Edmonton Basement Development

Comments OffWritten by KellyFiled Under: Edmonton Plumbing

Are you looking to develop your basement?  There are a few things you need to know.  Before I answer that let me tell you about who I am.  My name is Kelly Kramer and I have been a plumbing contractor for about 24 years now.  I have done countless basements and bathrooms and have seen and heard of many nasty things.  Here are a few things you need to know.

1.  Are you hiring a general contractor?

2.  Do you want to be the project manager and hire individual trades?

3.  Do you have a realistic budget in mind?

4.  Are you pricing your budget to allow for higher or lower quality products and work?

5.  Does your house have cast iron?  (Many older homes in Edmonton have cast iron, not all plumbers know how to cut into this, and the guys I have rented from are wrong on how to safely cut cast)

6.  Are you having your trades pull the permits?  If not then you better be doing the work yourself.  Pulling a permit and allowing others to do the work is against the safety codes act of Alberta.  And not pulling a permit is a criminal offence punishable by up to 6 months in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Cost for a Basement Development in Edmonton

The price will vary from contractor to contractor depending on the overhead of that contractor and their level of skills.  It is a general rule of thumb to get three quotes and choose the middle quote.  But you should also try and go by what the company has done in the past, references and length of time in business.

Depending on how high end you go and the age of the house you can expect the price to be anywhere between $35 and $60 per square foot.  Anything lower and I can guarantee the contractor is either lowballing the price to charge a lot of extras or the contractor is a fly by night type company and you will end up on one of those reality shows with a sob story to tell on how bad you were ripped off.

If you are doing the basement yourself but need a plumbing company then you can expect a cost of about $2000 to $4000 for your basement bathroom.  This would include breaking and pouring concrete, pulling permits, running water lines, setting the shower base or tub, installing faucets, sink and toilet.  The price can be lowered if you want to break the concrete and patch the hole afterwards yourself.  You can supply your own plumbing fixtures if you like.

Things to think about before developing your basement.  Do you have a natural gas line for your BBQ?  If not this is much easier to do before your basement is finished.  Do you have an irrigation line stubbed out of your house?  What is the purpose of the basement?  This will tell you if it makes more sense to run your heating vents down to the floor or leave these in the ceiling.  Are you installing vacuum lines for your existing or current centra vac?

If you need a plumber or a team to develop your basement give us a call at Kramer Plumbing and Radiant Heat 780-264-0878

Thanks,

Kelly

 

Bathroom Renovations

Comments OffWritten by KellyFiled Under: Edmonton Plumbing

As your bathroom gets older you are going to want to do some sort of remodel or renovation job.

Things to think about when getting your Edmonton bathroom renovation completed.

1.  Do you want to do a full renovation or just a partial renovation?

2.  Are you doing a swap out of plumbing fixtures or changing the design of the bathroom?

3.  Should you refinish your bathroom vanity or replace?

4.  Are you going to do any of the work yourself?

These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself before you go any further with your bathroom renovation.

In my experience most people go for a full bathroom gut or a partial with new fixtures.  The difference between the two is cost and desire.

Just last week I was helping with a bathroom renovation and the homeowner did not want to replace the tub.  Yet they were putting in a new tiled tub surround.  If you are going that far you better think hard about NOT changing out the bathtub.  Once the new tiled tub surround is in place it will be years before you will renovate again.  And throughout those years you will most likely have regrets.

The cost to renovate a bathroom in Edmonton

You will find the price to renovate a bathroom in Edmonton will vary from company to company and will depend on the types of materials involved.  Most bathroom renovations will start at about $7000.  This will include remove and replace a bathtub, bath/shower faucets, toilet, vanity, light fixture and mirror/medicine cabinet.  This also includes a tiled floor and tiled tub surround and new paint.

But the products used are all part of the starter package so you should not expect granite counters, slate tile, or a jetted tub.  Still a great price considering most companies start at $8000.

The reason we can have a lower price is because we have plumbers on staff and have great relationships with people in the tile industry.

To learn more or get a quote give us a call at 780-264-0878

Thanks,

Kelly

 

Warning: Do Not Trust What You See on TV

Comments OffWritten by KellyFiled Under: Edmonton Gas Fitting

Wow,

I am sitting here watching the DIY network and cannot believe my eyes.  Not sure if this is a fake tv show or actually is real, but either way this is wrong.

Some guy is taking out his dishwasher and realizes the water and electrical is still hooked up.  He starts to disconnect the water just to find out the water is still on, shocking…

Here is Alberta all dishwashers have a shutoff valve, in this guys case there was a shutoff valve, he just forgot to use it.

Then he shuts of the gas to the stove, but instead shuts of the gas to the furnace.  Disconnects the stove only to have natural gas flowing at full force into his house.  At least the other guy that happens to be there is smart enough to put his finger over the line to stop the flow until the gas can be shut off.  Just so you know natural gas in Edmonton, Alberta, generally has a pressure of 7 inches water column.  That is about a half a pound per square inch which compared to your water at 80 pounds per square inch there is not much flow.  Regardless get a professional to do anything with your gas line.

Next, this same guy installs a valve then a bushing then a street 90.  This is illegal in Alberta.  You can use bushing last time I checked but only if the bushing reduces at least to pipe sizes.  A street 90 is a elbow that is male on one side and female on the other.  The only place these are allowed in Edmonton is on appliances that have a CSA approval to use the fitting.

Not sure what people are thinking when they try to save money.  For your peace of mind for you and your family call a professional.

Give us a call at Kramer Plumbing and Radiant Heat.  780-264-0878

Thanks,

Kelly