How pricing works
We don't post prices. A frozen pipe costs what the pipe and the wall make it cost. Here is how we get to the number, in the order you will ask.
What decides the price
A thawed pipe and a replaced pipe are different jobs. These are the things that move the number:
Where the pipe is: an open basement, a finished wall, a crawl space or under a slab
How much of the line split, and in how many places
The pipe: copper, PEX or older galvanized
Whether the wall, floor or ceiling has to be opened and who closes it
The hour: day, evening or weekend
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
The estimate covers the plumbing: finding the freeze, thawing, pipe and fittings, labor and testing.
Not included: drywall, paint, flooring and insulation behind the wall
Not included: pumping out water or drying a wet room, which is a restoration company's work
Not included: permit fees, where a permit is needed, unless the estimate lists them
What happens at the visit
We look at the pipe, shut off and drain what has to be, and find where the ice or the split is. We tell you the visit charge on the phone. If you go ahead with the repair that day, the visit charge is credited toward it.
You see the damage before we quote it
You get a written estimate before any pipe is cut
After hours
Evenings, weekends and holidays cost more than the day rate. The on-call plumber tells you the rate on the phone before the van leaves, and you can say no and call again in the morning.
Same plumber, same written estimate, same terms
When you get the number
In writing, before we start. A fixed price where we can see the whole job; time and materials, with a stated limit, where the pipe is behind a wall and we can't.
A text or an email, so you have it in your hand
Nothing is cut until you say yes
If the job changes
A split can run further than the first look. If we find more, we stop, show you, and agree the new price in writing before going on.
Never a surprise on the final bill
Pricing
Questions about the number
Why won't you quote over the phone?
We can tell you what usually decides the price, and whether it is a small job or a large one. A number needs us to see the pipe.
Is the visit charge extra?
We tell you the visit charge on the phone. If you go ahead with the repair the same day, it is credited toward it.
What if I get a lower price somewhere else?
Then take it, and ask what it includes. We write down what ours includes and what it does not, so the two can be compared.
Get a written price
Call or text a photo. Nothing is cut until you say yes.