On 14 Feb 2007 13:04:22 -0800, "james" wrote:

When you can buy and install the components for $2500 that a
contractor normally charges over $10,000 for then the economics will
shift an increasing portion of HVAC to DIY. (Throw in $1000 for misc.
tools and supplies and it's still a huge savings).

The next phase will be when a manufacturer steps up and offers simple
lineset connections and strikes a deal with Home Depot and Lowes. (ie
precharged/no brazing needed)



In this thread contrractors do indeed need to make a living and what
they charge is the going rate. As a consumer I try to do as much as I
can as my income was always modest and every dollar counts. This NG
is an excellent forum to discuss and to evaluate if I can do the job
myself. The only subject I won't DIY is gas installations. But
anything that doesn't require fiddling with the gas supply and
connections itself is easy enough to do.

The argument here is its a natural conflict between the consumer and
the contractor that each needs to get the best bang for his buck. As
manufacturers improve their products for DIY consumers (1) contractors
will have to raise their prices for what work there remains. No one
should get hot under the collar when a contractor quotes a price way
out of what the consumer thinks it is worth. The alternative is
learn to do it yourself or get a friend to help out. If its something
that you cannot do, for example pour concrete, then you have to pay
the going rate.

(1) A excellent example of changing economics is computers and their
peripherals which are fairly big ticket items. But who repairs them
any more? Just a very few such business are left and their bread and
butter is mostly board and parts swapping for which they have to
charge rates that often make it worthwhile to just buy a new and
better unit.