So, uh, how do I get in on this racket now?
It must just be good business guys cause there’s a couple HVAC guys in town and then don’t charge that the only reason I thought about doing it is because then I can do the entire set up
The trick is to get certified by one of the major brands, like Trane. I think the big guys only offer a full warranty if it's installed by one of their certified dealers (which means selling at list price)
On that one at the camp job, where the guy wanted $25,000 and my son came in at $15,000, my son was doing it on the side. His mom said her bid would have been $24,000-26,000 (And she didn't know about the other price).
I got a bid when I was living in a small house, renting. The lace need it only 1.5 ton but it had a 2.5 ton unit and it was cooling way before it removed humidity, So everything was molding. The landlord wouldn't replace it because it still "worked"
I got curious and got a bid, from just simple swap outs. Going from gas to electric. I would run the circuit and connect that, reuse line set and reuse thermostat with the cable. The quote I got was $9,100
I found the system I wanted on eBay, brand new but from a non-certified dealer, and it was $1,400
That means $7,700 over the cost of materials, for a 6-hour job. Sorry, but nobody's making $1,300 an hour at my house. I bought the units and had my son install them before he was certified