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Discussion Forum

Plumbers, how much $$ should I save?

| Posted in Business on May 2, 2002 09:26am

A couple years from now I would like to undertake a major plumbing project and I am clueless on how much it will cost. I also don’t want to bring plumbers in now for an estimate because I would be wasting their time – I can’t afford this project yet. So, I’d like to waste your time instead and come up with a ballpark figure for how much I need to save over the next years before I can consider it. This is probably too much and not enough detail, since I’m not sure what you would need to know:
My home is a one story home with a finished basement and has a sewage ejection pump planted in the ground outside because the city sewer is only about 5 ft down. ALL of the waste water for my home goes through this pump. I would like to replumb the waste lines for my home so that the main floor goes directly to the sewer and bypasses the pump. I was hoping I could tie into the sewer line on the far side of the pump, but if not, it is about 40 feet from my house to the city line. The bathroom is directly next to the pump and about 6 ft. from the sewer line, the kitchen is about 15 ft from the bathroom. The other thing I’d like to do is switch to copper for the bathroom (directly over the water main and hot water), the kitchen has already been done. So, any ideas? Do I need to save $5000, $10000, more? What if I want to rearrange the fixtures in the bathroom (since I’m already attacking the waste lines and the supply, what not do the whole thing?). How much more would that add?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

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Replies

  1. junkhound | May 10, 2002 10:31pm | #1

    Since no one's responded, I'll do 2 cents worth.

    Talk to your sewer district and whoever issues permits to be sure DIY is allowed in your locale (some don't, in which case you will need to be very circumspect). Invest some tools and time in reading, then DIY, or decide how much it's worth to you to not git covered in s... a few times and set that as your price.

    1. AmySwin | May 13, 2002 06:52pm | #2

      Junk,

      Thanks, but plumbing is not allowed to be DIY in my area. I definitely have to hire someone (not that I really want to reroute the waste line myself). I'm just looking for a rough target so I can know how much I should save before considering this project.

      Thanks,

      Amy

  2. User avater
    bobl | May 13, 2002 10:25pm | #3

    I can't speak to what you are asking, but it cost me $2K 3 years ago to connect to the sewer, including pumping out the septic.  House is 35 foot setback from the front lot line and the connection was behind the house.  Outside Boston.

    bobl          Volo Non Voleo      Joe's cheat sheet

  3. DavidThomas | May 13, 2002 10:47pm | #4

    Sounds like about $2,000 of interior work (a bit less if mostly exposed, a bit more if the basement is all finished space). And maybe $1,000 to $2,500 depending on the length and depth of trenching outside. Maybe it can be tied in relatively close to the house.

    I would note that the adoption of code and building regulations is done by elected politicians, whether at the city council, county board, or state level. Ask every politician you meet if a person should be allowed to build their own house and how they have voted in past on forcing homeowner to hire out work on their own houses. Have your like-minded friends do the same. I'm not dissing codes, I think they are a good thing. But I strongly feel that any human should be allowed to constuct their own shelter, albeit to modern codes in this day and age.

    I live in a place (obviously) where one can build their own house. The whole thing - plumbing, electrical, fuel gas piping, etc. Inside city limits, it has to meet code. Outside city limits (99.6% of the Alaska's area) you can do as please. Although I opted to sub out a number of tasks, the only thing I had to sub was the tie-in to the city water main (unless I wanted to obtain a bond myself), although I did all my plumbing up to that point.

    David Thomas   Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
    1. AmySwin | May 14, 2002 03:09am | #5

      David,

      Thank you, that is exactly what I am looking for.

      As for the regulations - they make no sense to me. The laws state that plumbing requires a licensed professional, but not electrical work. I guess it's OK if I burn my house down. Enforcement is a completely different issue. My next door neighbor has been working on an unpermitted monstrosity for 4 years and they haven't done anything about it. I'm just waiting for it to collapse. As an example - he was working on drywall for 2 years when there was no roof. So, I could probably get away with the interior work no problem, but I'm a wimp about challenging the system and don't want to have a problem down the road when I sell the house. I'm actually trying to increase it's value!

      1. User avater
        BillHartmann | May 14, 2002 06:19pm | #6

        There is some logic to that.

        The the electrical fire and/or electrocution will probably only affect you and your family.

        While, with plumbing mistakes you can contaminate the water for the whole city.

        But most likely it depends on what group was busy pushing for changes when this came up and not on logic.

        1. Wet_Head | May 15, 2002 04:47am | #7

          Unfortunately you are correct.

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