What things cost
Every job on this page is a flat price, agreed in writing on your doorstep before anyone starts. It is not an estimate, it is not an hourly rate, and it does not grow while you watch. The bands are wide where the job genuinely varies, and we say why.
The trip is in the price
No separate call-out fee stacked on top. If we come out and you decide not to go ahead, it is $89 and nothing else.
After hours is $145 more
Added to the flat price for anything outside 7:00 am to 4:00 pm on a weekday, and $225 on a public holiday. Written on the work order before you agree to it.
Permits are in the price
Where the code needs one — water heaters, gas lines, backwater valves, repipes — the permit and the inspection are already counted.
Nothing in the book matches that. Try a plainer word — “drain”, “heater”, “valve” — or just call (313) 555-0142 and describe it.
Visit
If you only want to know what is wrong, this is the whole price.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visitCredited in full against any repair booked the same day. | $89 | Trip, up to 45 minutes of diagnosis, and a written flat price for the fix. |
Drains
Detroit runs a combined sewer in most of the older neighborhoods, which is why a heavy rain and a slow drain often turn out to be the same problem.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Clear a sink, tub or shower drainThrough an accessible cleanout or the trap arm. | $185–$260 | Cabling the branch, running the fixture to confirm it, and cleanup. |
| Clear a main line, outside cleanoutThe common case in a house built after about 1950. | $340–$525 | Up to 100 ft of cable, a flow test, and cleanup. |
| Clear a main line, no cleanoutWe pull a toilet to get in. Common in older Southwest Detroit housing. | $480–$690 | Pulling and resetting the toilet, new wax and bolts, cabling, and cleanup. |
| Camera a main lineWaived if you book the repair it finds. | $295 | A camera run to the city connection, the locate and depth of any defect, and the recording. |
| Backwater valve, installedThe band is wide because it depends on where the line runs and how deep it sits. | $2,400–$4,200 | Permit, excavation inside the basement floor, the valve, concrete patch, and inspection. |
Fixtures
You are welcome to supply your own fixture. We will tell you honestly if it is one we would not fit in our own house.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Rebuild a running toiletFill valve and flapper. Most running toilets are exactly this. | $175–$240 | Parts, fitting, and a test of the fill and flush cycle. |
| Reset a toilet | $220–$310 | New wax ring, new closet bolts, shimming, and a leak test. |
| Replace a toiletYou supply the fixture, or we quote it separately. | $295–$390 | Removal and disposal of the old unit, new wax and bolts, and a new supply line. |
| Replace a kitchen faucetYou supply the faucet. | $245–$340 | Removal, install, new supply lines, and a leak test. |
| Replace a bathroom faucetYou supply the faucet. | $195–$285 | Removal, install, new supply lines, and a leak test. |
| Replace a sink drain or P-trap | $165–$245 | New trap assembly and tailpiece, refit to the wall arm, and a leak test. |
| Replace a garbage disposalYou supply the unit. | $195–$275 | Removal, mount, drain refit, and an electrical check. |
Valves
A quarter-turn ball valve costs a few dollars more than a gate valve and will still work in fifteen years. We fit ball valves.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Replace an angle stopAdditional stops on the same visit are $95 each. | $145–$210 | A quarter-turn ball stop, a new supply line, and a pressure test. |
| Replace the main shutoff valveThe band depends on whether the water can be shut at the curb. | $385–$620 | A full-port quarter-turn ball valve, the refit, and a pressure test. |
| Replace a hose bibFrost-free sillcock. The right answer in Michigan. | $265–$395 | Removal, frost-free sillcock, vacuum breaker, and the interior refit. |
| Pressure test and PRV replacement | $475–$740 | Static and flow pressure readings, a new regulator, and a re-test at the fixtures. |
Water heaters
A water heater is a permitted job in Detroit and Downriver. If a price you were quoted did not mention a permit, ask why.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Water heater, 40 to 50 gal gasAtmospheric vent, like-for-like swap. | $1,650–$2,150 | Tank, disposal of the old one, new flex connectors, drip leg, vent check, and permit. |
| Water heater, 50 gal electric | $1,450–$1,900 | Tank, disposal, new connectors, an element and thermostat check, and permit. |
| Tankless gas water heater, new installThe band is wide because gas line size and venting decide most of it. | $3,900–$6,200 | The unit, gas line sizing and upgrade, stainless venting, isolation valves, and permit. |
| Thermal expansion tank | $265–$380 | Tank, tee, support, and a charge set to your static pressure. |
Pipe
Galvanized supply from the 1920s is the single most common thing we replace on this side of the city.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Repair an accessible copper leakHalf-inch to three-quarter inch, reachable without opening a wall. | $220–$365 | Cut out, a new section, two joints, and a pressure test. |
| Thaw and repair a frozen pipeThe band depends on how many splits we find once it thaws. | $290–$640 | A controlled thaw, inspection of the whole run, and repair of what split. |
| Repipe a bathroom group in PEX | $1,900–$3,400 | Supply lines to the lavatory, tub or shower and toilet, new stops, permit and inspection. |
| Whole-house repipe, one and a half bathReplacing galvanized supply. Very common in houses built before 1950. | $6,800–$11,500 | All supply lines, all stops, the manifold, drywall cut and patch, permit and inspection. |
| Replace a laundry box | $340–$480 | Recessed box, quarter-turn valves, drain refit, and a fill test. |
| Gas line for a range or dryerWithin 25 ft of the existing manifold. | $520–$980 | Sizing, the run, a shutoff, a pressure test, permit and inspection. |
Sump
A sump pump is the cheapest insurance in a Detroit basement, and a backup battery is the second cheapest.
| Job | Flat price | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Sump pump replacementOne-third horsepower cast-iron pump. | $585–$840 | Pump, check valve, discharge refit, float test, and disposal of the old pump. |
| Sump pump with battery backup | $1,750–$2,600 | Primary pump, backup pump, battery, charger, alarm, and a full cycle test. |
What is not in these prices
- The fixture itself, where the line says you supply it. We will fit one you bought, or quote you one, and we will tell you if the one you bought is going to fail in three years.
- Drywall finishing and paint. We cut it, we patch it, and we leave it flat and ready. We are not painters and we do not charge you as if we were.
- Anything under the yard beyond the point the price says. Excavation is quoted on its own once we have seen the camera run.
- Work we find behind the work. If we open it up and it is a different job, we stop, we write a new number, and you decide. We do not add to a price you already agreed to.
