We want to have a new boiler and hot water tank installed in a new room so that the existing kit can be removed from a bedroom – I’ve lost the argument with parents / wife about the boiler being safe even with 2 x different makes of carbon monoxide sensors fitted).

The scope of works is reasonably straight forward:
– branch from existing 22mm gas pipe and run 7m new pipe through the void between joists (no cutting required)
– hook up new boiler to existing Hot water / radiator pipes in the ceiling right above the boiler location
– install a new hot water tank in the room immediately above the new boiler
– create towel / summer loop to 2 rads easily accessible in room above new boiler
– install one radiator with spur off pipes that run right past location
– When it’s all working cap off old pipework and remove old boiler / water tank

The materials to be supplied are:
– Vailant Eco Tec 630 with plume kit and flue
– 210L Elson indirect unvented cylinder
– New magnetic filter
– 1x zone valve
– around 7m of 22mm copper pipe
– around 15m of 15mm copper pipe
– 20m of poly pipe
– other odds and sods not specified on the quote

The best quote I’ve had so far is:

Materials £2970+VAT
Labour £4350+ VAT (around 40 hours at their normal hourly rate)

This is in that there London albeit not a posh part.

Is this a million miles off from a reasonable cost?

How many people on the job? Because that labour cost is £1044 per day inc VAT. Which is beyond crazy for 1 or two people, maybe more reasonable if 3 people needed but still £340 a day per person!!!

Please post the worst quote just for interest.

Just quickly checking the materials quote suggests they are 1k over .

Call in to the local Plunb Centre/City Plumbing with a list and get a quote for the materials yourself.

This will give you a fair idea as to wether the rest of the quote is reasonable.

Just quickly checking the materials quote suggests they are 1k over .

Even taking into account 10% extra for “odds and sods” I reckoned roughly the same.

Nine grand for a new boiler? 😯 I think I’d move house.

You could hire a plumber from the North and put him/her up in a B+B for a week to work on your house and still save a fortune.

That does sound excessive even for London.

Whereabouts in London is it though as that will affect price.

Labour costs are crazy on that.

I once had BG come out to give me a quote for a boiler replacement, bill was about £1800 for boiler + £1400 for labour.

I said to the guy, “so how long is this going to take about a week”… “oh no we can be in and gone in a day”….

He didn’t have an answer when I asked why his labour charge was £200 an hour and as it turns out Bill Gates wasn’t installing it.

Labour £4350+ VAT (around 40 hours at their normal hourly rate)

I’m gonna re-train.

Having one fitted right now.
£2200 all in with modifications from old system to combi/tank, 3 guys, etc.
Thats BG – I’m not footing the bill though.

£100/hr + 50% markup does not surprise me, unfortunately.

My last plumbing experience was a markup of 10 – that’s x10, not +10%….

Get another few quotes. Seems very expensive.

Are you sure you are not miss-reading the quote and its actually £4335 of which £2970 is parts?

Why do you want a tank? A modern combi boiler correctly specced should provide all the hot water you want and it’ll be more efficient. Ditch that to bring the cost down on both parts and labour. Despite that there’s either some complexity about the install you’ve not mentioned or aren’t aware of, or they’re having your pants down.

Thanks for the advice everyone – much appreciated!

Answers to some of the questions above:

Area: North West London / well into suburbia
Quotes: – yes the cheapest so far is definitely £7.2K + VAT
Why no combi? basically we want a tank with an immersion in case the boiler breaks down
Complexity of the job: All of the plumbers have said it’s reasonably straight forward

I’ve just booked a quote from British Gas on the basis that they are always at least double so that gives me something to compare the other quotes against.

I reckon its cheaper to drive with my plumber from spain to london to get a bathroom refurbed. In sw london a plumbers mate wants 250 a day. Even a guy to paint wanted 300 a day, i see a bust coming if the market really has to pay these rates.

A friend who is a plumber told me that him and his mate generally make a £1000 a day with the labour and profit on materials.Not each ! And that’s for cash.

I think wanting an immersion just in case is massive overkill. Most modern houses don’t have one, maintain your boiler and it should be fine. If your boiler breaks down you can still heat water via a kettle etc. it’ll be your heating you’ll be missing.

Edit: put the money the tank and install would cost in a savings account to be there for emergency repairs, better still spend some of it on a service plan which covers break downs.

Iv’e just had a boiler fitted. Combi straight swop, and BG were only £300 more than a local guy.
BTW 1K per day fitting seems to be the going rate.
Valient to WB £2300.
I take it your having a pressurised water tank system that seems to be the thing in new builds?

OP – you and wife are considering £9k spend as a boiler “isn’t safe” in the bedroom (but is functioning) of which a significant proportion of the cost is in case the new boiler (that likely has 5, 7 or 10 year guarantee) breaks down and you cannot do without hot water for a day?

Errrr…

Kinda my thinking too if I’m honest.

Also,

Are you getting any money back for the perfectly functional boiler they’ll be taking away with them?

A combi such as Worcester 440 giving 20 l/min is £2,000.

18kW heat only worcester and unvented cylinder (probably providing more than 20l/min if mains supply is good) is about £1600.

No way does a combi make sense.

We were quoted ~£5400 +vat supply and fit for something very similar in sussex from a local plumber so seems a bit high. We have had a range of quotes, initially for combi but then unvented. Prices seem to have gone up a bit since we had quotes a year ago, about £500. We had quotes for combi that ranged between £3k and £5k.