opinions on plumbing cost for bathroom remodel

[econguy]

hi folks

this may be a shot in the dark, but i figured i'd ask anyways. i'm a homeowner in the boston, ma area getting quotes for a plumbing job, and the estimates coming back (~ $7k) are WAY over what i expected. i don't necessarily think they're over-charging, it's just that maybe i'm out of touch. any contractors out there that could provide a ballpark for what they would charge for the following job, or any homeowners that have had similar work done?

basically, there's an existing full bath on a second floor of a single-family home, along with three zones of heat (one for the basement, main level, and second floor). all of the second floor needs to be updated, so i'm gutting everything....i'm doing all of the demo, framing, insulation, drywall, and flooring, and i'm hiring out the electrical. pretty much, i need to plumber to pull a permit, cut out the existing baseboard heat and all existing bathroom plumbing and venting, and then run all new piping and venting for a tub, shower, toilet, sink, plus hook up all fixtures, valves, etc. also, i have about 90' feet of baseboard (this covers the bathroom, plus the other 2 bedrooms on the second floor) to be installed and tied into the existing 3rd heat zone...i think the heat loss test said i only need about 50' of actual baseboard heat, the rest will be dummy baseboard.

i'm providing the toilet, sink, vanity, shower, tub surround, and fixtures. lastly, the bathroom is about 8x8.

thanks for any advice or feedback on this...

[Furd]

I'm not a plumber or contractor but with the information you have provided $7,000. does not sound unreasonable to me for a metropolitan area.

[Bosun]

I think your average bathroom rough-in is probably 4-5K on an old house. When you add in the baseboard work, it couls easily hit the 7k mark. Doesn't sound like a deal, but not exhorbitant either.

[geniescience]

ditto. Since it's rework. If this is just a ballpark estimate, with tons of room to increase billings as work increases, then you have an open-ended hourly billing contract, in which case it is best to keep doing a lot of the prep yourself. Since it's a second storey, you can demo it yourself. Getting the materials on site may not be a big help to a pro who has them already in his truck.

david

[patrick88]

I'm from Ma. but I'm out closer to Worcester and Springfield. The price sounds good.

[GrumpyPlumber]

It's utterly impossible to give a price without viewing the actual details.
For starters, the exisitng drains are probably cast iron...to remove cast iron is much more pricey than PVC - we don't know for sure that it's cast iron though.
If the water lines are old galvy or worse yet, fine threaded brass, very expensive...has to go.
Just moving those two materials often breaks the pipe because they can get very brittle/corroded with age....meaning all piping down to the basement has to go.
The baseboard could be in and out of the floor, or it could be a straight shot all around that floor.

I can give you a price to install a kitchen faucet with relative accuracy, but not on my life for something like this.
By the way, from MA here too.

[econguy]

hi folks,

thanks for the feedback. 'grumpyplumber', point taken ...i had only posted the question to see if the quotes seemed significantly out of whack.

as it turns out, it looks as if 7k is on the lower end. i've received a few additional ones that top out at just under 10k. however - at the suggestion of the plumbers - those expand the work scope a bit to replace 'bout half dozen gate-type fittings near the boiler with ball-type valves, plus extend the venting for a washing machine through to the second floor and tie it in to the existing vent.

[toolaholic]

Go with good references ,and Your Guts. Even a little more money is cheap tpohave GOOD people in Your home sharing space with Your family.
Boston is My old home,Now Im homesick