# Prices In Michigan!



## plumber1 (Dec 12, 2006)

I Was Wondering What The Going Rate For A New Build 1600 To 1800 Sq Foot ,2.5 Bath House Was Going For .white And Chrome Fixtures,city Water And Sewer Etc.builders Always Tell You That You Are Higher Than Everyone Else!there Also Seems To Be A Lot Of Low Ballers During These Slow Times! Any Input Would Be Greatly Appreciated!!!


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## a1plumbingyakim (Jun 21, 2006)

Central Washington
this house would typically cost about $5300, basic fixtures.

what about everyone else??

when its slow, and your starving, lol $4700


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## claude o (Dec 18, 2006)

$ 5300 !!!!!! HOW DO YOU AFORD TO LIVE???? people giving prices like that are bad for this trade, here in mass that house would be over $10000 easy!!!! somebody needs to raise there prices!!


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## a1plumbingyakim (Jun 21, 2006)

if you tried to charge $10000 here, you would starve....i figured out one contractors bid here and he was about $230/fixture + trim when i'm bidding closer to $300/fixture + trim. I've talked to several contractors and suggested that if we could get everyone to raise their prices we all can make more money....too many people wanting the work vs making a decent living. HELP


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## tzzzz216 (Dec 25, 2005)

Here in Northwest Florida its about $400.00 a fixture + trim and this is a small town myself and 6 other plumbing companies .


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## smellslike$tome (Jan 22, 2006)

a1plumbingyakim said:


> if you tried to charge $10000 here, you would starve....i figured out one contractors bid here and he was about $230/fixture + trim when i'm bidding closer to $300/fixture + trim. I've talked to several contractors and suggested that if we could get everyone to raise their prices we all can make more money....too many people wanting the work vs making a decent living. HELP


At $300.00 a fixture you have got to be living out of your truck because their is no way you can afford a mortgage at those prices! If you're renting all I can say is their is something very wrong about any small business owner not owning his own 4 walls because he's not making any money. I'm assuming that you are putting in at least 40 hours a week.

When I got out of new construction, the "going rate" was $450.00 per fixture (and who decided that this was the way to price work in the first place? You can't possibly know what your costs will be based simply on the number of "fixtures"!) anyway I was determined that I would get $500 - $550 (yea I figured it per fixture back then too!) or else I just would'nt take the work. Well guess what, there are so many guys out there willing to work for beer money that I either had to accept $450 or get out of new construction! I got out of new construction and started doing service work exclusively (with occasional remodels but only when I get my price). The only thing I can say now is "why didn't I do this years ago. Builders will squeeze you for any nickel they think they can possibly get (not all builders of course) they'll whine and moan and carry on as if you ought to give them the moon and feel fortunate about being granted the priveledge. Who needs them?


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## tzzzz216 (Dec 25, 2005)

smellslike$tome said:


> At $300.00 a fixture you have got to be living out of your truck because their is no way you can afford a mortgage at those prices! If you're renting all I can say is their is something very wrong about any small business owner not owning his own 4 walls because he's not making any money. I'm assuming that you are putting in at least 40 hours a week.
> 
> When I got out of new construction, the "going rate" was $450.00 per fixture (and who decided that this was the way to price work in the first place? You can't possibly know what your costs will be based simply on the number of "fixtures"!) anyway I was determined that I would get $500 - $550 (yea I figured it per fixture back then too!) or else I just would'nt take the work. Well guess what, there are so many guys out there willing to work for beer money that I either had to accept $450 or get out of new construction! I got out of new construction and started doing service work exclusively (with occasional remodels but only when I get my price). The only thing I can say now is "why didn't I do this years ago. Builders will squeeze you for any nickel they think they can possibly get (not all builders of course) they'll whine and moan and carry on as if you ought to give them the moon and feel fortunate about being granted the priveledge. Who needs them?



Service work is the only way to go i'll take that all day long , sure sometimes on my commerical accounts i may wait 2 weeks to get paid but its a far sight better than waiting on a builder to pay you ..


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Here, figure about $200 to 250 a sq. ft. I just checked this due to an insurance increase. This does not include property value.


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## smellslike$tome (Jan 22, 2006)

tzzzz216 said:


> Service work is the only way to go i'll take that all day long , sure sometimes on my commerical accounts i may wait 2 weeks to get paid but its a far sight better than waiting on a builder to pay you ..


I have one commercial "account" the rest is residential service and as for builders, I still have one that owes me about 5k from 7/05. Obviously at this point I don't expect to ever see it unless the guy has a sudden attack of conscience. GET PAID WHEN THE WORK IS DONE OR DON'T DO IT!


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## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

You guys have to get into the 90's now that they're gone...lol.

I was paying $600/fixture for new construction back in 1992! I haven't priced residential new work now, but I can tell you that in highrise condos we're seeing prices of $3000-3500/fixture. If you take out the union rates and the impacts of the highrise, I'd still say you'd be over $1000-1500/fixture easy. 

Bob


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## plumber jay (Nov 1, 2006)

It is not possible to make a comparison of high rise to residential for price. Everything is different. Materials


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## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

plumber jay said:


> It is not possible to make a comparison of high rise to residential for price. Everything is different. Materials


I understand that Jay- that's why I went from $3500 down to closer to $1000. The main point was that we were paying $600/fixture 15 years ago- with the huge material price spikes that have happened lately, and just inflation in general, $300/fixture is just stupid.

Bob


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## a1plumbingyakim (Jun 21, 2006)

I would love to bid at $600+/fixture for plumbing.....in the central Washington market...you'd starve waiting for a bid to come back accepted. The $300/fixture is for rough in and setting trim only, the actual tub/shower, valve, trim, toilet, lav, faucet (bath example) is in addition to the $300/fix. If the fixture is in a remote area of the house, then usually tack on additional $20/ft from the nearest fixture for running the waste and water. Figuring it out at this i'm usually making over $90/ hr. I nearly own my house, 7.5 acres and shop, $$ in the bank and the biggest plumbing van in town... Still if the market is allowing more...how do i help change it here.... We have shops who are running 2 journeyman, 13 apprentices, and L&I won't do **** about it. Union isn't real strong in Central Washington, local office is aobut 100 miles away. I figured they would help, but "too busy".


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## a1plumbingyakim (Jun 21, 2006)

smellslike$tome said:


> I'm assuming that you are putting in at least 40 hours a week.
> QUOTE]
> 
> 
> May-Nov i was averaging 65-70 hours a week... Right now i'm lucky to be 35, not too much of a freeze this year, and one of my contractors found one of the guys bidding closer to $230- $250/ fix, even though all of my work was top notch, no warranty calls, and fair pricing, they went with the contractor with tweekers on the payroll and no cards on site to save $600/house.


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## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

a1plumbingyakim said:


> I would love to bid at $600+/fixture for plumbing.....in the central Washington market...you'd starve waiting for a bid to come back accepted. The $300/fixture is for rough in and setting trim only, the actual tub/shower, valve, trim, toilet, lav, faucet (bath example) is in addition to the $300/fix.


Ahh....see, now we're getting somewhere, and showing why getting pricing on an internet forum is pretty much useless. If you go back to the first posts with numbers, they included the fixture costs (or at least appeared to the way they were written). While it may not get you to $600/fixture from your $300 number, it'd be a lot closer. 

Bob


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## smellslike$tome (Jan 22, 2006)

a1plumbingyakim said:


> smellslike$tome said:
> 
> 
> > I'm assuming that you are putting in at least 40 hours a week.
> ...


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