Cost for Installing Kitchen Faucet?

[waterpark]

Hello All! Brand new to this forum. We recently purchased a Delta 9178-AR-DST Leland Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet from Amazon and had a plumber install it. This included removing the old existing faucet and sprayer. It took him about an hour and the charge was $282 plus a $69 service call charge. This seems high to me.

We used this guy because 2 years ago he did a whole house re-plumbing for us at a very reasonable price, so we then decided to make him our go-to plumber in the future, instead of our previous part-time guy.

FWIW, while he was here, he also installed a new pressure reducing valve for $212. Total bill for both jobs was $563.

Do these amounts seem normal? We're in Raleigh, NC.

 

[PlumberRyan]

Holy **** I see him sitting on a beach in retirement pretty soon! Don't tell me you bought the parts too?

 

[havasu]

Seems high to me. As I always preach, unless you receive 3 bids, you are destined to get/feel screwed.

 

[SHR]

The pricing seems accurate and normal for a licensed & insured plumber. In my area the big plumbing companies average billing is $263/hr!

 

[waterpark]

Thanks for the replies. I was kind of blindsided and disappointed by the amounts. He was using some kind of software on his iPad for pricing. This guy is an excellent plumber with 30+ years experience- the same guy who re-plumbed our entire house for around $2,000!

 

[havasu]

I see no reason why you couldn't just ask him as to how he came up with that figure.

 

[frodo]

I have a question for our OP, Waterpark.

what do you as a home owner, think a fair price is for a man to come to your house and do this job ?

 

[waterpark]

I have a question for our OP, Waterpark.

what do you as a home owner, think a fair price is for a man to come to your house and do this job ?

I purchased the faucet myself, so the charge of $282 for less than one hour of labor seems high.

The charge of $212 for replacing the PRV seems more reasonable, depending on the cost of the valve, which was included in that charge.

 

[frodo]

LOL, i see you are not going to answer the question.


I will ask one more time. what do you, as a home owner. think the plumber should charge to come to your house and replace a faucet ?

what do you, think is a fair price to pay ?

part 2,

in your profession, what does your company bill you out at ?


I am actually very interested in a honest answer to these questions

 

[frodo]

gets them every time.

home owners think it is ok for their company to bill them out at $250.00 an hour
because...""""Dang it, I am worth that!!! I am married have a mortage, lil susie needs braces and Jr Is on the football team
I have bills to pay.. And I am worth every penny the boss pays me. matter of fact, I think I deserve a raise"""

BUT, if someone comes to their house and charges the same thing !!!!!!! OH GOOD GOD..Katty bar the door !!
""""rip off bastids !!!! charging so much. outta be a law""".

guess what ? I agree with you, I was busy, and the icemaker went out at my house.

THE SOB charged me $200.00 to replace a $20.00 part. SOB!!!!!!

I paid for his knowledge and convenience. just the way it is.

you see, I have a mortgage also, lil susie needs braces, jr is on the foot ball team and both want to go to college
it is a bidness...what do you think a fully loaded plumbing truck with a licensed plumber was going to charge ? $25.00 bucks?

oh yeah...the wife has credit cards....DAMNNNNNNNN!!!!!pennys, sears, macy's, same ones you have,

 

[Chris]

The pricing seems accurate and normal for a licensed & insured plumber. In my area the big plumbing companies average billing is $263/hr!

I have a buddy that works for a big plumbing outfit that charges 289 per hour by basing it on prevailing wage union rates. He is not licensed himself and went through a two month training class put on by the plumbing outfit and threw him in a van. I wouldn't hire him to plung my toilet.


As for the charges to the OP, you are going to pay a higher per hour rate for a couple hours work than you would for a complete repipe. On a larger project it is a lot easier to discount you hourly rate because you make up for it in volume or time there. As a business owner myself I have to continue raising my rates because every time someone votes for anything it costs me more money to operate my company and in turn costs you more for the service. If you cut out insurance, lawsuits, work comp rates and taxes I could charge you 1/3 of what I do now and profit the same. It's just the way our country is growing. Next you will spend ten bucks on a burger....

 

[waterpark]

View attachment 11248 gets them every time.

home owners think it is ok for their company to bill them out at $250.00 an hour
because...""""Dang it, I am worth that!!! I am married have a mortage, lil susie needs braces and Jr Is on the football team
I have bills to pay.. And I am worth every penny the boss pays me. matter of fact, I think I deserve a raise"""

BUT, if someone comes to their house and charges the same thing !!!!!!! OH GOOD GOD..Katty bar the door !!
""""rip off bastids !!!! charging so much. outta be a law""".

guess what ? I agree with you, I was busy, and the icemaker went out at my house.

THE SOB charged me $200.00 to replace a $20.00 part. SOB!!!!!!

I paid for his knowledge and convenience. just the way it is.

you see, I have a mortgage also, lil susie needs braces, jr is on the foot ball team and both want to go to college
it is a bidness...what do you think a fully loaded plumbing truck with a licensed plumber was going to charge ? $25.00 bucks?

oh yeah...the wife has credit cards....DAMNNNNNNNN!!!!!pennys, sears, macy's, same ones you have,

I'm glad you're enjoying yourself! Making self-righteous, baseless assumptions is FUN!

I don't know what a reasonable price would be. If I did, I wouldn't have posted the thread. Thanks to those who have provided honest, straightforward answers.

 

[Zanne]

Maybe you should try angieslist or yelp or just ask around to find out what plumbers in your area usually charge for things. In some places, that amount might be normal or even low. In others it might be high. It all depends on the local economy.

I can understand how, if you don't work in that field, you might wonder why prices are so high. That is when you politely request an itemized list of expenses to show what was done and why it cost that amount. Also, if you have more than one plumber in your area, you can shop around to get estimates for the work. Keep in mind, sometimes there are surprises so things may cost more in the end. Also, you can check with your state to find out if the plumbers are licensed and insured. Of course, even some licensed plumbers are not all that good at their jobs, but the good ones are often worth the expense.

Another thing to take into consideration is that installing a faucet can be a royal pain. Cabinets are not always easy to get in to-- yeah, that is the plumber's job-- but some cabinets are worse than others, sometimes people haven't cleaned, and plumbers have to deal with some very disgusting stuff. They also risk getting chemical burns when customers use Draino and other supposed cleaners. Also, breathing in PVC cement is not all that pleasant and plumbers intentionally inhale it all the time when doing work. The job can be hazardous. Then add in that the plumbers have to maintain trucks and equipment and use gas to get to your place. Different places have different fees and rules for maintaining/renewing a license. Plumbers have to keep taking tests or take new classes to keep up-to-date and that can be expensive. A lot more goes in to it than just someone arriving at your house and hooking things up. Thus the prices can reflect that. It's just something a lot of homeowners don't really think about though.

 

[PlumberRyan]

Come on guys! That almost $11k a week at any rate lol, our company only charges like $75 pe hour here in western Nebraska. The hardest part for me owning my own business in the future will be charging a service call for a 15 minute job, but that's what we're here in business for! I will just want to offer my customers a fair price when that time comes!

 

[phishfood]

Come on guys! That almost $11k a week at any rate lol, our company only charges like $75 pe hour here in western Nebraska. The hardest part for me owning my own business in the future will be charging a service call for a 15 minute job, but that's what we're here in business for! I will just want to offer my customers a fair price when that time comes!

If you ever do go into business for yourself, you WILL gain a different perspective, or you will be perpetually broke.

No offense intended, but I have gained much hard experience in this area myself.

 

[Zanne]

Ryan, it's possible that your area might have lower fees and costs. Some places have very high cost of living. In some areas there might be a lot more red tape to get and maintain a plumbing license- and there might be higher operating expenses due to other factors in a large city than in a smaller area.

 

[Matt30]

Come on guys! That almost $11k a week at any rate lol, our company only charges like $75 pe hour here in western Nebraska. The hardest part for me owning my own business in the future will be charging a service call for a 15 minute job, but that's what we're here in business for! I will just want to offer my customers a fair price when that time comes!

You cannot charge for 15 minutes, you sill sink your ship before it leaves the dock. Minimum service call is 1 hour, then charge by the half hour after that. You will find many other ways to be fair when it comes to billing repeat customers.


I'm the designated "service guy" at my company. It sure ain't easy finding ways to keep customers happy, and the boss happy at the same time. I wanna be fair to the customer, but my boss needs to make money to keep the lights on too. It's a fine line!

For the record, I will never own my own company

 

[PlumberRyan]

You cannot charge for 15 minutes, you sill sink your ship before it leaves the dock. Minimum service call is 1 hour, then charge by the half hour after that. You will find many other ways to be fair when it comes to billing repeat customers.


I'm the designated "service guy" at my company. It sure ain't easy finding ways to keep customers happy, and the boss happy at the same time. I wanna be fair to the customer, but my boss needs to make money to keep the lights on too. It's a fine line!

For the record, I will never own my own company

Rite, I meant It makes me kinda feel a little guilty charging what we charge when it only takes 15 minutes, but you are rite, the company has to make ends meet. But charging more than a layer or Doctor? All I was saying is, this person had a faucet installed not a root canal!

 

[havasu]

Even gardeners who drive a work in my truck has to pay $150 a year.

That being said, I was paying $80 a month to mow and blow my front yard, and recently had a quote of $40 a month. If you don't shop around, expect to pay the "full boat."

 

[Matt30]

Rite, I meant It makes me kinda feel a little guilty charging what we charge when it only takes 15 minutes, but you are rite, the company has to make ends meet. But charging more than a layer or Doctor? All I was saying is, this person had a faucet installed not a root canal!

After reading this thread, I don't feel near as bad charging what we charge But I guess no matter the labor rate, somebody would argue the bill even if you only charged $20 an hour