Southwest Detroit · Downriver · since 2009
Plumbing, priced before we start
Drains, water heaters, sewer lines and repipes at a flat price out of a published book. You see the number, in writing, before anyone opens a wall in your house.
- Michigan master plumber, licensed and insured
- Permits pulled and inspected on work that needs them
- One year on our labor, in writing
Drag or use the arrow keys to remove the finished floor and expose the joist bay, the copper supply lines, the main shutoff valve and the cast-iron drain beneath it.
This is the part you do not see
The drawing above is how we think about your house. Here is what it actually looks like when the floor is up.
Book a visit
Four questions. You will see the price band before you give us a phone number, and the exact flat price is written down on your doorstep before anyone starts.
The eight calls we get most
These are flat prices, not estimates and not an hourly rate that grows while you watch. The band covers what the job turns out to be once it is open.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $89 | Up to 45 minutes and a written price for the fix. Credited in full if you book the repair the same day. |
| Clear a sink, tub or shower drain | $185–$260 | Cabling the branch, running the fixture to confirm, and cleanup. |
| Clear a main line, outside cleanout | $340–$525 | Up to 100 ft of cable, a flow test, and cleanup. |
| Clear a main line, no cleanout | $480–$690 | We pull a toilet to get in, then reset it on a new wax ring and new bolts. |
| Rebuild a running toilet | $175–$240 | Fill valve and flapper. Most running toilets are exactly this. |
| Replace the main shutoff valve | $385–$620 | Full-port quarter-turn ball valve. The band depends on whether the water can be shut at the curb. |
| Water heater, 40–50 gal gas | $1,650–$2,150 | Tank, disposal of the old one, new connectors, drip leg, vent check, permit. |
| Sump pump replacement | $585–$840 | One-third horsepower cast-iron pump, check valve, discharge refit, float test. |
What the price actually buys
- A number before we startThe flat price is written on the work order and signed on your doorstep. If the job turns out to be a different job, we stop and write a new number. We do not add to one you already agreed to.
- A permit where the code needs oneWater heaters, gas lines, backwater valves and repipes get pulled and inspected. A plumber who skips the permit is saving themselves money, not you — it lands on your title.
- A license you can look upMichigan master plumber. The number is on the work order, on the truck and on the estimate, and the state keeps a public register you can check it against.
- One year on the laborIn writing, on the invoice. Manufacturer terms on the parts, whatever they are, stated at the time — we do not repeat a marketing warranty as if it were ours.
- The floor you hadDrop cloths, boot covers, and the cuttings go out with us. Cable work is filthy; that is our problem, not yours.
What we will not do
- Quote a price without seeing it when seeing it is the only way to know. A phone number is not a diagnosis.
- Sell you a whole-house repipe for one pinhole in one accessible run.
- Replace your lead service line before you have called DWSD. Detroit is replacing lead service lines at no charge to the homeowner under a city program. Call them first. If your line turns out not to be lead, or the program does not cover you, then we will talk.
- Take the job outside our area. We would be an hour away when it leaks again.
How to tell what your service line is made of
Find where the line comes through the basement wall. Scratch it with a coin, then hold a magnet to it.
- Bright orange under the scratch, not magnetic — copper.
- Dull silver-gray, magnetic — galvanized steel.
- Soft silver under the scratch, not magnetic, scratches easily — lead. Call DWSD.
Where we go
Southwest Detroit out to Trenton, and east as far as Boston-Edison. It is a wedge, not a radius, because it follows the river and the roads that run beside it. Outside that line we are an hour away when it leaks again, and an hour is too long.
Check a ZIP code
- 48209
- 48210
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- 48201
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- 48206
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