I’ve been getting a lot of bids to install sprinklers in the house. While I’m not thrilled about having to put them in, it’s a county requirement here for new residential construction, so I don’t have a choice. For the most part, the bids have all been about equivalent — between $4800-5200 for regular sprinkler heads (the kind that stick down from the ceiling).
I decided that I much preferred the concealed sprinkler heads (where you only see the flat disks on the ceiling), both from an aesthetic standpoint and from the standpoint that it’s much less likely that the kids will accidentally throw a ball into one and set it off. I found that the upcharge for the concealed heads was more all over the place than the cost of the regular sprinkler heads, between $500-1500 extra.
Ultimately, my low bid was around $5300 and my high bid was around $6500. The high bid was the company I wanted to use — Jenson Fire Protection — as they came recommended from a couple other small builders in the area. We negotiated a bit, and he agreed to do the job for $5800…about $500 more than the low bid, but at least I won’t be concerned about quality for something as important as sprinklers.
Here’s how the numbers break down for our HVAC work:
- Permit Fee: $185
- Installation: $4,830,
- Upcharge for Concealed Heads: $785
TOTAL BID: $5,800
The plan is that they will design the sprinkler system for the house early this week and get the permit application submitted.
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