Boiler installation quote

[--s-p-o-n-i-x--]

I currently have a gravity fed system with floor standing boiler.

I wish to replace with a combi boiler, about 6 feet away from its existing location so that it can hang on an outside wall (Easier to route the new flue). It is currently on an internal wall with the flue going straight up through the roof (I plan to leave the top bit of this in place as it is too much hassle to remove)

The hot water cylinder will also need removing and various pipes re-routing and as far as I can see the job is fairly simple and straight forward.

However, I have been quoted around £2000 for the above, Inclusive of a cheap boiler!

What 'gotcha' have I missed that makes the job so expensive? I recon that it'd take a pro plumber less than two days to complete. I was thinking £400-£500 tops.

sponix

[Peter Andrews]

My local CH installers charge £60 per hour labour, so two days = £960. £2k including parts and, presumably VAT, don't look too bad.

Peter

[RedOnRed]

Yeah, i'll echo that.

Although 2 grand does seem a "fair" price in terms of a going rate, it's still extorniate for a blue collared get your hands dirty type of job.

£60 an hour works out at £2250 for a basic 37.5 hour minimal working week. Or £117,000 a year.

My boiler and extra work was done in a couple of days and I know about a grand of it was for labour.

The sooner there's more trained plumbers online bringing fees down the better for all of us.

[Hugh]

Hi Sponix, I've just had a Worcester Combi replaced with a similar but newer model (24CDi) they cost around £750 - say £800 with the timer. I'm being charged £350 for the fitting, and including a 'power-flush' of the system. total thus - £1050 - and including a Landlord's charter gas cert. that's more like it, eh? If you in, or around London, I can put you in touch - although the 'retail' price may be a little more

[Owain]

Don't confuse the billing rate and what the plumber earns. For starters, he won't be billing 37.5 hours a week 52 weeks a year.

What makes you think that more plumbers will bring fees down? Existing plumbers retire every year, and demand will increase with new house building. Why would a newly qualified plumber want to go to the hassle and expense of setting himself up with a transit van and yellow pages advert when he can get a steady 37.5 hr week plus subsistence plus bonus for the next seven years on the Olympic sites.

Owain

[riccip]

Please can I urge you to reconsider swapping for a combi-boiler? If you think your quote is high wait until you start clocking up the repair bills, and combis aren't terribly suited to DIY.

If it were me I'd find a newish replacement boiler on eBay (50 -

100 GBP) and install it myself, leaving the final gas connection to a CR pro (50 GBP). Professional installation shouldn't be more than 300 GBP on a direct swap.

riccip

[RedOnRed]

Yeah, if he's anything like the plumbers i've had round he'll be working in excess of 37.5 hours a week which would make my original figures quite a conservative estimate.

Like any industry and supply and demand situation tradesmen charge a going rate. It appears that there is currently a massive influx of people wanting to get into the plumbing trade to the point where there are insufficient training courses.

In time, fees WILL come down due to the current shortage of plumbers being addressed.

I'm in the IT industry and due to misleading newspaper adverts claiming you can earn a fortune in IT, the IT industry had become flooded with manpower and people queuing to get into to it. Believe me, that has driven salaries down in IT. The same thing will happen in plumbing.

What's the saying? Make hay while the sun shines? I'm sure they are.

[DJC]

Back in January I was quoted £ 3,500 or installing a HE Combi and removing all the tanks etc of the old system. I have just had a quote (different plumber) for 2,750 including 900 for the boiler. Apparently, work has dried up since April; people get a quote for a new condensing boiler and decide no. Or they find someone who isn't goingto insist on following regulations.

[DJC]

I've been in IT over 30 years, and I never have seenthat big money that veryone talks about. On the other hand the level of incompetence of th people I have to work wioth has been rising steadily.

[RedOnRed]

Just trying to decipher your message. You haven't used a high level of encryption above by any chance have you?

I'm sure your "incompetent" colleagues will be impressed by your eloquence.

[Rusty]

Find a Polish plumber. Supposed to be cheapish.

[Mark]

Well since this is a D-I-Y newsgroup why don't you try getting your own hands dirty, then you may be qualified to comment on how much the "blue collared" class earn. Or perhaps you just lack lack any real life skills and basic manual dexterity.

Oh what a surprise.

[RedOnRed]

Ooh, hit a nerve have I. Take it you're a plumber too then or just condone over charging the average working guy?

Whether you like it or not, we were discussing job pricing.

And how does me getting my "hands dirty" qualify me in making any better judgement? Oh I see, that's all it takes, an amatuer getting his "hands dirty" to fully realise how someone comes about charging £60 an hour which is more then the average doctor and architect makes. Both of which are highly qualified and you couldn't get away with doing a DIY job on.

Why's that a surprise?

Oh I see. You think I just replace mice, keyboards and monitors?

If you knew anything about the IT industry you'd know that there's plenty of getting "your hands dirty". I know that as mine often are. I suppose you think that all those servers jump into those racks themselves at all the server farms? You know, the same servers that are making you able to type on here right now. Perhaps you'd like to try and fit one and see how technically far you get with greased up and cut to bits hands in the process?

But then I don't suppose you could as you know f*ck all about what you're talking too.

[Mogweed]

Not really an answer to your question but I inherited my late mum's victorian mid-terraced house and we're renovating it with a view to renting it out. Due to health problems of my own at the moment I can't do the work myself so I got a quote from a CORGI guy for the following work (the house has never had central heating in before):

• Remove 3 old gas fires and make good

• Complete new CH system (7 rads and (if I remember correctly) an Alpha CD32C boiler

• Supply and fit 2 new gas fires

• Plumb in gas hob

• All plumbing work in kitchen (sink and washing machine)

• Supply and fit new toilet and wash basin (keeping existing cast iron bath but he's plumbing it as well)

• Plumb in electric shower

His quote was £3520 for all parts, labour, vat and even including the Landlords Safety Certificate (or whatever it is) for the gas appliances, so your £2000 seems a bit steep to me. This is in Preston, Lancashire, BTW, which I suppose will have a bearing on prices.

Mogweed.

[RedOnRed]

It does sound like you're having a hell of a lot of work done there and not a bad price (for a plumber's quote) to go with it.

[Martyn Pollard]

That does sound extraordinarly cheap for the amount of work being done. Have you taken up any references with any of their previous customers?

[Mogweed]

I found the guy by personal, word-of-mouth reccommendation from a friend who'd had a fair bit of work done by him and was well pleased with him, so I reckon I should be too.

Mogweed.

[--s-p-o-n-i-x--]

Ditto.

I often look at jobs and weigh up how long it'd take me to do it against how much a pro would charge.

A grand would buy a lot of my time, far more than it'd (Hopefully) take to install a boiler.

sponix

[--s-p-o-n-i-x--]

That's the sort of price I was expecting :)

Unfortunately not, about 70 miles away :(

[--s-p-o-n-i-x--]

I have weighed up the pros an cons and feel a condensing combi is probably best.