Why are plumbers so expensive? my house was built in 1958 and of course needs lots of repair. I got an estimate for $3800.00. the dishwasher started all this. it wouldn't empty. our pipes were all clogged. he had to cut one out and run a new one and put in a new garbage disposal, etc. It was an all day job. it ended up costing $2900.00.
now my water heater is going out and of course there is a pipe pushing on the heater exhaust and other things and that estimate is $3000.00.
I'm not working and living on SS and unemployment.sigh.
I'm going to go to Home Depot or Lowes and see what they have in water heaters and if they install.
goodness, I can't afford this house!!

Oh, dear. It does seem like when one thing needs fixing, a whole lot of other things break down.

Home ownership is not all it's cracked up to be. I call ours the money pit!

Your costs seem high, can you get another bid? If you are over 65 sometimes the city will help get the work done for a reduced fee. I know they do in my area.

My husband is a police officer. My brother is a plumber. Brother makes over 4X as much as hubby, go figure.

The prices do seem High! You might check w/your local utility co. at times rebates, and help w/replacement
appliances. Worth a try!

New appliances and old pipes just don't work together. I had the same problem when I got a new washer. Plumers in my area charge $85.00 for service call.

Why? Because no one wants to deal with crap. Seriously.

$3000 for the water heater sounds way too high.

One of my friends told me it was because a plumber deals with a bunch of crap. I figure I better learn to hold my breath and use a wrench.

I always get 3 quotes and ask millions of questions...I would also check out the different ranges of water heaters. See which is the most efficient and uses less power/fuel...could save some money in the long term.

Depending on the kind of heater you have, it may be repairable...doesn't hurt to ask before you commit to a big spend.