advice on boiler + rad installation quote

timmer3 · 27-03-2009 4:43pm #1

hi. i received what seems to be a crazy quote today. i'd be glad if someone could tell me if their quote is realistic, i'm not a plumber obviously but wouldn't have expected the estimated man hours to stack up so much.

here's the spec i submitted, it's a very average/small 3 bed terraced house in drimnagh.
- worcester bosch greenstar 42 CDi condensing gas boiler + 7 rads + TRVs already supplied by me, rads already fixed to walls in position.
- old boiler + cylinder + cold water tank + all piping already dismantled and removed. (with new boiler there will be no cylinder or cold water tank)
- supplier to install new gas boiler under stairs, directly above gas and water main, with waste stand pipe already available from washing machine. flu straight out through wall.
- supply and fit qualpex to all rads, + balance the system.
- replace hot water pipe from boiler to kitchen sink and to bathroom directly above (10m of piping).
- all floorboards accessible and pre-lifted where required
- no wall chasing required as i will be drylining after the plumbing is done, and will use the space behind and beneath the thermal boards for cabling + pipework.
- rad pipes to go through walls above skirting board (to keep floorboards completely clear of pipes, i want to do this to make sanding or replacing the floor easier at a later date, and to make floor cleaning easier after that)

the company quoted €4500 including VAT, based on 2 guys working 4 days solid. i can understand this if none of the prep work was done and if it required removal and drainage of the old system. i'm quite happy to pay a professional wage which i would have thought was between €40-€60 depending on experience. but the prep work is all done, i was expecting one person to be able to get in and out in 3 or 4 days tops.
i was hoping to use the €700 grant from the SEI home energy savings scheme, but it looks like it would cost way too much to go this route, if their registered suppliers charge this sort of money. i do want to pay for a proper job, but don't want to get ripped off.

he gave me a breakdown of €500 materials (for qualpex???), €2560 labor (64 hours at €40), €400 margin to include gaurantee overheads etc, + €500 VAT approx. in the end he lowered the quote to €3900 total because i asked for the breakdown. still seems overpriced to me?

28-03-2009 12:51am

Get a few quotes and you will soon find out if they are being silly, who ever you get to do it make sure it's flushed fully, which may include a power flush, very important to protect the boiler from damage and and lengthen it's working life, Gary.

MiniGolf · 28-03-2009 1:29am

Without seeing the house and the prep work done but from your description....... seems a little excessive:eek:
2 men for 4 days.... I think not!!!

I am a grant approved contractor so please don't tar us all with the same brush!!
Have you had more than 1 quote??
Try calling installers from out of your "listed" area. I am listed as Wicklow but if you look closely you will see I cover Dublin as well. What the listing does not explain is that I cover South Dublin but not the city centre!! Bit confusing for the consumer.
What I will say in their defence though is that the Worcester Bosch 42 CDI COMBI boiler you have been specified is an expensive boiler but probably one of the best.In the last 4 years I have had 1 warranty call!!!!!

Still an excessive price though!!:(

timmer3 · 28-03-2009 9:20am

gary71 wrote: »

make sure it's flushed fully

thanks for the tip. i'm putting in new rads as some of the existing ones are slightly corroded and i want this boiler to last! i'll still make sure it's all flushed out for the pipes etc. cheers.

timmer3 · 28-03-2009 9:40am

MiniGolf wrote: »

Without seeing the house and the prep work done but from your description....... seems a little excessive:eek:
2 men for 4 days.... I think not!!!

I am a grant approved contractor so please don't tar us all with the same brush!!
Have you had more than 1 quote??
Try calling installers from out of your "listed" area. I am listed as Wicklow but if you look closely you will see I cover Dublin as well. What the listing does not explain is that I cover South Dublin but not the city centre!! Bit confusing for the consumer.
What I will say in their defence though is that the Worcester Bosch 42 CDI COMBI boiler you have been specified is an expensive boiler but probably one of the best.In the last 4 years I have had 1 warranty call!!!!!
Still an excessive price though!!:(

thanks for the reply. and i am sorry about the generalisation. i suspect that as soon as the contractor heard the word 'Grant' that he added €700 on top of his quote!! he's a local company operating in the area for a long time, i suspect the real problem here is that there is a boss guy running the company who needs to bulk out his own salary, probably creaming a good 50-100% on top of the plumbers fees. i'll vote with my feet anyway. i'm very glad to find out that it seems overpriced to an experienced contractor like yourself.
unfortunatey i can't even credit them with the choice of boiler, i picked it out myself after doing a lot of research. i'll look around for some better quotes. thanks again for the advice.

JuliusCaesar · 28-03-2009 12:00pm

timmer3 wrote: »

i'll look around for some better quotes. thanks again for the advice.

Would be interested in any other quotes you get - would you post them? Thanks

advice on boiler + rad installation quote

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