quote for new CH system and boiler

furry76

Hi all

Just after any helpful comments/advice please. Just got a quote for a new boiler and central heating system (replacing a poorly installed system that has got old rads, few thermostats, rubbish pipe-work, etc).

There will be 7 rads and one towel rail (four 450mm high * 1800mm long single convectors, two 600mm * 1200mm singles and one 600mm * 1200mm double, and the towel rail is 1200mm * 500mm. Boiler will be a Worcester Greenstar 24KW.

So, to disconnect, remove and dispose of existing boiler and rads, supply and fit new boiler and rads, install all the pipework, supply and fit thermostatic rad valves and lock-shield valves, room thermostat as well, and then fill and flush and refill system, test and adjust, we have an initial quote of £8250.

This is a recommendation from my Mum who has used this guy (corgi registered) for 20 years for various work, but he's travelling from outside of north london to us in SW london to do the work, so probably any "friends" discount is offset by the travelling hassle/cost. He's said it'll be 2 weeks work, and that he can fit us in before the end of November which is a big plus for us due to other planned work that will happen after that. Plus, we know (because of his work for my Mum) that he'll do a good job and won't disappear if things aren't perfect once he's finished.

The quote seems high to me, and I'll try to talk him down a bit, but I'm guessing he won't budge much. just wondering if it seems a reasonable first quote or not, given the job, amount of work, etc. any replies gratefully received, I'm new to this homeowning lark!

Furry

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

That seems tremendously high to me; even bearing in mind London prices.

The boiler can be obtained for under £800 and surely all the parts(including boiler) will not cost more than £2,000. So £6,000+ for labour.

A relative had a bigger system than yours(9 radiators and a bigger boiler) fitted from scratch including all the gas supply in Staffordshire for approx £3,000.

If you look(or post) on the DIY forum you will get a better idea of realistic costs.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=535716

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=546636

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=576868

Canucklehead

Good morning: My OH worked as a self-employed plumbing/heating engineer in SW London/North Surrey for many years....your quote is well over the top! In the link provided by Cardew I've posted further advice. I should add...check the spec of your boiler...you don't say if it is a combi or not...flow rate is important as a combi could have impact on your DHW usage...more quotes are definitely in order.

HTH

Canucklehead

lolarentt

I had my boiler and most of the pipework replaced but only 3 out of the 11 radiators, others fillted with thermostat valves. New combi boiler is Vaillant (more expensive than most) and this is brilliant! The old boiler was new 5 years ago but rubbish, cheapest Wickes boiler (Jaguar), always going wrong, took 20 minutes to run a bath and you only ran the hot tap at low flow, otherwise it just ran cold. New one has a boost when you turn on hot tap so water runs hot almost at once, and you can fill a bath, using both h & c, in a couple of minutes! Total cost came out at >£4.5K.
My daughter is having her system changed at present - this involves taking out defunct back boiler and pipework, replacing rads (9) and pipework where necessary and new Potterton combi boiler in laundry room. This is coming out at £4.5K using the usual heating guys who have always done work there (2 man business). She had quotes down to >£2.5K but this was using unspecified boiler/capacity and less reliable large firm locally. 2 other quotes she had were in the £3-£4K range.

furry76

Thanks all of you for your replies - much appreciated and very helpful. I'm getting at least 2 more quotes done ASAP.

Cancklehead - it's a combi/condensing boiler (can't remember if it's called a combi as well as a condenser!).

Other bits of info I forgot to put in before - he's working alone, the old system is a bit of a mess, he's chatted through exactly what pipework he'll be doing, where it'll be going, where it'll be boxed in, etc. He reckons it'll be a 2 week job (that was his first guess, sounded like a pessimistic one to make sure he didn't over-run).

Thanks again - I'll get busy finding others to quote!

lolarentt

furry76 wrote: »

He reckons it'll be a 2 week job quote]

My daughter's guy (working alone) is finishing tomorrow which will be 2 weeks, he still has to take out the old back boiler and make good.

My chap took nearer 3 weeks working 8.15 - 6.30ish, and had to do a 20 mile round trip to come here.

I think it's most important to use someone whose reputation you know personally, or where you have friends who have experience of them. It's OK to get quotes from people you don't know who advertise but I wouldn't use them untried. You only have to watch programmes like BBCTV Rogue Traders to see what cowboys there are out there!

furry76

Thanks lolarentt - I totally agree, I want to use this guy because he's been so good for my Mum over last 20 years. Clearly if there are any issues once he's finished, he'll be willing to come back and help us out, whereas if I manage to pick a cowboy... He's also said that if we can keep out of his way, he'll work well into the evening to try to get it done as quick as possible (up to 10pm was mentioned!). I'm willing to pay a bit more for these good points, but I guess I need to get more quotes to see exactly how much more I'm paying.

Thanks again all,

Furry

Canucklehead

furry76 wrote: »

Thanks all of you for your replies - much appreciated and very helpful. I'm getting at least 2 more quotes done ASAP.

Cancklehead - it's a combi/condensing boiler (can't remember if it's called a combi as well as a condenser!).

Other bits of info I forgot to put in before - he's working alone, the old system is a bit of a mess, he's chatted through exactly what pipework he'll be doing, where it'll be going, where it'll be boxed in, etc. He reckons it'll be a 2 week job (that was his first guess, sounded like a pessimistic one to make sure he didn't over-run).

Thanks again - I'll get busy finding others to quote!

Good evening: The condensing combination boiler specified in your quote (sounds like the WB Greenstar 24i Junior, their cheapest, lowest spec combi) has a very low flow rate i.e. 9.8 liters/minute...if you enjoy baths then this boiler will take an eternity to fill the tub and if you prefer showers you'll be seriously disappointed. Based on the info you've provided material costs should be no more than £2000.00... that makes over £6000.00 labour to fit a 7 rad gas central heating system :eek: ...maybe we should move back from Kent If you have any other questions you're welcome to drop us a PM.

HTH

Canucklehead

samba

I had a quote from British Gas to replace my boiler and move it from the kitchen to the airing cupboard.

The quote came out at £4000, although they would knock £400 off if I agreed immediately.

Having looked at the detail, it seems they are charging £2550 for a Worcester Greenstar 28i boiler, which I easily found online for less than £800 inc vat. The flue kit comes out at over £500 when it should be less than half that, and the flashing for a pitched roof they want £125 for when it really costs £25 inc vat.

Tbh, I was shocked, especially as although we told the guy we wanted to pay up front, he kept trying to convince us the pay on credit - when I asked him what the interest rate was he said 'about 20%'!!

I am not impressed by British Gas, and am looking at buying all the parts myself then finding a reputable local plumber to install them. Should easily work out at over £1000 cheaper.