I'm building a metal building and I would like to save some money. I am hiring a concrete contractor and an individual to construct the building. But I'm wanting to save a little money by doing the plumbing work. It's going to be a simple job, sink, shower, toilet, water heater, washer/dryer.

I have very limited experience with plumbing. I've helped a friend install a sprinkler system and always repaired my owning plumbing issues in my home. But I've had nothing major to say the least.

Do you think I could find a plumber that might allow me to work with him and his crew to learn the trade. I would be willing to work for free. Saying that I would only be able to commit on days that I did not have to work at my current job. I did this on my first home with a trim carpenter and it worked well.

Is this completely crazy or could this work? Thanks for the help and advice.

I hired a contractor to do some work at my home - and since I was "between jobs" at the time I offered to be his "helper" while he was doing the work.

"Price doubles....." was his response.....

Is it a shop or resident? Any local codes? Copper, plastic or PVC lines?

we are going to live in this building until we get our home built. No city codes. I was going to use pvc lines and copper. i don't think i like that new plastic stuff.

DanDaBald - lol......i understand that one.

If you know how to sweat copper fittings it is easy. If not, that would be the hardest part about it. PVC is easy. Location of plumbing coming in underground to the locations needed will be the most challenging. A good set of plans will take the guess work out.

been told the same!

make sure you get the right fall in your drain lines (1 inch every 4 foot), have adequate vents, and insulate all your copper coming through the foundation. concrete will jack up copper. make sure if you do run pvc water lines, use cpvc for the hot water.

Plumbing work ... $100
If you watch ... $200
If you help ... $300
If you worked on it first ... $500

Just get the slab plumbed with the stick-outs. You take it from there. Might save you some. That way you can go get all the stuff at Lowe's as you need it.

I thought about you tonight at The Butcher shop in Longview, DA. As you may not know, they have a huge bakery operation with all kinds of sweets under glass. People are always lined up at the counter buying them. When I first arrived and sat down with my food, I noticed a deputy eating dinner alone. 15 min. later...he was behind the bakery counter admiring ...er..or should I say drooling over the eclairs, key lime pies, cookies, jelly rolls,etc. Earlier I had wondered how he could handle a physically demanding arrest due to his 4 inches of "natural insulation".

I borrowed Deb's cell phone to get a photo of him and while I was taking it...he moved out of the frame. I merely said I was taking a picture of all the goodies in the case. He wasnt amused when I aimed my camera phone back in his direction to snap another one. But the pic sucked, so I deleted it.

It was funny to watch him back there. He was obviously at home.
( probably moonlighting for the place at closing time)

and this guy reminded you of me?? Gee thanks!

Not actually "reminded"...but I thought if I could snap a good pic....I could razz you a little with it.

first are you required to get a permit to build?
plumbers are required to be licensed for good reason, from what you stated your abilitys are let them do it all, just watch and learn.
all contractors are required by law to warranty all workmanship for one year, if you do it who ya gonna call?
if permits are required the inspector will not sign off if not done by a licensed plumber, or you can get one to "attach" their name to your work.
in my 30+ yrs of contracting the most expensive jobs I have done for homeowners is to fix what they tried to do.
my advice is to pay the plumbers and just watch when able so you can pick up some basics.

hey hopalong, i really do understand what you are saying....there are no permits required.....and I'm not talking about just walking out there and doing the work, I would like to learn how to do this properly. I don't have to build for 3-5 months, so i've got some time. And, I have a few resources to help out with the work. I was just hoping to find a local plumber that might be able to use some help.

I really appreciate the advice....

I'll tell you what, plumbing is easy, (fun too)! Just look around your existing house, maybe pick up a book......if code isn't an issue, I'd attempt it myself. When looking at examples...like your house, or McDonalds pay attention to how high the pipes are from the ground...and what they use under sinks, etc. One of the nice things about your job is it sounds like it's all above ground, (not in a crawl space). I'd let them run it through the cement and you finish. I would buy a torch, flux, and solder, a pipe, and small pipe cutter and practice. One of the main things to know about copper sweating is sanding the end, and a generous amount of flux on both ends you you intend to sweat...One other thing....is you'll save a couple of grand. The trickest thing is going to be the shower/bathtub...but again there are great examples of how it should look right in your house. I'm a big proponent of DYI!
RC Fishing World

you might find a lot more information on www.diynetwork.com

Like stated above, the more critical areas are the tub/sower and toilet drains. The latter being VERY CRITICAL!

Grab a book at the homer depot. It'll tell ya how these should be set-up. Another good source of info is if you have a small local plumbing supply house close by. The oldest fella at the counter is usually a plumber by trade, and can answer questions for ya. And with the economy the ways it is right now, he might even be able to hook you up with a plumber that's "between jobs" and you get a heck of a deal.

Soldering copper is easy, once you figure it out. Clean is the key. Flux is a close second. PVC is EASY!

Watch your codes though, even in the county. The state was/is trying to pass a law that requires all new structures in unincorporated areas to undergo third party inspections. Make sure you aren't going to get bit here.


Jay

HomeOwners and "HandyMan" installs make me lots of money.

They tend to have the best intentions, but don't know code and the proper fittings to use.

With the economy being in the slumps, and new construction being almost dead, there should be tons of plumbers you can get off Craigslists.

Just make sure he has a Master License and he has the Insurance on file with the State of Texas

http://www.tsbpe.state.tx.us/license_registration.asp

That way if he does something wrong, you have recourse with him, He is required to carry at least $300,000 of insurance

RedRanger I was thinking the same thing about the homeownwer and handyman installs. Price doubles for them when they try to fix the problem and then call me when they get stuck simply because I will tear out what they did and do it right per code.