Installation costs

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Sprinter

Sprinter

Minister of Fire
Jul 1, 2012
2,984
SW Washington
Today we went to our local County Fair. Mostly to look at chickens and tractors, depending on which one of us you're talking about (I do love those old tractors and implements), but it turns out that all three local stove dealers were there which saved me a lot of time. It was interesting to be able to go from one to the other with the same requirements and get their recommendations. Maybe in another thread I'll talk about the models proposed and my impressions, but what I wanted to ask about was regarding installation.

I asked each of the dealers to give me am itemized "out the door" price quote for each proposed model including installation price assuming certain things like double wall, chimney length, OAK, etc. Total installation prices varied from about $1500 to about $1800 for similar stoves, as apples and apples as I could get, with chimney cost being the only major difference. One quote was $600 for chimney, another for $925. The third one didn't itemize.

Is there a substantial difference in pipe quality and price to account for this, or could there be another reason for the difference? In all cases, the stoves were steel, about 2 cf, mobile home requirements (meaning OAK, bolted down, grounded). I probably will make another trip down in a few days and nail down a few details and I'll ask more about this then, but I wanted to get your take. Thanks.
 
I wouldn't put a ton of faith in a sight unseen estimate. The real bill could vary quite a bit if there are complications involved. A couple things you want to be sure of are a great job on the roof for sealing and enough chimney height for the stove to draw properly.
 
Running into "crap - I gotta re-route that wire" and "sure - it just HAS to be inline with the truss" will change everything. Get an on site appraisal. You will be glad that you did.
 
All three of my installations were a different price and all three were intalls into existing chimneys.

The first was the cheapest at about $1500. It is the shortest chimney and the easiest to work with.

The second install was about $1900. It needed the old furnace pipe/liner removed, it was a taller chimney, and tight working conditions.

The third install was about $2300. Same height as the second install, but, since this was just a chimney and not a fireplace like the other two, it required the installer to cut into the chimney to install the pipe. Also, double wall pipe was needed for clearances, and the chimney was insulated an reinforced with a type of cement.

So, that is three installs, all in the same house, all using chimneys, and the price differed by $400-$800 for each install.
 
So how do you keep them honest? Is it reasonable to require them to come out and give a firm bid before signing? Otherwise it could be an invitation to overcharge.

How much should I pay at signing and how much on completion? I just hate working with contractors. Ugh.
 
The payment schedule will vary with the company. Some want 50% down, some will ask for it all. Paying for the material up front and then the labor upon completion is not unreasonable. If you want to have peace of mind ask for references and investigate the company. See if they are CSIA or NCSG members.
 
Sprinter said:
Is it reasonable to require them to come out and give a firm bid before signing?
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Not only is it reasonable, but a decent installer will insist on it so they know what they are getting into.


How much should I pay at signing and how much on completion? I just hate working with contractors. Ugh.
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I used the same guy all three times. First time he wanted a third up front and the rest upon completion. Which seemed reasonable and inline with another construction related projects. The other two times it was full payment upon completion since I was a returning customer... and how often does an installer come across a customer that plans on having three stoves installed?
 
I have lost lots of $$$ in my life. Take it from me. Hold back part of the $$$ until you have done a final inspection and agree with what was done. A retention payment is the only way to make sure you don't get cheated
 
Not to scare you, but you can read my post here for info on mine stove and installation:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-fireplace-one-year-ago-15-general-thoughts.87575/

My experience has been that it always costs more than I thought it would. Of course I also agree that you never give all the money up front. Rather, pay as you go.

And for the record last night I built my first fire of the year, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Sam
 
samhoff2 said:
Not to scare you, but you can read my post here for info on mine stove and installation:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-fireplace-one-year-ago-15-general-thoughts.87575/

My experience has been that it always costs more than I thought it would. Of course I also agree that you never give all the money up front. Rather, pay as you go.

And for the record last night I built my first fire of the year, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Sam
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There will be some unexpected deal. My first one went smoothly though.
 
You know it's funny...you can get an onsite appraisel and than get the out there and it still ends up costing you more...how does that happen haha?
 
samhoff2 said:
Not to scare you, but you can read my post here for info on mine stove and installation:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-fireplace-one-year-ago-15-general-thoughts.87575/

My experience has been that it always costs more than I thought it would. Of course I also agree that you never give all the money up front. Rather, pay as you go.

And for the record last night I built my first fire of the year, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Sam
Click to expand...
Thanks, and for the link. Your experience, and the other posts in the link, make me feel a bit better. I'm getting jumpy about the cost of this whole thing even though it should be fairly straightforward as these things go. I have to justify it in terms of more than just a heat source because our electric costs are very low, our climate mild, and I don't know if there is actually any payback at all. Truth to tell, when we started to talk about this, I don't think either of us realized what the total cost would be for a wood stove. Call it sticker shock, I guess. Still, I'm committed to it so will go forward the best I can.

Hey, maybe I could get an HDTV just above a furnace vent and play a DVD of a fire burning lol.
 
A range of 1500 to 1800 for off the cuff estimates at a county fair. I would say that was extremely tight. Most times I get three bids, the gap is much wider.

Heck, I wam trying to buy a huskee splitter and prices range from 1499 to 1199. That's just in retail markup!
 
Highbeam said:
A range of 1500 to 1800 for off the cuff estimates at a county fair. I would say that was extremely tight. Most times I get three bids, the gap is much wider.

Heck, I wam trying to buy a huskee splitter and prices range from 1499 to 1199. That's just in retail markup!
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And the only thing that varied much at all was the for chimney and pipe. I gave them all exactly the same scenario to work from to keep it simple. I was mostly curious if there are different grades of chimney and pipe or if it's all basically the same stuff (for double wall - mobile home requirement). I'm also trying to figure out if there really are deals being offered at the fair or are they just playing number games. I'm inclined to think that a dealer has a certain margin they need to cover, whether they are at the fair or in their store (at least in the off-season). It's hard to imagine that if a dealer can sell something at the fair for a certain price, that they wouldn't sell it to you a week later for the same price.
 
Sprinter said:
And the only thing that varied much at all was the for chimney and pipe. I gave them all exactly the same scenario to work from to keep it simple. I was mostly curious if there are different grades of chimney and pipe or if it's all basically the same stuff (for double wall - mobile home requirement). I'm also trying to figure out if there really are deals being offered at the fair or are they just playing number games. I'm inclined to think that a dealer has a certain margin they need to cover, whether they are at the fair or in their store (at least in the off-season). It's hard to imagine that if a dealer can sell something at the fair for a certain price, that they wouldn't sell it to you a week later for the same price.
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I had one guy quote me $9,000 claiming the entire chimney needed to be torn apart and relined with new clay tiles before a stove could be installed.
 
BrowningBAR said:
I had one guy quote me $9,000 claiming the entire chimney needed to be torn apart and relined with new clay tiles before a stove could be installed.
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Same price I received, within $5. I wonder if we know the same guy.
 
Joful said:
Same price I received, within $5. I wonder if we know the same guy.
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I'm guessing you got the $5 discount of $8,995?

I forgot the name of the chimney company that gave me that quote, but they were voted off the "Install BrowningBAR's Stove" show in the first round.
 
Three quotes between $1,500 and $1,800 doesn't really sound that far apart to me, given that they're all three working from your description. I'd get references and go with the one with the best reputation. My dealer/installer was 50 miles away. I took some photos, made a rough diagram, and gave him the measurements. I also described the roof. He gave me an itemized list of parts and a quote for each part, plus labor. After the job was done, I paid extra for one part that was needed but wasn't on the list. They did a great job and I was happy.
 
BrowningBAR said:
I'm guessing you got the $5 discount of $8,995?

I forgot the name of the chimney company that gave me that quote, but they were voted off the "Install BrowningBAR's Stove" show in the first round.
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Joful, maybe you got $5 off because it was at the fair?

Anyway, you guys make me feel a lot better about my situation!

Browning, just curious, what did your job end up costing?
 
DanCorcoran said:
Three quotes between $1,500 and $1,800 doesn't really sound that far apart to me, given that they're all three working from your description. I'd get references and go with the one with the best reputation. My dealer/installer was 50 miles away. I took some photos, made a rough diagram, and gave him the measurements. I also described the roof. He gave me an itemized list of parts and a quote for each part, plus labor. After the job was done, I paid extra for one part that was needed but wasn't on the list. They did a great job and I was happy.
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Good idea. I did give accurate measurements and description of the layout and roof design to another guy and he came up with about $950 for parts in a detailed quote. So, I think that's about what I'll end up dealing with, plus or minus (probably plus) for parts.
 
Sprinter said:
So the first guy was probably a professional mason and just wanted to build you a whole new chimney, I guess.
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The liner is stainless 6 inch liner. The chimney is a fireplace chimney that had already been rebuilt after storm damage last year and prior chimney fires with my old fisher.
 
DianeB said:
The liner is stainless 6 inch liner. The chimney is a fireplace chimney that had already been rebuilt after storm damage last year and prior chimney fires with my old fisher.
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Sorry, I got your post confused with BrowningBAR's;em (I thought it was a reply to a question I posted to him). I deleted my post, but not before you replied to it apparently...

Sounds like your quote is pretty much in line. My situation is for a free standing stove, so different from yours, but it sounds similar in scope.
 
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