Bathroom plumbing repair -- is this a reasonable $$ estimate?
April 11, 2023 5:05 PM Subscribe
I am a motivated customer -- it is very important to get the plumbing in my (apartment) bathroom wall repaired ASAP. I've received an estimate which seems high, but may be normal for NYC. In this city, sadly, I'm grateful just to have received the estimate. So is the estimate OK, or do I have some basis for pushing back?
I am a motivated customer -- it is very important to get the plumbing in my (apartment) bathroom wall repaired ASAP.
One of the valves behind my bathroom wall has been leaking since sometime last year. It has already caused some damage to the unit downstairs. Also, the downstairs neighbors are performing some major repairs unrelated to my leak, and their entire project is being held up by the need for my leak to be repaired before or at the same time as their work. So I don't want to delay things for casual reasons.
This is a coop apartment in New York City, where you can't get a plumber to even come out to see a small job. In this case, we have a general contractor doing a lot of work in the building, and they have a plumbing sub to do the work in my bathroom, so in this case it was possible to get the attention of an outfit with a good reputation.
That said, I just received the following estimate:
Main Bathroom
Open shower wall to accommodate plumbers to replace shower body
Plumbers are to install pressure balance valve trim
Close wall using wonder board & waterproofing.
Install new tiles ( sample to be provided )
Regrout newly installed tiles
Total amount: $8,600.00
Labor and materials are included in this Proposal
This is affordable, but seems high, for opening a wall, replacing some valves, and re-tiling the wall. OTOH, this is fine tile and it appears to be a big job to remove the old tile and put in high-quality replacement tile. Also, they will have to maneuver around some other plumbing to get to the leaking valves.
So, within an order of magnitude, is the estimate OK? Thanks.
I am a motivated customer -- it is very important to get the plumbing in my (apartment) bathroom wall repaired ASAP.
One of the valves behind my bathroom wall has been leaking since sometime last year. It has already caused some damage to the unit downstairs. Also, the downstairs neighbors are performing some major repairs unrelated to my leak, and their entire project is being held up by the need for my leak to be repaired before or at the same time as their work. So I don't want to delay things for casual reasons.
This is a coop apartment in New York City, where you can't get a plumber to even come out to see a small job. In this case, we have a general contractor doing a lot of work in the building, and they have a plumbing sub to do the work in my bathroom, so in this case it was possible to get the attention of an outfit with a good reputation.
That said, I just received the following estimate:
Main Bathroom
Open shower wall to accommodate plumbers to replace shower body
Plumbers are to install pressure balance valve trim
Close wall using wonder board & waterproofing.
Install new tiles ( sample to be provided )
Regrout newly installed tiles
Total amount: $8,600.00
Labor and materials are included in this Proposal
This is affordable, but seems high, for opening a wall, replacing some valves, and re-tiling the wall. OTOH, this is fine tile and it appears to be a big job to remove the old tile and put in high-quality replacement tile. Also, they will have to maneuver around some other plumbing to get to the leaking valves.
So, within an order of magnitude, is the estimate OK? Thanks.
Best answer: Are the tiles themselves among the included labor and materials? If so, does the price seem more reasonable if their cost were removed? Tiles per se can be expensive.
posted by beaning at 5:35 PM on April 11, 2023
posted by beaning at 5:35 PM on April 11, 2023
Response by poster: beaning, thanks for the idea. I'll ask the contractor to clarify by breaking out the tile estimates (labor/materials) from the plumbing labor and materials. That will probably help me feel more comfortable with the estimate.
posted by JimN2TAW at 5:54 PM on April 11, 2023
posted by JimN2TAW at 5:54 PM on April 11, 2023
Is it possible some of this could be covered by homeowner's insurance? I know many people are loathe to submit smallish problems for fear of their premium going up, but perhaps this is something worth exploring.
posted by citygirl at 6:05 PM on April 11, 2023
posted by citygirl at 6:05 PM on April 11, 2023
Can your coop management company recommend anybody? I assume you’ve already asked building staff.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:25 PM on April 11, 2023
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:25 PM on April 11, 2023
Response by poster: computech, I'm already dealing with the contractor currently used and recommended by the coop management co.
citygirl, I'm not loath to make an insurance claim and i've already done so. The agent is checking with me every couple of weeks to ask when the work is going to start already.
Thank you both for your suggestions.
posted by JimN2TAW at 6:44 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
citygirl, I'm not loath to make an insurance claim and i've already done so. The agent is checking with me every couple of weeks to ask when the work is going to start already.
Thank you both for your suggestions.
posted by JimN2TAW at 6:44 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't know what your co-op by laws are, but in my NYC co-op, plumbing fixes you describe are the responsibility of the building and not the individual owner. Things that happen behind the wall or damage being caused by a different unit aren't generally things you should have to pay for. Check you by-laws and proprietary lease
posted by brookeb at 7:11 PM on April 11, 2023
posted by brookeb at 7:11 PM on April 11, 2023
Best answer: The answer to any quote received in the last few years: yes, it's high.
Beyond the cost of things going your repair requires the skills of three different trades. Carpentry to open the wall cavity and close it back up, plumbing to do pipe stuff and a competent tile setter to finish. So if you imagine three companies visiting your site it would add up to this.
If one company can execute this project then this simplifies your experience and with him on site in the other unit it will happen sooner.
There is a "right" price for everyone but the higher or highest price may offer peace of mind that waiting for a lower price my remove.
citygirl has a good point about insurance. A pressure balance valve may be an upgrade but I expect the co op has some responsibility for existing plumbing being fit. Unless there is some negligence on your part that caused the leak.
With the paucity of young people not coming into trades it is going to be more and more difficult to get reliable tradespeople out to take a look at any project.
posted by ashtray elvis at 4:28 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Beyond the cost of things going your repair requires the skills of three different trades. Carpentry to open the wall cavity and close it back up, plumbing to do pipe stuff and a competent tile setter to finish. So if you imagine three companies visiting your site it would add up to this.
If one company can execute this project then this simplifies your experience and with him on site in the other unit it will happen sooner.
There is a "right" price for everyone but the higher or highest price may offer peace of mind that waiting for a lower price my remove.
citygirl has a good point about insurance. A pressure balance valve may be an upgrade but I expect the co op has some responsibility for existing plumbing being fit. Unless there is some negligence on your part that caused the leak.
With the paucity of young people not coming into trades it is going to be more and more difficult to get reliable tradespeople out to take a look at any project.
posted by ashtray elvis at 4:28 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have a good friend who is a plumber who used to work exclusively in residential buildings in NYC. He now refuses to go work in NYC. Only will do Westchester. He said his costs and the red tape are just not worth it in NYC. First is parking and tolls. If he drives his van into the city he has to pay tolls then find a place to park. He either pays the nearby garage or parks on the street and takes a chance at a ticket. Just getting into the building is a pain. Of course he needs insurance, but just to schedule the use of the freight elevator is packed full of rules such as the operator takes a break from 10:00 to 10:15. They only start at 8:30. Permits, etc.
How much do you think you can save by shopping around? $1,000? If this contractor is already in the building, is approved by the Co-op board, is willing to come in and do the work soonest, it might be worth paying up. Sometimes, you cannot afford a bargain. Cover your short. Accept the bid after hondling a bit on some small costs and be happy it was done and done right.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:23 AM on April 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
How much do you think you can save by shopping around? $1,000? If this contractor is already in the building, is approved by the Co-op board, is willing to come in and do the work soonest, it might be worth paying up. Sometimes, you cannot afford a bargain. Cover your short. Accept the bid after hondling a bit on some small costs and be happy it was done and done right.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:23 AM on April 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
Best answer: That sounds high, but just a little high. I'd bet that tiling is over half the bill, so a breakdown would help.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:23 AM on April 12, 2023
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:23 AM on April 12, 2023
“I'd bet that tiling is over half the bill …”
My thought exactly.
posted by bz at 11:26 AM on April 12, 2023
My thought exactly.
posted by bz at 11:26 AM on April 12, 2023
Best answer: That wrote is pretty reasonable given the tiling. What is on the other side of the tiled wall and can they access the leaks from there?
posted by Summers at 3:38 AM on April 13, 2023
posted by Summers at 3:38 AM on April 13, 2023
Best answer: There's a lot going on with that job, including at least three trades, without even taking into account the cost of the tiles. No doubt you could save some money by contracting separately with each trade (because the plumber's quote allows for some mark-up on other trades), but when you factor in dealing with approvals from your co-op and the complication of you having to co-ordinate all the trades, it's not likely to be worth the trouble.
posted by dg at 5:45 PM on April 13, 2023
posted by dg at 5:45 PM on April 13, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks for your perspectives and comments. They were helpful! Resolved.
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:19 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:19 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I have "a guy" but everyone guards their "guy" and only passes out their information to close friends. I am also looking for an HVAC guy as our HVAC guy recently retired and has no one to refer us to so scanning my networks for a good HVAC person. The trades industry is really gutted here as it is meant more for large buildings and construction sites. So for people looking for careers, go trades!
posted by ichimunki at 5:32 PM on April 11, 2023