How to Write a Plumbing Estimate

Repair estimate or project estimate?

A repair estimate fits on one screen: what failed, what fixes it, what it costs and how long the price holds. A project estimate (a water heater replacement, a repipe, a sewer line, a remodel rough-in) is also the document you'll point to when something unexpected turns up inside a wall or under a slab, so it has to define the job precisely.

If you can't see enough to define the job, don't guess. Sell the diagnosis first (a camera inspection, a leak locate or an exploratory opening) and write the estimate from what you found. Pricing is covered in how to price plumbing jobs; this guide covers what goes on the page.

Define the scope fixture by fixture

Customers think in rooms; plumbers bid in fixtures and pipe. A complete scope of work names every fixture and connection the job touches and what happens to each one.

Then write down the three things that drive plumbing labor:

• Lengths. Give approximate runs in feet for new water, drain, gas or sewer pipe, with sizes. If the price depends on a run you couldn't measure, say so and give a per-foot rate for the difference.
• Access. Say how you'll reach the pipe: unfinished basement, crawlspace, attic, finished ceiling, exterior wall or slab. Access is where two bids for the "same" job split apart, and where your exclusions start.
• Downtime. Say when the water will be off and for how long. On a repipe, say whether water comes back on each night.

On remodels, separate rough-in from trim, and say what (tile, countertops) must be finished before you set fixtures.

Finally, name the existing parts you're relying on. An old shutoff that won't close, or a stop that leaks once you turn it, can stall a job in its first hour, so add: "If an existing shutoff valve fails to close or leaks when operated, its replacement will be priced and approved before work continues." Problems you notice outside your scope, such as a corroded drain you weren't asked to replace, go on the estimate as observed and not included.

Write allowances for fixtures the customer will choose

When the customer hasn't picked a faucet, toilet or shower trim, write an allowance: a dollar amount the price includes for that fixture, with the difference charged or credited once they choose. Each allowance line should state:

• The amount per fixture, and whether it covers only the fixture or also trim kits, supply lines, tax and delivery.
• Who orders it, and the date you need the choice by to hold the schedule.

Plumbing allowances also have fit problems, so put the checks on the estimate:

• Shower valves. A shower trim usually fits only its own maker's valve body, sometimes only one product line. The valve goes in at rough-in, so settle the trim choice before you close the wall.
• Toilets. Measure the rough-in (finished wall to the center of the drain) and write it down, so nobody buys a toilet that won't fit.
• Sinks and faucets. Note the number of faucet holes in the sink or countertop, and whether the sink is undermount or drop-in.
• Online purchases. Before the customer buys, check that the product is one your inspector will accept.

If the customer supplies fixtures, price installation only and say plainly that you don't warranty the fixture itself, that missing or damaged parts mean a return trip at your normal charge, and who hauls away the old fixtures and packaging.

Example: A bathroom estimate includes a $300 toilet allowance and a $250 faucet allowance (round numbers for the math). The customer picks a $420 toilet and a $190 faucet. The toilet is $120 over and the faucet is $60 under, so the price goes up by $120 minus $60, or $60, approved in writing before you order.

Permits and inspections

Find out which jobs need a building permit in each jurisdiction you work in, checking at least water heater replacements, repipes, sewer and water service replacements, gas piping and any fixture you add or move, and build the answers into your template. On the estimate, state:

• The permit fee, included or passed through at cost.
• That you pull the permit and schedule the inspections.
• Which inspections and tests to expect, such as a rough-in inspection before walls or trenches close, and a final.
• Who gives the inspector access, and what happens if an inspection fails because of something outside your scope.
• Any separate permit for digging in the street or for a new connection at the main, which may come from public works or the sewer utility.

Pull the permit yourself. The FTC lists a contractor asking the homeowner to get the required building permits among the signs of a home improvement scam ¹, so an estimate that leaves permits to the customer reads as a warning, not a saving.

Name the code items the job may trigger

The inspector judges your new work against the plumbing code enforced now, which may be newer than the one the house was built under. Depending on where you work, that's a version of a model code such as the International Plumbing Code or the Uniform Plumbing Code, or a state-written code, often with local amendments, so learn which edition each building department has adopted.

Before you price, list what the job could bring into play and decide whether each item is included or a priced condition:

• Water heater replacements: thermal expansion control (often an expansion tank), a drain pan, the relief valve discharge piping, venting changes on gas units, and seismic straps where your area requires them.
• Repipes and fixture moves: drain and vent sizing for anything relocated, and a pressure-reducing valve if the pressure is high. Write the static pressure you measured on the estimate so the customer can see why a valve or tank is listed.
• New connections: an irrigation line or boiler feed may need a backflow preventer, with testing rules set locally.

If an item depends on the inspector's call, write it as a conditional line with its price, so the customer approves it up front.

Example: A gas water heater replacement is priced at $2,000 (a placeholder) with the expansion tank included. Two conditional lines follow: "If the inspector requires the vent connector replaced, add $250. If a drain pan with a drain line is required, add $150." If neither applies, the price stays $2,000. If both do, it's $2,000 + $250 + $150 = $2,400, and the customer saw that ceiling before signing.

Exclusions and concealed conditions

Plumbing disputes often start with a hole: who patches it, and who pays for what was behind it. Name exclusions specifically:

• Drywall, plaster and paint repair after access openings (or patching only, if that's what you offer)
• Removing and replacing tile, flooring, cabinets or countertops for access
• Concrete cutting and restoration, unless the estimate is for slab work
• Lawn, landscaping and paving restoration beyond backfill
• Electrical work, such as a new circuit for a water heater or disposal
• Correcting existing work outside this scope
• Testing and abatement of hazardous materials, such as suspect old pipe insulation

In homes built before 1978, EPA's renovation rule requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces to be certified and trained in lead-safe work practices ², so check whether it applies to the walls you'll open before you price the openings.

Then add a concealed-conditions clause: "Conditions hidden in walls, floors, slabs or underground, such as rotted framing, cracked drains, corroded fittings or earlier work that doesn't meet code, are not included. If we find one, we'll stop, photograph it and give you a written price before continuing, except for steps needed to stop an active leak or make the system safe." On slab leaks, give the reroute and the repair through the slab as separate options, each with its own concrete, flooring and restoration terms.

Attach camera findings to sewer and drain estimates

On sewer and drain work the customer can't see the problem, so the footage is your evidence. Attach the video or a link, still frames of each defect and a short findings summary:

• The inspection date and the access point (cleanout, roof vent or a pulled toilet)
• Pipe material and size as observed, and where the material changes
• Distance from the access point to each defect, from the camera's footage counter
• Locator depth at each defect, and whether you marked the spot on the ground
• What you saw: roots, an offset joint, a belly holding water, a crack, a break, a collapse or grease
• How far the camera got, and any section you couldn't see

Example: A hypothetical summary: "Inspected from the front cleanout. Clay pipe to 40 feet, plastic from there to the main. Roots at a joint at 22 feet, locator depth about 5 feet. Offset joint holding water at 36 feet. Camera stopped at 58 feet; the rest of the line was not seen."

Tie each recommendation to a finding. If you offer more than one fix, list each as an option with what it does and doesn't address: cleaning and root cutting, a spot repair at a located defect, full replacement, or lining or bursting where you offer it and the jurisdiction accepts it. In the example above, a spot repair at 22 feet leaves the offset at 36 feet, and the option should say so.

Before any digging, find out from the local sewer authority where the owner's responsibility for the line ends, call 811 for utility locates and build the wait into the start date, and say what surface restoration is included. 811 reaches your local one-call center, the marking is free, and PHMSA notes that state laws require the call 48 to 72 hours before digging ³; your state's law sets the exact notice period.

Present repipe options side by side

Repipe customers have usually heard opinions about pipe materials. Your estimate's job is to make the options comparable, not to win the argument. Keep the shared scope identical (fixtures served, patching terms, permit and testing) and show what differs the same way for each option:

Describe each material by the facts that matter for this house, and leave out claims you can't back up. Follow each manufacturer's installation instructions, such as PEX limits on sunlight exposure and on connections at the water heater, and price what they require. Copper prices move, so give copper options a shorter expiration or a material price clause.

Either way, say whether the price includes the main from the meter or well tank, new fixture stops, water heater connections, hose bibs, ice maker and laundry, and what happens to the old pipe. If plastic is replacing metal water pipe, list a check of the home's electrical grounding and bonding by a licensed electrician, included or excluded.

Put the change-order clause in writing

Plumbing jobs change for three reasons: the customer adds or upgrades, you find something hidden, or the inspector requires something that wasn't listed. Say on the estimate how all three are handled:

• Any change to scope or price, including allowance differences, is written up and approved by signature or written reply before the work.
• Concealed conditions are documented with photos.
• Making the system safe comes first: you may shut off, cap or stop a leak before approval, but the repair waits for it.
• Approved changes can move the schedule.

Pre-price the changes you expect: a rate per additional foot of sewer pipe beyond the measured length, per extra access opening, per added fixture stop. When the customer has already seen the number, approval is quick. What a change order contains and how to bill it is in how to handle change orders.

The signature page

The last page turns the estimate into a contract. Include:

• Your company name, address, phone and license number, plus estimated start and completion dates, which the FTC tells homeowners to look for in a contract ¹. Check whether your state also requires your license number on estimates and ads.
• The option chosen, with its allowances and conditional lines.
• Payment terms. The FTC tells homeowners not to pay the full amount up front and notes that some states limit down payments ¹. See contractor deposits for how much to ask, and how to invoice plumbing jobs for progress payments on bigger jobs.
• Your labor warranty, kept separate from the manufacturer's warranty on equipment such as the water heater.
• The expiration date.

Cancellation rights for sales made in the home

When you sell a repipe or a water heater at the kitchen table, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule can apply. For sales of $25 or more at the buyer's home, the buyer can cancel until midnight of the third business day after the sale, and Saturday counts as a business day ⁴. A customer who called you out is still covered: the rule's definition includes sales made "in response to or following an invitation by the buyer" ⁵.

Plumbing has real emergencies, and the rule has a narrow exception for them: the buyer initiated the contact, the work is needed to meet a bona fide immediate personal emergency, and the buyer gives you a separate, dated and signed statement in their own handwriting that describes the emergency and waives the right to cancel ⁵. A burst pipe the customer called you about may fit. The repipe you recommend afterward doesn't, so write the emergency repair as its own job and the repipe as a normal contract with full cancellation rights. Your state may add its own home solicitation rules, so have a lawyer review your contract and cancellation forms.

Before you send it

• Every fixture and connection is listed, with lengths, access and water downtime.
• Unchosen fixtures have allowances, with shower trim and toilet rough-in checked.
• The permit, inspections and fee are listed, and you're pulling the permit.
• Possible code items are included or priced as conditions.
• Exclusions are specific, with a concealed-conditions clause.
• Sewer and drain estimates carry the camera findings; repipe options share one scope and differ row by row.
• The change-order clause, license number, payment terms, expiration and cancellation terms are on the page.