The good news is that not much has changed since the previous year other than the standard cost increase most businesses experience on an annual basis.
The first factor we including in our estimates is material cost. On a standard water main replacement, the cost of copper will range anywhere from $300 to $3000 pending the size of copper pipe and linear footage required for the installation. For example, if you are repairing a five-foot section of 1” copper the overall cost is a fraction when comparing to two hundred feet of 2” copper.
Permits will range from $300 -$1500 pending the type of DOT permits that are required (protected street permit or standard highway permit). The DEP permits will also vary pending the requirement for a new tap installation as well as any expediting/processing fees incurred by the licensed plumber.
Labor cost should remain at a constant each year and will include the average company labor cost. Total cost per job may vary pending the total number of technicians required for the specific scope of your job. Industry averages include anywhere from $500-$4000
Restoration of the sidewalk and roadway are dependent on the areas of excavation. For example, if the plumber excavates one hole in the roadway and one hole on the property in grass it will cost a lot less than if three holes are made in the roadway, 4 flags of concrete on the sidewalk and 2 flags of concrete on the property. In a case like this the price will range from $500-$2500
Overhead cost includes the plumbers ongoing business expenses excluding anything attributed to creating a product or service such as property taxes, salaries, license costs, rent/mortgage, insurance etc. With the current state of construction cost it is in the plumber’s best interest to work on volume in efforts towards keeping the overhead cost down. Standard overhead cost ranges from $500-$4000 pending scope of work.
Profit is a line item included in all water main replacement estimates with the average ranging from 15%-35% pending time on site and the overall scope of work.
It is important to understand when dealing with ductile iron piping the job costs will differ being that the material cost alone cost more than double the cost when comparing to a copper water main installation. A ductile iron piping installation will also require a minimum of double the amount of time for the actual installation when comparing to the average copper water main installation.
Note- details included are based on the average water main relay installation for a copper domestic water main at a length of 20’-50’. A water main installation outside of these parameters may differ from the information included.
