The cost you’ll incur for plumbing services may vary depending on your area of residence. For instance, you can be charged $100 in a certain location and $120 in another location for the same service. The price for plumbing services will also depend on what a particular plumber charges. However, you should be keen not to overpay by being proactive and doing thorough research before hiring a plumber.
Don’t shy away from calling several plumbers and getting their quotes regardless of the nature of the job. Always request for an upfront quote on the expected cost before hiring a plumber no matter the size of the job. Here’re the tips you should follow to get a lower price for plumbing services:
Tip #1- Ask for recommendations
You can ask your family, neighbors, and friends for referrals about reputable plumbers they’ve worked with before. Referrals are one of the best ways of finding a professional and affordable plumber.
However, don’t overlook online listings. They’re also great especially for checking out customer reviews and comparing their charges. You can also ask for recommendations from your local hardware outlet.
Tip #2- Consider small plumbing firms
When searching for a plumber from online listings or wherever else, don’t ignore small ads by small plumbing firms. Always remember that large adverts cost more money. Smaller companies might not have huge advertising budgets since they might be charging lower rates for plumbing services.
Some small companies might offer lower rates since they are only operating locally. After contacting larger and well-known plumbing companies like Fast Plumbers, go ahead and compare their pricing with smaller companies. Doing so will assist you in knowing a fair pricing range.
Tip #3- Request for an upfront estimate
Call potential plumbers and ask them for estimates. However, it’s not always easy to get phone estimates, especially when you’re not sure about the problem. Luckily, you can get rough estimates for the most common repairs. It’ll also be a great opportunity to gauge the customer service of the plumbers when calling them.
If a company declines to offer an upfront estimate yet others are willing, then they might be focused more on making money than serving you. Consider shortlisting companies with reliable customer service. A trustworthy plumbing company would even emerge as a company you can work with for long term.
In case a plumber offers free on-site estimates, ask them whether the quote will remain free of charge regardless of whether you’ll hire them or not. At times, some free offers on estimates come with a catch that the estimate will only be free so long as you will hire them. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for their on-site estimate service.
Should You Consider DIY Plumbing?
You can consider how much it would cost you to do the plumbing work yourself, and remember to include the effort and time you’ll put in the work. In case you have some free time and want to save more money, then you can go the DIY way.
Even when you choose to DIY, you can go ahead and get free estimates from several plumbers to know how much you can save. Also, find the total cost of materials, tools, and time to know your actual savings.
Plumbing jobs that are ideal for DIY include:
- Fixing leaking faucets
- Fixing leaky drain pipes
- Replacing the garbage disposal
- Fixing a jammed garbage disposal
- Unblocking clogged drains (leave sewer clogs to the experts)
- Fixing Minor toilet problems (such as phantom flush, stuck handle, and a running toilet among others)
While most plumbing tasks require being handled by an expert and with specialized plumbing tools, some plumbing tasks like the above tend to be straightforward and simple.
