Plumbers in Richmond, VA (Virginia)

Richmond Plumbers

Richmond is the capital of Virginia, a booming and vibrant city with one of the hottest and most robust housing markets in the nation. Ranked by the likes of CNN Money and Zillow.com over several years, the market in Richmond continues to grow thanks to a combination of a strong and diverse economy, four seasons of mild weather, and the affordability in its housing market.

As an essential system in any home, plumbing, including completing timely repairs and adding upgrades, is an important way to cash in on the red hot Richmond market. Finding a plumbing professional in this bustling city of over 200,000 is easy, but homeowners should note costs and qualifications first.

Local Cost Information

While the age of any home in Richmond, as well as the age and state of its plumbing fixtures, has a huge impact on the final cost of any project, the overall costs of hiring a plumber in this city are less, on average, than in the rest of the country. Whereas most Americans paid between $169-$434 to hire a plumber, or an average of $281, Richmond homeowners paid between $140-$314 or an average of $220.

This lower trend remains true for several other common plumbing projects, displayed in the table below:

License Requirements

The Commonwealth of Virginia requires all plumbers working within it to obtain a trade license, issued at one of two levels: journeyman or master. To sit for the journeyman exam, licensees must meet one of the following requirements:

• 240 hours of vocational training and 4 years of practical experience
• An associate's degree and 2 years of practical experience
• A bachelor's degree and 1 year of practical experience
• 10 years of practical experience

Masters must have one year of experience as a journeyman or 10 years of practical experience. There are no additional requirements for working in the City of Richmond, nor are there any insurance regulations.

Homeowners can check on the status of an individual contractor's license at the state's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR).

How Plumbing Affects the Value of a Home

Plumbing is an essential system in any home. Failure to maintain that system or fix problems immediately not only devalues a home but can cause hundreds or thousands of dollars of damage in very little time. Taking care of plumbing is therefore essential if you want to maintain the value of your home in Richmond. Similarly, upgrading that plumbing and associated systems and fixtures is an easy way to add additional value.

Prominent Neighborhoods

Richmond is a historical city with a number of older homes dating back to colonial times. Plumbing needs in these different types of homes varies substantially, depending on how modernized the systems are and how well they have been maintained over the years - or centuries.

Prior to the 1960s, most indoor plumbing used galvanized steel piping rather than copper or PVC. As a result, the pipes in these older homes are subject to corrosion and wear, and will ultimately need to be replaced. A few notable historic neighborhoods in Richmond that include older homes that may be coming due for plumbing replacements are:

• Court End
• Church Hill
• Union Hill
• Carytown
• Forrest Hill