Re: Changing out a hot water heater
Posted by motogrady on Jul 15, 2013; 12:22pm
URL: http://vintage-and-classic-hondas.81.s1.nabble.com/Changing-out-a-hot-water-heater-tp4043520p4043546.html
haha, licenses.
Been down that route, a can of worms for sure.
But, move to a place like Preston
County, WestVirginia, where there are no real zoning or permits,
and you'll see some of the most convoluted, half assed work you can imagine.
It's no wonder a ton of the houses out here burn down.
On the other hand, if you follow BOCA and the National Electric Code, and all the others that
come out of the woodwork, many couldn't afford it.
Latest is the ground fault breakers they want in the panel boxes.
What are they, 20, 40 bucks a pop, and they want like half of them to be g/f.
Add that 500 to a storm water management system,
a sprinkler system (yes, some places want sprinklers in residental dwellings),
the hurricane clips, the new hvac stuff ( a 90 plus gas furnace vs an 80, a 13 seer vs a 10),
the fee's the permitting process costs, it goes on and on.
I don't see how people can afford it anymore.
As far as a WATER HEATER, (you don't heat hot water), yea, 2600 is high.
I do them for 8 to a grand.
But many bid a job, or estimat one with this simple formula.
Materials times 3.
That water heater, maybe 400 bucks. Add fittings, fuel for the truck, another 100.
500 times 3 is 1500. And that doesn't include the cute little expantion tank they want.
Which may seem high to an outsider that doesn't see, the taxes and insurance (figure 1/3 the job),
a helper, with all the trappings that go with that, wear and tear of the vehicle,
permit and the time it takes to get one.
At 1500, you're lucky to walk away with 500, which, for all the exposure you incur, isn't that much imo.
Looking at it from a business standpoint, I can see, if your in it to make money, and play by the rules that be, 2 grand is a fair number.