Plumbers are frequently accused of charging excessive amounts of money for their services. In writing this article I hope to convey that in fact most plumbers are fair and just with their pricing. While each hourly rate will vary throughout the region.

When people refer to the high cost of plumbing they are usually referring to the hourly rate of the plumber. One thing that is often not understood by the typical homeowner is the amount of preparation that goes into doing service work. The difference between a professional plumber and a handyman is that a handyman will need to make several trips to the hardware store to complete the project. A professional plumbing contractor will have their truck fully stocked before showing. It is not unusual for a plumber to have over $25,000 worth of materials in his truck at all times. Often people underestimate the actual cost of materials not to mention the time that goes into picking up the materials and keeping an inventory of their materials.

When something goes awry in a home, it often has something to do with the plumbing. If a pipe burst it can cause several thousands of dollars within a few minutes. In addition to liability insurance, a plumbing contractor must also carry workman’s compensation on all employees.

Most plumbing jobs only take a few hours to complete. This means that several jobs must be scheduled for any given day. With so many different customers to deal with it is usually necessary to hire a secretary to help with answering the phone, billing, and other office work. There is also bound to be some down time throughout your typical workday. The business owner must pay his staff whether they are working or not. When an emergency call comes in, people need their problem fixed right away.