Boiler installation quote seems expensive??

RonnyRaygun · 11 Oct 2018

I've had my first quote for a new boiler installation and I nearly fell over when I read it. I will be getting more quotes but is this high or am I out of touch??

Flush heating system Remove existing boiler supply and install new primary heating pipework from current boiler position to new boiler position in extension.
Supply and install Worcester Danesmoor utility 25/32 system boiler in extension with 7 year Guarantee.
Supply and install Tiger Loop.
Supply and install 90 degree rated fire valve.
Supply and install flue outside and up past eaves.
Supply and install cabling from current boiler to new boiler position.
Add inhibitor.
Commission new boiler.

Total inc. VAT: £5760

The boiler itself is available for under £2000 inc VAT so we are looking at around £3800 of labour and other parts (£3166 exc VAT)
This installation is as part of an extension and remodelling and I also want to get an unvented cylinder installed along with four new rads and kitchen, utility, and wet room plumbing.
He suggested he would quote for fitting the new boiler in a new location first and then the rest later, not sure why as I would prefer to get it all done in one go.

But anyway, if the boiler installation is going to cost this much I might have to rethink the rest of it as it will blow a hole in my budget!

The boiler will require around 6m of new pipework to extend from existing location to the new one.

Thoughts?

oilhead · 11 Oct 2018

Start looking at some of the other parts that the boiler does not include, particularly the flue 'past the eaves'. A high rise flue kit on a new condensing boiler comes at an apparently eye watering price to someone who looks at a piece of pipe.

RonnyRaygun · 11 Oct 2018

It's single storey so only rising around 1.6m from the top of the boiler. Will require a few bends too...

How much labour would you expect for a job like this?

Dan Robinson · 11 Oct 2018

RonnyRaygun said:
around £3800 of labour

Does the engineer arrive on a floating cloud and carry out the work using telekinesis?

FiremanT · 11 Oct 2018

I won't comment on the price of the job, as I have not seen it. (and I do not do oil

).

However, personally speaking, I would not commit to the boiler job before seeing the full spec quote.

I suspect that he has petceiper your reluctance to pay his rates, so is testing the wster before spending an acre of non chargeable time working out the more complicated element.

I cannot say that I blame him,. TBH

RonnyRaygun · 11 Oct 2018

FiremanT said:
I won't comment on the price of the job, as I have not seen it. (and I do not do oil ).

However, personally speaking, I would not commit to the boiler job before seeing the full spec quote.

I suspect that he has petceiper your reluctance to pay his rates, so is testing the wster before spending an acre of non chargeable time working out the more complicated element.

I cannot say that I blame him,. TBH

Hi Fireman,

I didn't give him any reason to suspect that I would be reluctant to pay his rates, and I am absolutely willing to pay the going rate. The work will have to be done and soon.
However, considering that a colleague has just told me this afternoon that they had a new boiler installation, seven rads, and all pipework for new kitchen and bathroom installed for £5500 I am at a loss to see how my boiler installation could cost more than that.

Hot&Cold · 11 Oct 2018

RonnyRaygun,Soon it will be the winter season when plumbing and heating operatives can charge what the f-eck they want to.

Without seeing your property,6k is not unusual for your mentioned install

. what ever the cost is it will improve your property valve.

garyo · 11 Oct 2018

Hot&Cold said:
Soon it will be the winter season when plumbing and heating operatives can charge what the f-eck they want to.

That's what I'm thinking. I just had to wait 2 weeks for a plumber to fix a non urgent leak, having phoned around three firms. Everyone seems to wait until the start of winter to service their installs, so their schedules are full.

garyo · 11 Oct 2018

Out of interest, why do you need the flue to go up past the eaves?

RonnyRaygun · 11 Oct 2018

Because there's a window nearby.

garyo · 11 Oct 2018

Fair enough. I'm in a similar process myself - planning where a boiler could move to in the next extension, and I was surprised how small the allowable dimensions from things like inside corners and openings were.

muggles · 11 Oct 2018

We can't see the job so it's impossible to say how long it will take. That price is maybe a little on the high side but doesn't seem too out of the way. Could easily be another £1000's worth of materials there, maybe more. Then there's double Worshitter tax as well - the boiler is unnecessarily expensive for what it is (incidentally I can't find it for much less than £2200 online) and the quoting company appears to be a WAI who will no doubt be charging a premium for his shiny status as someone who fits a lot of overpriced plasticky difficult-to-maintain boilers. Worth noting that WAIs get their status based on the number of boilers fitted, not the quality of their work...

I daresay you could shave a bit off by looking at Hounsfield boilers and asking them to recommend an installer. Much better quality boilers, and generally a better class of installer too as they are interested in the design and engineering of the boiler rather than just the badge on the front

muggles · 11 Oct 2018

garyo said:
Everyone seems to wait until the start of winter to service their installs, so their schedules are full.

That's because customers wait until the start of Winter to have their boilers replaced, and the service needs to be on the anniversary of the install. If customers got their heating sorted out in the Summer, we'd be more available for emergencies at this time of year

snb · 11 Oct 2018

Let us know where you can get the boiler for less than £2K. Even with contract support my price is still a bit more. The non system version is available for just under £2K.

If you are hoping that someone is going to supply all the parts and not allow some margin then you have not understood the situation. You will expect a warranty on the installation which will be 6 years as an OFTEC company which will have to be honoured by the installing company. Along with all the necessary qualifications, training, insurances, etc

I bet you don't try to find out how much tesco's pay for a can of baked beans. All you can do is compare their price with another retailer. I suggest you do the same with this.

But I don't think his price is too far out. My price would be similar to his.

RonnyRaygun · 12 Oct 2018

Thanks for the responses. It doesn't seem like it's a mile out, but as I said, I will get a couple of other quotes and choose, not just based on price, but on the advice given and how knowledgeable the engineer comes across.
I don't necessarily have to go with Worcester Bosch, just the same as I don't *have* to go to Tesco. As Muggles says, yes, he is a Worcester Approved Installer (assuming that's what you mean by WAI), and he didn't even consider the option of installing anything else.
I like the idea of the Hounsfield boilers, they look good although no prices online at all - will have to give them a call and find out what they recommend. Theirs don't require a tiger loop either.
Would there be any benefit in me supplying the boiler so as I wouldn't have to pay the mark-up, or would the engineer claw back the difference elsewhere?

I'm just surprised considering what my colleague got for less money. Hers is a gas system though so would that make a significant difference?

Thanks.

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Boiler installation quote seems expensive??

Hot&Cold

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