Plumbing costs and quote checks
Water heaters, tankless, repipes, drains and sewer lines.
We can price plumbing work from real material and wage data. We have not built the plumbing compliance checks yet, so nothing here says the work itself is correct or lawful — only what it should cost. Why those are different jobs.
9 plumbing jobs we can price
Each is costed from its own parts, at the wage for that trade in your metro.
Water heater replacementprice only
Costed from its equipment, 3–7 hours of plumbing labor, consumables and a margin band.
Tankless water heater installprice only
Converting from tank to tankless usually needs a larger gas line and new venting. That is most of the difference in price between bids.
Toilet replacementprice only
Costed from its equipment, 1.5–3 hours of plumbing labor, consumables and a margin band.
Garbage disposal replacementprice only
Costed from its equipment, 1–2.5 hours of plumbing labor, consumables and a margin band.
Sump pump replacementprice only
Costed from its equipment, 2–5 hours of plumbing labor, consumables and a margin band.
Water softener installprice only
Costed from its equipment, 3–7 hours of plumbing labor, consumables and a margin band.
Drain clearingprice only
Almost pure labor plus a call-out minimum. The trip charge dominates, so treat the estimate as weak and compare bids on the minimum, not the hourly rate.
Sewer lateral replacementprice only
Priced per LINEAR FOOT. Open-cut versus trenchless, depth, and what is on top of the line (driveway, mature trees, sidewalk) move this more than length does.
Plumbing repairprice only
Small discrete jobs are dominated by the trip charge and the call-out minimum, not by the work.
What the labor actually costs
Median hourly wage from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. This is what the trade earns, not what a contractor bills — the bill also carries insurance, vehicles, warranty, unbillable time and the business itself.
| Trade | National median wage | Metros where BLS publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| plumbing | $33.39/hr | 524 of 530 (99%) |