what repair was done? spot repair? any demo below grade? if it was simply a spot repair (cut out hole plus some extra pipe) then 7800 is astronomical. I also work for a franchise plumbing company. if they did more, like rebuild the entire manifold then it might not be so ridiculous. also, did they solder or press the copper pipe? that a significant cost difference. i think you may have left out some critical information to receive a proper response. also it will depend where in California you are located. In Orange County you can expect to pay anywhere from $600-$1500 for a spot repair. for a full manifold rebuild you could expect a price of $1200-$2700. and believe it or not, in California the age of your home can cause the price to be higher. may require asbestos testing or abatement or the use of a "safe-cut" method.
Very helpful. So yes, the repair was done and he did go below grade, dug out ~1.5 cu ft. The nail hole was just a bit over 1.5 inches above grade (was digging even necessary) and he replaced the right section with the two drops using coldpress. The home is 22 yrs old, w/ water softener in Elk Grove, CA (Sacramento County).
Here's the detail, we're trying to determine what is reasonable for this work.
On a Saturday a few weeks back we heard a leak, turned the water off and called xxxxx. The young man came out to look at it and said he needed to go to Home Depot for supplies. When he got back, he said he'd need to come back Sunday with his project manager. So we were good for Saturday night with the water off and assumed it would be fixed on Sunday. Sunday morning, he called to apologize and say that his project manager wasn't working that day and promised that they would make us the first job of the day for the crew Monday at 8 am. He repeated that he was sorry for the inconvenience, knew we were leaving town in a couple days and that the after hours fee from last night would be waived and he would make sure we get a discount since we had to wait. Monday, no show, no water, wife called and they told her that she should have never been told that someone would be there at 8 because they don't do appointments. The person said that someone would be there by 1 pm. He came out around just before noon, and we assumed they would start the work first thing, nope, he said he needed the project manager and left. So they came back that afternoon when I was at the dentist office and then I had to help a friend so I got home after 5pm. So they get my wife to sign an estimate for $7,800. Now mind you, it's now Monday night, we've been without water for three days, we're leaving on vacation for a week Wednesday morning and are hoping for water to wash before we go. I'm livid when I get home, I'm thinking, how on earth can it possibly cost $7,800, and why is it still not fixed? Okay I guess, trusted xxxxxx, maybe it makes sense? They've been talking to our insurance adjuster, they told her it was caused by corrosion and they told my wife they may need to trench clear across the closet to our shower..well maybe??? I was still so livid, it didn't sound right, but if pipes are corroded and failing, trenching needs to be done, work order was for "Underground Water Leak"...so maybe?...NO. My wife was in tears saying, I just want water and we're leaving for Michigan in a day. It was 6 pm on Monday and I'm ready to pull the plug on everything, and she told me, they are already coming at 8 am tomorrow, and she said just let them do the work tomorrow, we need them to do a good job.
So really, not caused by corrosion and not an underground water leak. Seems they oversold this job complexity and endlessly squeezed us until they were the only option -- we were leaving town for a week and needed irrigation. One plumber job in maybe 4 hours and we had water a little after noon on Tuesday. Just seeking professional judgement on reasonable range for such a job.
Thanks again for the information everyone - hope you enjoyed the humor of this saga!
Appreciate all of the trades and challenges now. Thanks for the input.
PS - Worth noting, I had a contractor in there last week. He looked at the unfinished concrete and asked if a plumber did that. I laughed and said, you don't know half the story. I said, see that pipe right there, give me a quote to replace it and double it. He laughed, I guess $1,800-$2,000 then laughing. I said, how about $7,800? Then I went on to tell him how when after xxxxxx left, I'm hearing water running again...! Oh no, what's going on? Well, turns out the xxxxxx plumber left shavings in the pipes when he did the work so I turn the toilet off. After vacation I figure out I had a 1cm sized copper shaving (pictured), sitting right on top of the toilet intake valve making it leak. Very, very frustrating experience.
This is the finished job. Plumber had left.
