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Please comment on the quote - too high

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Homeowner1

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Hi everyone, we bought a house with very old radiators and would like to have them replaced. The plumber quoted us 9k for fitting 14 radiators with thermo valves, 1 bathtub and 2 shower enclosures. This comes on top of 1700 quote which includes installation of 2 wall hung toilets, splitting our piping network into 2 zones (bathrooms and rest). Not sure what prices are normal but seems way too high and for 9k quote he says all rads are about 1600 and all the rest is his work + valves. We asked for splitting the quote into 2 parts for the gf and 1st floor but he refused and offered us to find smb else then.
Any comments appreciated thanks a lot.
 
Yes lot of ifs and buts on this one.
Location is also factor , to change all those rads and connect on to a old system could be problematic, you should mention this , if it is , is this in the price or does he submit another quote .
 
It's a bit of a 'how longs a piece of string' type question to be honest.

It is very difficult to estimate going off the info you have given up to now but I personally do not think it sounds expensive.

Any experienced Plumber will see and think about things that you probably have not, with all due respect. He/She will have thought through the job from start to finish, including all the 'behind the scenes' work.

Different prices are a good idea so long as they are all pricing for the same work. Tradesmen are not all the same, it is not like buying a TV and getting the best deal. Try to get prices off people who are recommended from people you know.
 
Last Plumber said:
It's a bit of a 'how longs a piece of string' type question to be honest.

It is very difficult to estimate going off the info you have given up to now but I personally do not think it sounds expensive.

Any experienced Plumber will see and think about things that you probably have not, with all due respect. He/She will have thought through the job from start to finish, including all the 'behind the scenes' work.

Different prices are a good idea so long as they are all pricing for the same work. Tradesmen are not all the same, it is not like buying a TV and getting the best deal. Try to get prices off people who are recommended from people you know.
Click to expand...

Thank you Last Plumber and everyone who responded earlier. we supply the bathtub and the shower enclosures, he only needs to fit it. As for the radiators, he supplies them, but I'm concerned about him saying that the actual rads are only up to 2000 and the rest 7000(!!!) is his work and much of it is installing thermo valves for the radiators. What also concerns me, is that ok if these are the prices, why don't you give me a detailed quote so that we can choose bits that are of the first necessity. But he won't. Keeps saying it's all in his small papers and putting this all together will take him the whole day,so no. And this is a bit annoying. Also he said the tall rads (we want two tall ones) come as 550 together just their cost but I found stuff way cheaper online after calculating btu needed. Thanks everyone for the responses.
 
Homeowner1 said:
Thank you Last Plumber and everyone who responded earlier. we supply the bathtub and the shower enclosures, he only needs to fit it. As for the radiators, he supplies them, but I'm concerned about him saying that the actual rads are only up to 2000 and the rest 7000(!!!) is his work and much of it is installing thermo valves for the radiators. What also concerns me, is that ok if these are the prices, why don't you give me a detailed quote so that we can choose bits that are of the first necessity. But he won't. Keeps saying it's all in his small papers and putting this all together will take him the whole day,so no. And this is a bit annoying. Also he said the tall rads (we want two tall ones) come as 550 together just their cost but I found stuff way cheaper online after calculating btu needed. Thanks everyone for the responses.
Click to expand...
Get a few more quotes and then compare. We as engineers do not buy on line as their is far too much that can go wrong and it is harder to fix. You then get a bill when no work has been completed as the stuff has turned up wrong. Also some engineers do not like breaking it down. As costs you more.
 
Ask him what radiators he’s supplying. Way cheaper doesn’t mean you’re getting the same deal. You need an explanation of the labour involved. If he’s being cagey then get more quotes. Not much else we can say though really. You aren’t entitled to a full breakdown as the plumbers costs are his own
 
Very old radiators usually means very old pipework which usually means pipework alterations which means floors up, wall chasing/making good etc. It all depends on the amount of work involved. As said before, get another couple of quotes and see where they come in and try to get someone who has been recommended
 
Radiators online could be cheap nasty Chinese rubbish.
Don’t be fooled by the company name and British or EU location.
Personally I think the quote for radiators install sounds high to me, but I suggest you get other quotes.
How about trying different plumbers to quote for solely one job - like the rads install? That should give you a better idea of price variations.
I am not surprised the plumber won’t break his quote down any further.
Time is money and he knows all you will do is get other quotes for each job and go cheaper.
You also wouldn’t like if he asked you exactly what your wage was
 
If this £9000 is inc VAT, then it is £7500 plus VAT. That leaves around £5500 going off your figures which 'could' represent any amount of time dependent on his rate. The only person who can answer that is himself.
I cannot see him having any issue telling you his day rate/hourly rates. I would agree with the above though, I personally would not break down my estimate too much for all sorts of reasons.

We are in business to provide a way of life and earn a living. We have all manner of overheads to take into account. Having said that, I can't remember any customer asking me to break down an estimate. They normally take it or leave it.

As far as rads go, he probably has his preferences as we all do. There are many different levels in quality and the internet is no use to compare unless it is like for like, a rad is not just a rad, if you get my meaning.

If the trust is not there at this stage, then my advice is to move on.
 
If you are not confident in your contractor, (and it sounds like you are not) then that is all you need to know.
 
I think any tradesman who suggests you go or look elsewhere probably doesn't really want the job and has priced it accordingly. In other words he may think the job is more trouble than it's actually really worth so he highballed the quote...maybe.

As others have said get at least another two quotes then you'll truely get a better idea, it's just not possible to say with any accuracy without eyes on the job and accessing what's involved.
 
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