What a plumbing proposal is for
When a water heater fails, the customer has real choices and little time. Laying out a like-for-like tank, a better tank with a longer warranty and a tankless unit, each with its own installation lines, helps them choose in one visit. The same approach works for a failing drain line: clear it, line it, or replace it. Each option should say plainly what it fixes and what it does not.
What to put on a plumbing proposal
- The problem in one sentence, the same for all three options.
- What each option installs and what changes with it, such as gas line or venting for tankless.
- Expected life or warranty differences, in plain words.
- Shared items like permit and haul-away in every option.
- One deposit rule and a place to choose.
A worked example
The same family with the failed garage heater. Option one is the like-for-like tank at the estimator's typical price; options two and three add lines you price yourself.
Option 1: Good: like-for-like tank. Same size and fuel, brought up to code.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water heater, tank (40 to 50 gal) * | 1 | each | $1,290.00 | $1,290.00 |
| Expansion tank and drain pan | 1 | each | Your price | |
| Permit | 1 | each | Your price |
Option 2: Better: tank with longer warranty. Heavier tank and a longer manufacturer warranty.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water heater, tank, extended warranty model * | 1 | each | $1,290.00 | $1,290.00 |
| Expansion tank and drain pan | 1 | each | Your price | |
| Water heater stand and seismic straps | 1 | each | Your price | |
| Permit | 1 | each | Your price |
Option 3: Best: tankless water heater. Hot water on demand and a smaller footprint.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas tankless water heater, installed | 1 | each | Your price |
| Upsize gas line to heater | 1 | each | Your price |
| Concentric vent kit | 1 | each | Your price |
| Isolation valve kit | 1 | each | Your price |
| Permit | 1 | each | Your price |
Tankless often needs a larger gas line and new venting, so those lines appear only in option three. That keeps the comparison honest: the customer sees what the switch really involves.
* Typical price from our free plumbing cost estimator, which lists its sources. Your own costs and market come first.
Line items plumbers use
| Line item | Unit | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Service call and diagnosis | each | The trip and the first part of the visit, before any repair is agreed. |
| Water heater, tank, installed | each | Gallons, fuel type and the brand, plus whether the venting changes. |
| Expansion tank | each | Often required with a new heater on a closed system; check local code. |
| Drain cleaning, main line | each | Say where you cleaned from: a cleanout, a pulled toilet or the roof vent. |
| Camera inspection of sewer line | each | Say whether the customer gets the video. |
| Replace toilet fill valve and flapper | each | The common running-toilet fix, priced as one repair. |
| Replace faucet, customer supplied | each | Say who supplied the faucet; it changes who stands behind it. |
| Replace shutoff valve | each | Angle stops under sinks and toilets, or the main shutoff. |
| Repipe with PEX | ft | By the foot, or by fixture if that is how you price it. |
| Garbage disposal, installed | each | Horsepower and whether the old one is hauled away. |
| Sump pump, replaced | each | Include the check valve if you replace it too. |
| Wall or ceiling opening and patch | each | Say whether you patch, or leave it open for a drywall finisher. |
| Permit | each | Water heaters and repipes often need one; pass it through at cost or include it. |
| Plumbing labor | hour | Hourly labor for work you cannot price flat. |
Terms and deposit language for plumbing
- Deposit. Most repair calls take no deposit; the customer pays when the leak is fixed. On repipes, remodel rough-ins and sewer work, a deposit at signing covers the material order and the schedule slot. Check your state's rules on deposits.
- Payment. Repairs are due on completion. Larger jobs split into a deposit, a payment at rough-in or inspection, and the balance at final.
- Warranty. Say how long you stand behind your labor, and that parts carry the manufacturer's warranty. If the customer supplied a fixture, say your warranty covers the install only.
- Old pipe can break when you touch it; say what happens if a valve or fitting fails when you open the system.
- Openings in walls or ceilings are cut where needed and patched rough unless the estimate says finished drywall.
- Drain clearing does not fix a broken pipe; if the camera shows one, the repair is quoted separately.
How to fill it in
- Fill in the customer and the job.
- Check each option's name, its one-line difference and its lines.
- Add your prices; each option totals on its own.
- Set tax, the deposit and the good-until date.
- Print it, download it, or send it from Koira so the customer can pick and sign on the phone.
Free tools for plumbing
- Plumbing cost estimator
- Water heater replacement cost calculator
- Plumbing labor rate calculator
- Pipe volume calculator
The same proposal for other trades: appliance repair, auto detailing, carpet cleaning, chimney, house cleaning, commercial cleaning, concrete, drywall, electrical, fence, flooring, garage door, general contractor, gutter, handyman, hvac, irrigation, junk removal, landscaping, lawn care, locksmith, moving, painting, pest control, pool service, pressure washing, remodeling, roofing, septic, snow removal, solar, tree service, waterproofing, window cleaning.
More for plumbers: how plumbers run on Koira.