Recommendation for reliable and cost efficient plumbing companies

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Managing Your Property
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Recommendation for reliable and cost efficient plumbing companies

Amber Imam
Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes

Hi everyone,

I'm an out of state investor, investing in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. I own 13 doors and most of my properties are on the older side...about 100 years old. One of my properties recently suffered a sewage backflow and I was told by my property manager that the house trap needs to be replaced. She quoted me an estimate of $3750 to fix it. Since this is on the more expensive side of things I wanted to get some additional quotes from reputable plumbers in the area. 

Has anyone had to replace the house trap in their rental properties in Pittsburgh? I would also appreciate any recommendations of plumbing companies in general that BPers have had good experience with.

Thanks in advance!

~Amber

2Reply
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Ceillum O'HarePro Member
Investor · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2019 · 1 post · 2 votes
3y

I have had success using Krupp Whitney for plumbing repairs. They are reasonably priced and complete the work in a timely manner.

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13 Replies

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  • Masashi Borges-Silva
    Investor · Manhattan, NY · Member since 2018 · 103 posts · 70 votes
    3y

    Hi @Amber Imam, welcome to BiggerPocket Forumn!

    I don't have any personal recommendations, but I can point to a starting point. Have you had any good luck using one of the tools in BP to find contractors (plumbers)?

    At the top of the BP website, there are tabs. For example, search for "Contractors" under "Recommended Vendors."

    Then, the website will ask you the questions to find a match that has been pre-screened by HomeAdvisor and BiggerPockets:

    Good luck finding several quotes, and let me know how it goes!

    1Reply
  • Amber Imam
    OP
    Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    3y

    Thank you so much! I didn't know about that option. I will give that a shot and let you know how it goes. :) 

    1Reply
  • Thomas Higgins
    Investor · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2016 · 78 posts · 45 votes
    3y

    $3,750 for a house trap in Pitt is a reasonable price. You can always ask your PM to give you 2-3 numbers, so you get more comfortable. 

    2Reply
  • Thomas Higgins
    Investor · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2016 · 78 posts · 45 votes
    3y

    I am curious about what mgmt company you are using and how do you like them.

    Also if anyone has any Snow removal companies in Pittsburgh, they would recommend our contract is up with our current vendor and we are shopping around! A company that could take on 30+ doors. 

    0Reply
  • Bill Brown
    Rental Property Investor · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 40 posts · 16 votes
    3y

    What part of Pittsburgh?

    0Reply
  • Ceillum O'HarePro Member
    Investor · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2019 · 1 post · 2 votes
    3y

    I have had success using Krupp Whitney for plumbing repairs. They are reasonably priced and complete the work in a timely manner.

    2Reply
  • Anthony Angotti
    Real Estate Agent · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 846 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Amber Imam:

    Hi everyone,

    I'm an out of state investor, investing in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. I own 13 doors and most of my properties are on the older side...about 100 years old. One of my properties recently suffered a sewage backflow and I was told by my property manager that the house trap needs to be replaced. She quoted me an estimate of $3750 to fix it. Since this is on the more expensive side of things I wanted to get some additional quotes from reputable plumbers in the area. 

    Has anyone had to replace the house trap in their rental properties in Pittsburgh? I would also appreciate any recommendations of plumbing companies in general that BPers have had good experience with.

    Thanks in advance!

    ~Amber

    That’s actually a typical price for something like that if it’s in concrete. Maybe a little high if outside but not outlandish. 
    2Reply
  • Amber Imam
    OP
    Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Thomas Higgins:

    $3,750 for a house trap in Pitt is a reasonable price. You can always ask your PM to give you 2-3 numbers, so you get more comfortable. 


     Thanks for letting me know! :) I really appreciate it since I don't have any experience with fixing house traps.

    0Reply
  • Amber Imam
    OP
    Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Thomas Higgins:

    I am curious about what mgmt company you are using and how do you like them.

    Also if anyone has any Snow removal companies in Pittsburgh, they would recommend our contract is up with our current vendor and we are shopping around! A company that could take on 30+ doors. 

    I have been using Riva Ridge for a few years now. I think they're doing an OK job... they are the only property management company I have ever used so I don't have anyone else to compare them to. They charge 9% and use appfolio software to track expenses. I have had four different people assigned to be my property manager within 3 years, so there are always some things that slip through the cracks when a new person is assigned to handle my properties...which I don't really appreciate. I started my real estate journey right before COVID happened and so my properties weren't performing very well for the first couple of years and I didn't want to evict anyone at that time. Post-covid I have been struggling to get my cash flow to be what I thought it would be when I bought the properties. I am thinking of transferring a couple of my properties to a different prop mgmt company that might be better suited to my needs. If anyone has any recommendations for a property management company in Pittsburgh, PA I would like to hear about it! :) 

    0Reply
  • Amber Imam
    OP
    Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Anthony Angotti:
    Quote from @Amber Imam:

    Hi everyone,

    I'm an out of state investor, investing in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. I own 13 doors and most of my properties are on the older side...about 100 years old. One of my properties recently suffered a sewage backflow and I was told by my property manager that the house trap needs to be replaced. She quoted me an estimate of $3750 to fix it. Since this is on the more expensive side of things I wanted to get some additional quotes from reputable plumbers in the area. 

    Has anyone had to replace the house trap in their rental properties in Pittsburgh? I would also appreciate any recommendations of plumbing companies in general that BPers have had good experience with.

    Thanks in advance!

    ~Amber

    That’s actually a typical price for something like that if it’s in concrete. Maybe a little high if outside but not outlandish. 

     Thanks for letting me know! :)

    0Reply
  • Amber Imam
    OP
    Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Bill Brown:

    What part of Pittsburgh?


     This is in the Sheraden neighborhood

    0Reply
  • Amber Imam
    OP
    Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Ceillum O'Hare:

    I have had success using Krupp Whitney for plumbing repairs. They are reasonably priced and complete the work in a timely manner.


     Thank you so much! I will reach out to them. Homeadvisor recommended Calfo Home Services, so I am expecting an estimate from them within a couple of days.

    0Reply
  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    3y

    Check out Angies List, do NOT use Craigslist (scammers).

    If you find someone, have your PMC manage them and the repair process to avoid getting scammed.

    [email protected]248-209-6824
    Logical Property Management4.9458 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
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