HAVAC, Plumbing, Electrician, when you guys charge 250 an hr for labor it is a ripoff. A machine company charges same for a $million dollar machine running a half million dollar part and I can buy everything in your truck with the cost of any number of tools in my tool box and some that fit on the machine, for instance a 90deg head on this gantry mill I run cost $40,000. Just one tool of one machine that is used every now and then. And REAL easy to crash. A decimal point in wrong place can cost $400,000. I worked for Lockeed, Rockwell automation, some oil companies 29 yrs..... But my brother owns an air conditioning company. My brother is a joke with a high price!

On the surface, that sounds a little crazy. The actual work involved with relocating the gas service is pretty minimal and shouldn't take much time. In most jurisdictions, it's the type of work that technically requires an "over-the-counter" permit, but more often than not the contractor would suggest not pulling any permits, as it is such minimal work. But that might not be a feasible strategy for a multi-unit dwelling (see below). The complication with gas service is that unless you have your own gas meter, there probably isn't a cut-off valve that turns gas off for just your unit. So, even for this tiny bit of work, they'll have to turn off gas for the entire building. And after completing work, they need to do a pressure test to make sure they didn't introduce any leaks. Again, this takes extra time, while everybody else doesn't have gas service. Turning gas back on is another wrinkle. For modern appliances that have spark igniters or glow bars, it's a non-issue. But you don't know that that's what everybody has. So, somebody needs to walk through the entire building and make sure that pilot lights are lit where needed. I don't see how this would cost $5k. But I can see how it is highly disruptive and how it can take a lot longer than you'd think. It quite conceivably involves pulling in the HOA to coordinate work. On the other hand, if you can turn off gas for just your unit, then most of the above becomes a non-issue and a good plumber can have you up and running within less than a day. And it only should cost a few hundred dollars. Out of interest, how many units are we talking about? Two or three additional units? Or 20, 50? The answer to this question can determine how realistic your project is.

The contractor is correct. You interfere with the waterproofing and leaking occurs with “patches”. Tile, grout, and cement board are not waterproof. Waterproofing must occur. I‘m very surprised that your condo doesn’t have restrictions on working hours, parking, noise, contractor selection, contractor insurance amount, and everything else. That’s the norm in multi family buildings. No DIY work is usually another big requirement, because of the liability of potentially affecting your neighbors is huge compared to a single family home. One incorrectly built shower and 4 units could have water leak issues. Often your homeowners insurance has that as a requirement for multi family as well. It’s a pretty big disincentive to be personally responsible for any claims that result.

I'm worried that you might not be aware that Live Oaks take many years (!!!) to achieve 'shade tree' status. And the larger they are when planted, the slower they grow. Also, Live Oaks are extremely messy trees. No one in their right mind would plant them anywhere near a pool. They shed copious leaves in the late winter as the new buds begin to grow; it's the normal growth habit for Live Oaks, which are not true 'evergreens'. Their small leaves are slow to difficult to blow from walkways, a nightmare to clean from pools, and extremely slow to decompose. Did I say copious? After the leaf fall comes the dreaded shedding of the male catkins, which build up in drifts for several weeks until they all finish dropping. This is another major pool clogger. Then, there comes the winter acorn fall! Not only are they capable of dropping bushels of the little things, but they can become a hazard on pathways, and will stain a pool bottom. I have overseen the landscape management programs of several coastal SC resort and golf properties, all of which were thick with Live Oaks, old and newly planted. They were a PITA. I'm not even going to discuss the situation with the grass.