Making Big $$$ as a Plumber Woodworker

[Brian Kent]

Not wanting to hi-jack the real thread on making money on woodworking, I just wanted to let people know what an excellent living at least one fine craftsman makes as a plumber woodworker.

I recently went into my favorite orange store that no-one has ever heard of, needing to buy a new water heater - company coming in 3 days.

I decided right up front to pay the big bucks and have one of big orange's installers do it for me. I knew that would make that $399 water heater cost an extra $269. But what the heck, let's go for the $668 plus tax and get it done right!

The first friendly expert to arrive was in bike shorts, bike shirt, and stiff orange hair - normal plumber's work attire. He kept throwing his hands in the air saying, "I don't even know if we want to do this! You have old pipes!", which was none of his business, but I took that as a "no, I don't want to work for you" so I called back Hom... oops, I mean the orange store and said we preferred a different installer. He came back while I was on the phone and said he'd do it for $1300. That was really lucky for me because the lady on the big orange phone was telling me that is their only water heater installer in Riverside.

I won't go into the rest of the adventure, except to say that I clevery talked them down to a total price of $1,234 installed. Pretty crafty huh! I am a Junior High graduate so I am not just anybody's fool!

(Just glad I didn't have that $1,234 lying around any more - I might be tempted to buy a bandsaw or a jointer or a full set of Lee Valley Bevel Up Planes with enough left over for a set of Blue Spruce chisels and a Mike Wensloff Backsaw).

So back to "Making Big $$$ as a Plumber Woodworker"!

One of the non-negotiable items was "$50 to drill a hole for the relief valve". I had never actually seen a $50 hole before, so I figured it must be worth it. So here it is, my friends, a $50 "Plumber Woodworker" hole:

[Dave Burris]

Man I am worth more than I thought. I had to replace my water heater late last year and did it myself (I'm broke). If I had known I could get $50.00 for simply cutting a notch in an external panel I would have given up my day job years ago!!

So ... where can I get some of those biker shorts?

[Eric Gustafson]

This is why I became a jack-of-all-trades. Not only does it cost an arm and a leg to have anyone do anything for you, but the work is ususally substandard. BTW, I have to replace my water heater this weekend. The last time I did it, years ago, I installed stainless quick on fittings. I expect the job to take no longer than an hour this time.

[alex grams]

Yikes, that amount of money makes me want to cry to pay someone to do that.

I'de be afraid my response to someone wanting to charge me 1300$ to install a water heater would wind me up in jail.

Have fun Eric, i just replaced mine a few weeks ago, and glad I did. You really have to tighten down the hose fittings though to make the compression rings seal tight. And then i would advise checking the heater a couple of times during the week or two after you hook it up so you can make sure all seals are tight.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

you seriously paid someone over $800 to install a $400 water heater??

I am so very glad that I learned basic plumbing skills ... not sure when our w/h is going to die, but I expect I'll do it myself...

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

deleted by Moderator

try to keep it family friendly!!

(but I'm still laughing just the same....)

[Rick Malloy]

A $50 hole, that is not round or square, must be art then Just a couple minor things I see, the wood he exposed is not protected from the environment and the pipe ends in front of some kind of vent. So if air goes inside thru the vent and there is water vapor being released at that time, I see a possible mold problem in your future.

As for the install crew from the local orange store, my wifes friend had them come out to finish off a couple rooms in her house. Unfinished bedrooms in a cape style houes, needed trim and closet doors. She is not a woodworker but the job they were doing was so bad she kicked them out and called the orange guys. They did not do anything until she went down to the store, grabbed the manager and drove him to her house. I guess a 60something lady yelling at you in German makes you move. She got her money back for the install. Unfortunately for her, she did have to replace all the work they had done including the doors they put in that needed to be "adjusted" (installers words) and did not open after that.

I saw the end result after she got someone decent out there. The stories I heard of the original work make me wonder what you need to pass yourself off as a carpenter in the building sector. Moral of that story and yours, when someone from an orange store offers to have an "installer" come out to do the work, be afraid, be very afraid. And find someone else to do it.

[Brian Kent]

you seriously paid someone over $800 to install a $400 water heater??

No way. I paid $834, not $800! What do you think I am, an idiot?

Just for the record, they also installed a new wood floor for the water heater closet for $25 and gave me a free "moisture relief" hole in the drywall.

[Eric Gustafson]

Have fun Eric, i just replaced mine a few weeks ago, and glad I did. You really have to tighten down the hose fittings though to make the compression rings seal tight. And then i would advise checking the heater a couple of times during the week or two after you hook it up so you can make sure all seals are tight.

I removed the water heater and reinstalled it a couple of years ago when I had the furnace/AC replaced. It made it easier for the crew to get it in and seal the duct joints. It wasn't too bad, so I am optomistic. The fittings on my hoses actually use rubber seals, which are easier to seal than compression ferrules or flange joints.

[Brian Kent]

As for the square (or at least non-round) drill hole, I figure it must have been done with a square-ended corner drill.

Or one of them drill-hammers.

[Ben Rafael]

Next time call a licensed plumber from the yellow pages. The going rate for water heater installs is about $350, and IMO that is overpriced.
I have a relative who is a plumber and does only water heater installs because they are fast, easy, generally not messy and quick money. He only charges $300.

[Travis Gauger]

We had to replace ours about three weeks ago too. Ours was still under warranty and I got a big story how I was still going to have to pay $300 because our model wasn't made anymore and I needed to buy a new one. I called the orange place back up and they confirmed it for me, yup have to buy a new one. I asked what the warranty was for then? To make a really long story short, about three weeks long. I took the old one out with a hammer and sat outside the orange store with a sign on it that said "this is what my lifetime warranty" It only lasted for about an hour before the police came and told me I was loitering and had to leave. I kindly explained to them that I was not loitering, I was a paying customer of the big orange store. I also explained that due to my warranty issue I was still a paying customer, even while talking to them in the parking lot. They went inside and about five minutes later they came back out, told me to have a nice day, and left. Then the manager came out and offered to fix this by giving me the new water heater at cost. I told him no thanks and that I had just taken a week of vacation in order to prevent as many people as I could from making the same mistake I did. He then replied with the right answer, and I have a new water heater, installed, with a lot of new pipes and hardware to repair my removal job of the old one. I still haven't heard anything on the invoice I sent them for wasting my time. I'll update the post if I do get a response.

[Ben Rafael]

Travis,
What brand water heater went bad?
I never heard of a lifetime warranty on one.

[Mark Engel]

I have had three experiences with installers from the orange store. All three wanted to charge more than the price quoted at the store because of 'special' circumstances. All three were politely asked to leave. I got my money back each time.

It seems to be standard practice to try to extort more money from the homeowner once the installer sees how 'difficult' the job is going to be.

[Brian Kent]

There were several additional parts that the plumber wanted to charge for, that were included in the stock installation. Additional parts that I could purchase at big orange for $5, the plumber sold for $55. I was not allowed to supply the parts myself. The additional markup was supposed to be for installation - the same installation that I was paying $269 for in the first place.

The next weekend I spoke with a friend who has a local air-conditioning company. He had obtained a plumbers license/certification so they themselves would not be ripped off. His company charges about $300 for a water heater installation, including the special fixtures to attach to my old pipes. For parts, he charges below MSRP instead of 1000% mark-up.

Needless to say, there is a big orange store whose installation services I will never again even consider.