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....