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How do I go about in getting a plumbing contractor's estimate?2 contractors couldn't give one.Suggestions?

I have a small 2 story home. When the upstairs shower is turned on, there is a leak through the ceiling of the living room on the first floor. What will probably be needed is for a hole to be placed through the ceiling and the leak located. The plumbing contractors have said that they cannot give an estimate til they see what the problem is. I don't feel comfortable giving them "carte blanche" to do work and then send me a bill. Any suggestions on getting an estimate?Thanks. Ok enough of the doctor analogies. OTOH, I have insurance to pay most of the doctor and hospital bills. I just take care of a set fee (annual deductible). The plumber's bills have to paid with after tax money and in cash.

Public Comments

1. You might pay a handy man to open the ceiling, or open it yourself (why pay plumbers rates for that simple job?). The ceiling, if water's been leaking through it for any length of time, will need to be repaired anyway. If it's sheetrock, you can get a jab saw for about $10. If it's plaster, tap the plaster with a hammer and you'll see the lathe that will have to be cut. Be careful not to cut any pipes or wires. Note: if you do hire a handy man, be leary about letting him do any plumbing repairs. Just open it up to have a look - then call the plumbers back. Once it's repaired, leave the ceiling open for a little while to make sure it's ok.
2. You could treat the problem as 2 separate jobs. Firstly as a callout/inspection job. From there, with the inspection holes and a report on the problem, you can get estimates to repair that problem. You can even invite the bidding contractors to "have a look for themselves" through the holes. Alternatively, you would have to probe and discuss all possibilities with the contractor. Think of different scenarios and ask for ballpark figures, e.g. what if a wall needed to be taken out, what if the flooring needed a new waterproof membrane, etc. Explore the various costs for best case and worst case scenarios, and everything in between. At the end of the day, you are still almost giving them "carte blanche" to find and fix the problem, since I doubt if any one would give you a fixed price quote. So you need to ask for recommendations of trusted contractors.
3. This is true ,cause most of the leaks are not exactly connect to evidence of the leak. So when you open that section you will know where and what section has leak then they can give you estimate for repair.
4. A doctor usually doesn't so surgery until he sees an X-ray, MRI, or a CT-scan. Why would you expect a plumber to? Water takes the lowest path, which sometimes means it can go 25 feet horizontally before 1 foot vertically. It's this reason they won't give you a set price, they don't know what it is yet. Might be just a minor tightening of your shower-head pipe, or a major revamp if the pipes are in bad shape. Either way, a "hole" isn't gonna cut it. Enough of the wall/ceiling will have to be removed to be able to do th repair, not a small hole. Depending on the circumstances, it is usually cheaper to replace the entire ceiling and refinish rather than trying to match in a patch job. You end up with a nicer result, too. In answering your question on getting an estimate, you make the job or work to be done accessible for him to visually inspect so he can give a more accurate estimate. I wouldn't call it Carte Blanche if I have to go out to a home three times to look at something. Expect to pay more if extra trips are needed, as gas prices are still on the rise. Bad contractors are a dime a dozen, while good contractors are in high demand, and small repair jobs are not usually money-makers, sometimes breaking even. Most contractors do them as a service, and to keep a good reputation, not for the money.
5. This is what we call a "concealed condition". Negotiate a price for this "uncovering", then after you hear their recommendations get other prices. You can not bid a job until you can see it. Give them that opportunity.
6. the last time you called your doctor and told him you were sick did you ask him how much to feel better you cant tell unless you see the problem could be a shower pan bad drain lines galvinized pipe could be anything expose what you can for them if its leaking that bad your going to replace it anyway then go from there
7. it is more likely the seal around your shower tray, try replacing that first. in fact test it first... put a damp cloth over the drain hole and fill your tray up with water [not from your shower though]
8. most plumbers will come to your house to do an estimate. they may charge a fee for that estimate but if you go with them then they will apply estimate fee to the total cost of your bill. call several places to see if they will come out to do a free estimate. if you can't find a place that will do a free estimate you may have to part with some hard earned cash to get the problem fixed. not all plumbers are out to screw you over or jack up the cost of a repair. most times when an upstairs shower leaks it is because the shower curtain is not closed properly. is the floor outside the shower wet? check this before getting out? if it is try making sure that your curtain is properly closed the next time you shower. do this before calling and having a plumber come out.
9. I had the same problem whenever the upstairs shower was used, all I did was remove the pipe that the shower head was threaded to, put teflon tape on the threads and replaced it. Too many people adjusting the shower head over time had loosened it.