I don't know where you are located, but around here, I would expect to pay somewhere between 125 and 150 per hour for a master plumber, and between 75 and 100 per hour for a helper.

On the other hand, if you are looking back, wondering "How did I spend so much money" you did not manage your project very well. When you have major work done, "You" need to be in charge and know what is going on before it happens, not after. Start with getting three estimates so you have a good idea what you are about to spend. Carefully research your contractor through the better business bureau, see if there are any valid complains. Ask for several references of completed work by this contractor and call the references. Verify that the Contractor is licensed in the field of work you are contracting him for. Verify that he is insured, ask for proof of insurance. Get a detailed "Written" description of materials and labor, with a "Written" price. Ask your contractor to get approval from you before proceeding with any additional work or "Adds" to the project. Ask about the experience level of the individual who will be doing the work. Remember that remodel work usually has additional work once walls and floors are opened up, revealing hidden work which would not pass code and has to be fixed. I also consider, "Could I do the same job for that amount of money" which usually brings things into perspective. Ask questions like "Could this be done in a more inexpensive way?". Some Contractors use all top notch supplies as their reputation is on the line, you should not disqualify a Contractor for doing good work. When you write a check at the end of the job, and you've been a good Project Manager, you should be writing an amount which is expected for a job well done.

The Past is History to be utilized for todays project which improves our future.

Write your check and take a sigh of relief that you are not paying $13,000.00

Take Care,

Dan Martyn
(Steps off soap box)

Dan, you talk about a remodel -- that's a very different situation from a broken pipe and backed up drain lines that have half the plumbiong in the house shut down and may be threatening the rest of it. The job was expected to be a simple routing and turned into a major job.

You also seem to be assuming that I knew nothing about the plumber I was using. I have used him before and the quality of his work is excellent -- and to be honest, the more major the job became, the more important that became. I want to know that is what I am getting when we're going into and under the slab of my house. I feel confident we won't be going back and doing it again. In fact, seeing him and the helpers work on this problem made me value his service more. I wasn't thrilled when the estimate turned out to be off by 50%, but they split that difference with me and it seemed fair. I was just rechecking my thinking.

That was done on the spot, and I didn't have time to analyze or research it, but now that I have had more time to digest it, I think the revised approach and what they ultimately had to do probably was 50% more than what we had hoped going in. Even if this were a remodel, a change order doesn't get the same multi-bidding and analysis as the original plan. Things do happen (in this case, we found extra risers and indications that the plumbing plan had been changed before the slab was poured -- adding to some of our confusion and possibly causing problems with the router, camera and locator. There were some reasons things weren't adding up, but we couldn't tell it until we got in there.

Even if this job had been done under conditions where I could have gotten multiple estimates and bid it out, there would have had to have been a big difference for me to consider risking an unknown plumber with the job, and who knows if the estimates going in would have born any relation to the final costs after going in.

I think my question was more as to whether we should have considered digging the whole way rather than spending less on the plumbing but more on redoing the interior. I couldn't exactly shop for cabinets, fixtures and flooring while we wait to get the repair completed. The digging the whole route might have made more sense if the interior redo would have been larger, but it could also put foundation issues downt he road at greater risk (and that is huge dollars).

Instead, they left the interior usable and in better condition than I expected -- even tempted in the sink without a vanity cabinet for ue, and I have the time to shop and compare to select the new things that will go in. I wanted to redo the bath at some point -- it just got moved up the list and the timing could have been better. In the long run, it still beats spending more on the repair and still having to do the interior later.

Yes, I exaggerated the price point. I think that would be obvious and no one would assume that I would pay either figure and not have a clue what I was paying for. Maybe that's what you're used to. You sound like somebody who's got an axe to grind with someone else, but it ain't me and you didn't need to get on the soapbox in the first place.