Plumbing: What Will It Cost You?

If you have a plumbing emergency, need a clog fixed, or have to get water flowing to a new wing of your house, you'll probably want to know how much it will cost you. This can be difficult to estimate on your own. Different companies will have varying pay rates, and even they may not know exactly how much to charge until they come out to your house and examine the situation. Still, you can get a ballpark figure beforehand that will let you prepare for what you may have to spend. Some companies will charge you a flat rate, while others will charge you based on hours works and materials used.

Materials

A plumbing company can charge whatever they want when it comes to their time. They are much less likely to charge you crazy prices for the materials themselves. Certainly, some of them will mark up the materials to make more of a profit, but plumbers are in a competitive business. If you start charging prices that are way out of line with reality, word is going to get around rather quickly. So start with the cost of materials when trying to determine how much you'll need to spend. If you have a friend in the business, he may be able to give you some prices that are in line with reasonable costs.

Labor

A plumbing company is generally going to charge labor based on how long it takes to complete a project. Working hand in hand with a construction crew to divert pipes to a new house or a new room is going to take a lot longer and cost a lot more than unclogging a toilet. The best way to calculate labor costs is to call several companies and explain exactly the problem and find out what they might charge to fix it. Some companies will be hesitant to give you a quote over the phone, but enough will that you'll be able to get a ballpark figure.

DIY

For small plumbing projects, you may be able to take matters into your own hands. While this isn't recommended for big jobs (which can wind up costing more by going the DIY route than they would had you called a professional), it can be a nice way to save some money if you are dealing with a clogged sink. Research some ways to take care of the problem with as little money as possible, and you'll find there are several methods you can try.