Cost for electric and plumbing upgrades
We just received the report from the structural engineer on a 3000 SF four story brick federal townhouse we are about to purchase and it came back with several necessary repairs. Among them were a complete upgrade to the electricity and the plumbing throughout the house. The engineer’s estimates were ~50k each for plumbing and…
We just received the report from the structural engineer on a 3000 SF four story brick federal townhouse we are about to purchase and it came back with several necessary repairs. Among them were a complete upgrade to the electricity and the plumbing throughout the house. The engineer’s estimates were ~50k each for plumbing and electric. He also estimated 50k per floor for taking down walls, refinishing the plaster, removing lead paint, etc. On top of this was an assumption of another 30% for general contractor fees. Can anyone give a sense for whether these estimates seem fair or very high? Any thoughts on pros and cons of using a GC, and costs?
Speaking of a good GC, has anyone worked with Mike Denaro? We met him recently and he seems great and honest but would love real input. Thanks.
You don’t need to remove walls. I replaced the entire electric and plumbing inside a historic house in which there was no way I was going to remove all the original plaster. All they did was break holes in wherever necessary. So easy. Contractors who insist they need to remove walls to do this work simply aren’t very skilled. And who on earth wants drywall and not plaster?? Plaster absorbs noise. Drywall does not. You’ll regret it.
A good GC is worth his or her weight in gold. Trouble is finding a good one.
I think the estimates are fair for plumbing and electrical.
The per floor quote could be off by a lot. It’s hard to say. When you say “romove lead paint” that could be a big cost if you need to strip all the woodwork. I think stripping woodwork runs in the range of $15-20 a running foot. Skim coating the walls can be done cheap or expensive. It all depends on your expectations.
Removing walls can create a big expense too. What’s hidden inside? Ceilings and walls might not line up well and leave very noticable patches. So will you end up removing the ceilings and leveling everything and putting in a new one or will you live with imperfection? Who knows.
One thing is definate if you need to hire a GC then the costs are going to add up fast.
I think that is high. I would expect it in the rough range of $50-100k for your whole house, though maybe your inspector knew more about what was wrong.