charge me $90. That's a 350% markup! Another plumber told me standard markup is 10%. He then kept the old valve, presumably to re-sell it to someone else. When I told him he should tell his customers the cost before doing the work, he got defensive and said he would take the valve off if I didn't like it. It didn't seem to occur to him that maybe he should not gouge his customers. Then, to top it off, a couple days later the faucet he came to fix came loose again. I called someone else to repair it and haven't had any trouble with the faucet since. Don't use him. If you do, have him commit to all costs up front. Be especially careful with the markups on any supplies he uses. Otherwise, you won't find out until all the work is done. read more

I needed a plumber for a couple of minor things - kitchen faucet that wasn't delivering hot water (turns out that a piece of old rubber washer had broken off and clogged the line), and a leaky valve leading to the washing machine. I checked Yelp to see what was being said about the local plumbers, and based on the reviews, I chose this one. True to what others said, Kevin answers the phone himself. We made an appointment for the following day, and Kevin called 10 minutes after the appointed time to let me know he was running late. He showed up shortly thereafter, and gets points for having the courtesy to call to let me know he was running late. He & his assistant, Charlie, assessed the problems, went to the plumbing supply store to get the needed parts, fixed the problems, and were done about an hour after they first arrived. Kevin gave me a discount for paying cash - he doesn't take credit cards, but will accept checks. A few days later, the hot water pressure was again way down. I called Kevin, and he was out the next day to remove another piece of the broken washer that had found its way to clog the line. No charge for the follow-up call. I suspect the broken washer in my faucet was due to poor work done by another company years earlier, and won't be using them in the future. I don't like finding service people to fix things around the house - you never know who you can trust to do a quality job, or who's ripping you off on the price of parts. While I didn't get a breakdown of the parts costs, the overall job was done for a reasonable amount, and Kevin came back at no charge when needed. I won't hesitate to call him again, should I need a plumber. read more

I needed a plumber for a quick repair to my toilet valve. I checked Yelp and was lucky to get Kevin. He showed up later that day, after fitting me in to a very busy schedule. A day later the inners were not working. Kevin came back out and repaired that at no charge. I won't hesitate to call him again. He is prompt, courteous and professional. JOB WELL DONE VALLEY PLUMBING!!!! read more

It is a Sunday afternoon, and my kitchen sink is backed up. I need a plumber, so I go to Yelp and call this company. Me: "Do you have anyone available to come out and clear a clogged kitchen sink?" Them: "It's Sunday at 5:00" (very sarcastically) Silence Me: "Sorry to bother you, I didn't realize it was so unusual to have plumbing emergencies after hours." Him: "Uh, what I meant to say was that there's this other plumber that we work with......" Me: "Too late." Click. Minutes later, he calls back: "You mis-understood me. I was trying to give you a name of another plumber...." No way. I didn't "mis-understand" anything. If you are the kind of plumber that only takes appointments during normal business hours, that's fine. Just say that. The guy I called before you was like that. But don't be rude about it. read more

Not reliable. Called on a Wednesday for an appointment on Friday. Talked to Kevin who said he would be at my house at 3:30 pm on Friday. Got a call from Kevin at 3:30 pm saying he is running a couple of hours late, told him that's OK I would be home. Waited and waited but no Kevin. Got a call from Kevin that night at 11 pm telling me he will call me tomorrow, Saturday and let me know when he could make it. Never got the call. Gave up and called another plumber. read more

Came out a couple years ago. Did a good job so I kept his business card. Fast forward to now; took several calls, a cancelled appt and this review (which I've since amended from two stars to three), to get a response. Gave him the job and it was done well. I have a bathroom remodel that I was going to ask him to do but if it took a bad yelp review to get him to come out here for my small faucet repair, I will not invite him back. The guy doing the job for him said he is currently over-extended, so your milage may vary. Net/net, the job was eventually done and it was done well. read more

Appt set for 2pm on Sunday. No call no show. Both personal and business phone turned off. If I do this at my job I would be fired.

Talked to Kevin, and set up an appointment for noon Sunday. At 12:50pm on Sunday I finally called him to see if he was en route, and he said he had forgotten because he didn't write it down. I had shaped my schedule around this appointment, and am very disappointed he did not come through. This inability to keep appointments seems consistent with many other Yelp reviews... which I had checked here first (just took the recommendation from a neighbor) read more

we had an issue where both of our showers had flow and pulsation issues and we were worried that it was a faulty pipe issue which would be expensive to fix. I called Kevin and he diagnosed it over the phone as being an issue with the shower cartridge which was a fairly simple fix and agreed to meet me the same day. Kevin came and confirmed that both showers required the cartridges to be replaced and fixed the problem in less than 30 minutes. What a relief! I highly recommend Kevin. read more

I called simply to get information, the guy that answered the phone was very rude; and said that he was not interested after only hearing the area mentioned. With customer service like this, they must not be looking for anymore clientele at all. read more

Kevin and Josh rock! Called them 5:50p this evening to get a quote and appointment to install the gas connection to a dryer. Kevin said he was in the neighborhood and arrived in about 5 minutes. Not only did they hook up the dryer but they also offered to connect the washer as part of the service call! Very friendly and helpful! Will definitely call again when we need plumbing service. Highly recommended! read more

I have used Kevin and his crew several times at our home in Orinda for faucet installations and a difficult washer/dryer install. He is fast, fair and goes above and beyond to get the job done right. I highly recommend that you call Kevin for any of your plumbing needs. read more

He was contracted thru Sears to install a hot water heater which broke on Saturday. He was supposed to call & make an appt for Monday. 2:30pm Monday no call. It has been 2 days now with no hot water for showers or cooking. I call Sears & he wont even answer their call. I cancel & go with my own plumbers who showed up promptly Tues morning. Tues afternoon I get a call from Valley Plumbing to set up an appt. REALLY?? He doesn't bother to call & thinks I am gonna wait 2 more days?? If you are too busy & can't handle the job just say so, that way I can get someone else. BE HONEST!! Don't leave people hanging for something as important as SHOWERS. I respect honest people...not flakes. I will never deal with him again. ServicePros are awesome reliable plumbers!! read more

Thank you, Kevin, for staying on task and seeing our nightmarish leak through to completion! It wasn't easy, but you got it done!! Thank you! read more

you should hire Valley plumbing for your job, big or small. Kevin is great and the crews that he brings are good too. I had Kevin out to fix two small leaks when we bought our house 1.5 years ago. I was impressed then s I called him back to give me a quote on installing several new supply lines to connect a whole house filter and water softener. the way that I wanted the pipes run was a fairly tricky set of connections. he installed several valves for shut off and bi-pass of the system for maintenance and he ran a completely new line for my kitchen. Their work was clean and efficient and I am trilled with the results. I will definitely hire him again when I put in a half bath or for any repairs which may come up. read more

If you're in SF, then Atlas is the Plumber to call. Check out his reviews. However if you're in the East Bay and you need quality service and done right the first time and will get there quick, then ask for Kevin. He did a great job. The sink we have has problems in the past. Basically kitchen sink gets clogged not because of the sink but because the cleaners put so much garbage down the disposal thinking it's a trash bin. Anyways I snaked it myself with a generic snake and fixed the leak but took me a couple of hours a few months back. Anyways it clogged again and my roommate found Kevin luckily randomly online. Anyways he comes in with motorized snake and him and his coworker snake it clean within a half hour going sixty feet deep. Everything clean and done. He wiped down the area nice afterwards and was real not fake or shady. If you want good quality service for a great price. Call Valley Plumbing. 5 stars for service, timing, and for being real. Ask for Kevin as he answers his own phone, goes on his own appointments and does all the billing. A one stop shop plumber. You won't regret it! read more

I just moved into a new house and for 3 nights the toilet made a dripping sound that was impossible for me to figure out and the sound was keeping me awake. After reading about him here, I called Kevin at 2:30 pm yesterday, explained the noise, and he came over at 3 pm to replace a bad washer. The toilet was fixed by 3:15 and quiet. I am so impressed. As a new homeowner, I'd always called landlords for fixes before. Now Kevin is our go-to plumber. read more

Had a plumbing emergency on a Friday afternoon--and it was Good Friday, so I had little luck in finding someone to come help. Called three other companies and left messages before I called Valley Plumbing and Kevin picked up the phone. He was at the house within the hour and fixed the problem quickly. He also took the time to give us an estimate another issue we had been concerned about and pointed out some work that was not up to code. Kevin seemed very focused on customer service and building a relationship, not just taking the money and running. I will definitely use him for all my future plumbing needs and am happy to recommend him and Valley Plumbing. read more

Thanks everyone for this one. I checked yelp for best plumber near Walnut Creek and this was one of them, called and Kevin came over in about and hour and fixed my problem. I had a clogged sink, no biggie but it had cost more last time. I live in an old house and am always facing some plumbing problem I will definately call Kevin next time too. read more

I live in San Jose, and was visiting my elderly parents in Walnut Creek when I discovered a plumbing emergency--just after 5 PM. I went straight to Yelp to find a plumber, and the first company I called quoted me $230 for an emergency after hours call--$180 if I waited until the next day. So I called Kevin at Valley Plumbing, who said he could be there in about 20 minutes since he was already on the road leaving San Ramon, and the charge would be $120. He and Charlie were there very quickly, and for the price of the visit fixed my problem, and also checked out two other issues. I was delighted. As a side benefit, since I was so impressed with Kevin's work, I asked him if he knew other tradesmen, since I sometimes need help on other projects for my parents. Kevin said I could call him any time, that he knew electricians, gardeners, tiles installers, etc. Later that evening I realized that the leaky toilet he had fixed had caused a carpet issue that needed to be dealt with immediately, so I called Kevin, thinking I would reach his voice mail. Not only did he answer, but he called a colleague for me at home, told him my problem, and I was able to get someone out at about 10 PM! If that's not service, I don't know what is! I recommend Kevin unreservedly. I owe him one. read more

Had Kevin over again to help finish up some odds and ends with a small bathroom remodel. As usual he came over promptly the next morning and re-attached the sink and installed the new toilet. All his work was beautiful. The chrome drain under the sink is a work of art! read more

I read all the other reviews before i picked Kevin at Valley Plumbing. The reviews are right on! Finally, A plumber I can trust, and didn't rip me off. His rate was very reasonable, and I got two guys for the price of one. He doesn't take plastic, but that's good!- Thanks Kevin--I would use your services again. read more

Kevin to the rescue. If I could give Kevin more stars I would. I had a completely new tub and plumbing installed 2 months ago by another plumber who put in the drain incorrectly. Kevin came over with a days notice and fixed it. Stellar! My advice is hire Kevin you will not regret it. read more

We had a disaster on our hands on a Sunday, the day of my son's birthday party with a lot of guests coming. A routine clog turned into a nightmare when the whole assembly came off in my hands due to corrosion. I called Valley Plumbing based on the reviews here and Kevin came out on a Sunday and had the exact tool needed to fix the problem without having to repipe the whole thing. Apparently, these rethreading tools for older systems are hard to come by and Kevin is one of the only guys that has one handy. In addition, he didn't sticker shock us with a huge bill, even on a Sunday. Customer service + professional results = customer for life and referrals read more

Couldn't be more pleased. The guys came out on the same day, did all the work we asked (and more) and charged a very fair price. Honestly, far exceeded our hopes and expectations. Highly, HIGHLY recommended. read more

I wish I had read the reviews first. Sears must be desperate to use these guys. They were supposed to install a water filter between 11 and 3 so I had my son at the house. But because I was unavailable to answer the phone they did not show up at my house and said it would be several days before they could get back out here. When I got a little upset the guy basically cut me off and before I could finish hung up. Will return the water filter to Sears and seriously reconsider shopping there for appliances in the future. read more

It's all true. Kevin answers the phone, shows up on time and is fairly priced. I called him late on a Friday night and he was there early on a Saturday morning. (No weekend or "emergency" surcharges) He was in and out of our place quickly and efficiently and the job was done right. I will definitely be calling him for any future plumbing needs I may have and would recommend you do the same! read more

We stopped up the kitchen sink with potato peelings on a Saturday night. My wife absolutely needed to use the kitchen on Sunday to prepare for a big party the next day. Called Valley on Sunday morning, based on the good reviews in yelp, and Kevin answered the phone. Said he could come over later that day and was true to his word. I also had him install a new disposal to replace the junk that was in there. Did a great job. And the price was totally reasonable. One minor quibble. He told me he would phone me back in a few minutes to let me know what time he would be coming over. But when he didn't call after a couple of hours, I had to phone him when I started getting nervous that he might be flaking on me. Nevertheless, he told me he was on his way and sure enough, he arrived soon thereafter. Would definitely call him again. read more