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Water Heater Quote Comparison: Equipment, Venting & Permits

Compare the equipment, removal, connections and access included in written water-heater quotes.

Put your quotes side by side

To compare budgets, mark what each quote includes and price any extra cost. Quote A: 6 scope questions unanswered. Quote B: 6 scope questions unanswered.

Example: Quote A at $1,400, the typical hired-out water heater job owners reported to the Census Bureau (2023), and Quote B 10% lower. Type your own prices and the example clears.

Quote A
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

$1,400 known so far

$1,400 quote and added costs + $0 set aside. 6 scope questions unanswered.

Quote B
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

$1,300 known so far

$1,300 quote and added costs + $0 set aside. 6 scope questions unanswered.

Quote C (optional)
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

Enter a quoted price

Compare two quotes or three. Type the price of each written quote, then mark what each one includes. A cheaper quote often leaves work out: mark that work Extra with its price and the totals add it back, so you compare the same job.

Before you sign: six checks
  • Get written quotes from at least two contractors, three if you can, and do not pick the lowest on price alone.
  • Hire a licensed, insured contractor. Your state or local building department says which license the work needs; ask for current insurance certificates.
  • Get a written contract with the contractor’s name, address and license number, start and finish dates, the payment schedule and who gets the permits.
  • Do not pay it all up front: tie payments to finished stages, never pay in cash or by wire transfer, and make the last payment when the work is done. Some states limit the down payment.
  • A sale made at your home can usually be cancelled until midnight of the third business day under the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule, and the seller must give you the cancellation forms. The rule does not cover emergency work, a repair you asked the contractor to come and do, or a contract you finish at the seller’s own place of business; your state may give you more.
  • Be wary of a contractor who knocks on your door, pushes you to decide now, or asks you to get the permits yourself.

From the Federal Trade Commission’s advice: How to avoid a home improvement scam and the Cooling-Off Rule.

Check what each quote includes

Leave anything unclear as “Ask.” Choose “Extra cost” to add a separately priced item to that quote’s budget. Do not also put it in the general left-out costs below.

Materials

Equipment and capacity

Name the exact proposed equipment, capacity and supplied accessories. Do not compare equipment-only with installed work.

Labor

Plumbing and drainage

Identify connection changes, valves, drain provisions and affected finishes. Ask the installer to state requirements for your system.

Power, fuel and venting

Keep electrical, fuel and venting changes separate; ask which trade supplies each part.

Equipment, access and disposal

Removal and access

Confirm draining, disconnection, removal, hauling and how the equipment will pass through the available access.

Protection, permits and terms

Permits and inspections

Record who obtains approvals, schedules inspection and corrects any inspection finding.

Warranty and exclusions

Separate product and labor coverage. List repair, code-change and inaccessible-work exclusions.

Nothing is sent to a contractor. Saving keeps these entries in this browser; downloading makes a text file.

Before asking for a price

Record the existing and proposed heater type, location, access dimensions and the scope described by the installer. Keep equipment model and capacity with each bid.

Reading the totals

Compare the same tank or tankless model and size, removal of the old heater, the permit and any code updates such as venting or an expansion tank.

The budget adds the quoted price, separately priced extra costs, other costs left out and any tax not already included. Your chosen reserve is added to that subtotal. Treat every “Ask” row as work that is not yet confirmed as included. Get the answer in writing before comparing totals.

Your project

My project

Saved in this browser only; nothing is sent to us. Choose “Save in this browser” in any calculator or worksheet to add it here.

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