This page is a statement of position rather than a price list. We do not publish figures we cannot source, and until we have a defensible dataset of our own completed work there is nothing here to publish. What we will do is give you a written quote.
The honest position
Almost no plumbing and heating business publishes prices. The reasons usually given are that every job is different and that competitors would see them. The first is partly true and the second is not a good reason.
We think published, honest price information would be genuinely valuable, and we are not going to publish it before we can stand behind it. That leaves this page as a statement of position rather than a table of figures, which is unsatisfying and it is the truthful answer.
Because an approximate range published without a basis is a number somebody will rely on, and when their actual job costs more they will reasonably feel misled. A range that is wide enough to always be true is useless; one narrow enough to be useful is one we cannot currently justify. Neither is worth publishing.
What we will not do
- Publish figures taken from aggregator sites or trade directories. Their provenance is unclear, they are frequently national averages that do not reflect this region, and we have not verified them.
- Publish national averages as though they were local. Labour rates, travel and the housing stock all differ.
- Publish heating oil prices. We have no licensed source, scraping comparison sites breaches their terms and engages database right, and building a flagship page on a foundation that can be pulled at any time would be a poor decision.
- Publish water hardness figures we cannot verify against the water company – the same principle applied elsewhere on this site.
- Invent a plausible-looking range because a page feels empty without one.
Applying that rule consistently is why several pages on this site say ‘we do not publish this figure and here is why’ rather than giving you a number. It is deliberate.
What would change it
There is a dataset we could legitimately publish, and we are building it: our own completed work.
- Actual jobs, actual final costs, recorded systematically.
- Segmented by job type, so a boiler service and a full bathroom are not averaged together.
- With the variables recorded – what made this one more or less than typical.
- Enough of them that a range means something rather than reflecting three unusual jobs.
- Dated, so it can be updated rather than becoming quietly stale.
- Clearly framed as what we charged, not as what the market charges.
That is a defensible dataset because it is ours, it is verifiable, and we can say exactly what it is. It takes time to accumulate, and it will be worth more than anything we could publish today.
When it exists, this page becomes what it is supposed to be: a genuine local price index, sourced from real completed work, with the methodology stated.
What actually drives the price of your job
More useful than a number, and applicable now:
| Job | What moves the price most |
|---|---|
| Boiler service | Appliance type and accessibility. Oil services take longer than gas because the burner comes out |
| Boiler replacement | Whether the position changes, the flue route, gas supply upsizing, system cleaning, and the controls specified |
| Oil tank replacement | The base. Whether a new one is needed, and whether containment is now required |
| Bathroom | Whether the WC moves, the floor condition found at strip out, and tile choice |
| Unvented cylinder | Whether a compliant discharge route exists, and whether the mains supports it |
| Leak detection | How accessible the leak is once located, and whether trace-and-access cover applies |
| Heating system | Radiator changes following the heat loss calculation, and whether the system needs cleaning |
| Emergency call-out | Time of day, and whether it is contained or getting worse |
In every row, the appliance or the fitting is rarely the variable. It is the work around it.
How to get a real figure
- Describe the job on the phoneA great deal can be established from a good description, including sometimes that you do not need us.
- We survey itFor anything beyond routine work. A quote given without seeing the job is a quote that will change.
- You get it in writing, itemisedSo you can see what you are paying for, and so you can compare it properly with somebody else’s.
- Anything found later is discussed before it happensNot added to an invoice.
- No pressureA decision of any size should not be made on a doorstep.
And when you compare quotes: the difference is almost never the appliance. Ask each one what is included for system cleaning, controls, certification, making good and removal. That is where the difference actually is – see what a boiler replacement involves.
Want a real figure? Describe the job and we will tell you whether it needs a survey or whether we can price it on the phone.
Questions we get asked about this
Why do you not publish your prices?
We will, when we have a dataset from our own completed work that we can stand behind. Publishing figures we cannot source, or invented ranges, would be worse than publishing none.
Can you give me a rough idea over the phone?
For genuinely routine work, yes. For anything else, a figure given without seeing the job is a figure that will change, and we would rather survey it than start with a number neither of us can rely on.
Why will you not quote heating oil prices?
We have no licensed source. Scraping comparison sites breaches their terms and engages database right, and we will not build a page on a foundation that can be withdrawn.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
You will be told what a visit costs before we set off rather than afterwards. Out of hours work costs more than booked work, as it does in every trade.
How do I compare two quotes?
Not on the headline. Ask each one what is included for system cleaning, controls, certification, making good and removal – that is where the difference almost always is.
When will this page have actual figures?
When we have enough recorded completed jobs, segmented properly, that a published range would mean something. It is being built and it takes time.
You might also need
Need this doing?
Call and describe the problem — you will speak to an engineer, not a call centre. Written quotes, no estimates over the phone.