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OT - Plumbing question

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Dug

06-12-2006 21:19:39




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I recently bought a house and am in the process of finishing it (bought it in the dry-in stage). The plumbing bid (rough in only) is $6,500 (labor and materials). The house will have 3 1/2 baths (1 and 1/2 on the first floor, 2 baths on the second floor directly above the first floor baths) and a kitchen sink (dishwasher, icemaker...) on the far side of the house, about 30 feet.) $6,500 seems extremely high. I have gotten three bids and they are all in the ball park. Seems like it may be worth the effort to try my hand at plumbing the house and saving a few bucks. Any opinions pro or con?

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Garrobo

06-23-2006 07:50:37




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 Plumbing in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
Now retired, I did electrical and plumbing housing contracting work for 43 years. In my opinion, if the plumbing and electric were run on the outside of the walls instead of on the inside, plumbers and electicians would make about half of what they make today. I'm glad ($$$$$$) they are on the inside.



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Richard Scott

06-13-2006 17:23:25




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
One thing to check on before you start work: Have the pH of the water in your area checked. You can probably get it done for free.

When our well was drilled, the water tasted great. Then our house was done with copper. When we moved in, the water didnt' taste so good and we started getting green stains in sinks & the shower. Turns out our water had very low pH and some houses in the area had to be repiped in as little as 10 years. We had to install a $1300 treatment system. Had we known about the acidity of the water, we would have specified PVC or some other kind of plastic.

Compounding the problem, the last 20 ft. of the water line from the well to the house was copper and went under concrete before it got to the pressure tank in the garage. I had to redo the line with PVC or it would have been eaten up under the concrete.

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plumboy

06-13-2006 15:10:19




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
I plumb new houses for a living and my price is about $7000 for a 2500sqft or under house.Thats assuming 14 openings.For that price I supply white fixtures,8" deep ks,all delta chrome.That price does not incude sewer or water service.If the home is more of an upscale custom style its about $600 per opening.Pipe and labor only supplied.These are about mid level prices for my area in central ky and all copper water lines.

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RickSCt

06-13-2006 13:56:48




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  

Seems to me if you got 3 independent quotes and they are close that must be the going rate in your area. Just be sure if you are doing the work yourself that you plug where the drain exits the house and fill the system with water to check for leaks. It's easy to forget after dry fitting the pipes to glue every joint(might want to mark every joint glued with a colored marker). It's easier to find the leak before sheetrocking. Rick

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Steve Crum

06-13-2006 09:28:47




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
I put together a price list for 3/4" copper air lines between my main shop building and my plasma building and it was looking at about 2 grand for materials. 3/4" type L tubing $3.55 a foot. So I'm going with black steel pipe. 6 grand for your job sounds steep but doesn't sound too far fetched.



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Lou

06-13-2006 07:15:22




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
Seems a little high, you didnt say how much is the material and how much the labor. Unfortunatly in my town you need a licensed plumber for code. You can do your own electric but not plumbing.



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Bill in NorthCentral Pa

06-13-2006 04:57:40




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
I think that there are two concerns. 1. Does code require licensed plumber, and 2. Can you do the work yourself. I have found a fitting at my local lumber yard that allows for the system to be charged with air and left overnight (sometimes required by code) to check for leaks. Good luck.



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Joe-Bob/IN

06-13-2006 04:56:27




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
I started on my house Jan 1st of last year and did all the plumbing myself. Got an estimate from two friends of friends and both quoted just over $2000. It only cost me about $800 and number of trips to Menards. Looked intimidating at first but was a piece of cake once you get started. Supply was really easy, I used all copper for supply. Inspector couldn't beleive I did it myself and only had three "T" fittings that had to be replaced with "Y" fittings. It took me about two weeks to complete DWV and supply but I also had other work to do. Saved at least $1200 and have a sense of accomplishment, not bad for a 26 year old farm boy.

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cj3b_jeep

06-13-2006 04:45:56




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
I was on schedule to pay a guy $1800 to do the rough in at my house, this was close to three years ago. It's a 2 bath, kitchen, 2 outside faucet, dishwasher and clothes washer on the first floor. Copper pipe has doubled in price since then. I personally would never use PVC supply lines and always use the "blue line" thick walled copper. With copper prices what they are, I may change my mind. I ended up firing the plumber 1/2 way through for a series of blunders he made. Never mind that he was a month late on the work, but he also put shower valves in upside down, plumbed sinks wrong, had numerous leaks (I have a list) I got rid of him and finished myself and was happier for it.

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Midwest redneck

06-13-2006 02:04:45




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
That price is not too bad, I paid $5000 6 years ago when I built my house. 2.5 baths, + kitchen, laundry, plus 3 outside spigots. If you can do it yourself then go for it.



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Hal/WA

06-12-2006 21:57:23




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 Re: OT - Plumbing question in reply to Dug, 06-12-2006 21:19:39  
It sounds high to me, but would depend somewhat on if the sewer pipe is in and in the proper place and if the water supply is already in. Breaking up concrete is heavy work that takes lots of time.

Doing the plumbing is not that tough with today's plastic DWV piping--you need to vent everything properly and have some slope on the drain lines. It will involve cutting some holes in the roof and drilling through walls and framing. Doing the supply lines with copper pipe is not hard, once you learn to sweat fittings decently. And lots of construction now is done with special flexible plastic supply lines, which I have not worked with, yet. Maybe the next house I build or rebuild.

Doing plumbing takes some time and skill. I think most people with average ability can do most house plumbing, assuming the codes in your area do not require a licensed plumbing contractor. It takes some time to plan how you are going to build the systems, some more time to buy the necessary component parts, some more time to learn how to cut the right lengths of pipe and make decent joints, and a bunch more time to actually connect everything and make sure you don't have any leaks.

Only you can decide if you are capable of doing the rough in plumbing and if you have the necessary time. Undoubtedly you can save some money by doing it yourself, but it depends on how much your time is worth. From my experience, it takes lots more time to do things myself than if I paid to have someone else do them.

A professional should be able to gaurantee a properly built system with no leaks and to be done with the jobs by a particular date. To be able to do that costs money.

You might see if anyone you know knows someone that does plumbing construction. Sometimes construction workers take side jobs to do in their off time. But forget about a guarantee.

You also might invite some other companies to bid the job. But the lowest bid is not always the bid to take... Good luck!

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