How much

Andy Wilhide

Hi! I'm researching steam and hot-water systems from pre- WWII and am having a hard time figuring out how much (in general prices) a system would've cost for a small single-family house.
I would also like to get general prices of how much it cost to install a radiant heat system in the 1950s-1960s.
Can you help me? I've scoured through old catalogs but none of them offer prices for a complete system--which I can understand since each system would cost different--but I was hoping that someone could offer me a price estimate for those time periods.

Thank you--Andy Wilhide

DanHolohan

Andy,

we don't discuss pricing on this site. If you check Find a Professional at the top of the page you'll be able to connect with someone who can look over the situation and help with prices.

Jamie_5

old pricing

Maybe it also falls within the rule against discussions of pricing, but I don't think Andy is looking for an estimate to work on a current building. I think he is asking for historical data, i.e. how much, perhaps on average, it *used* to cost to install radiant heating four and five decades ago.

Tony_23

Old prices

I've replaced boilers and charged more than the whole system cost new

Good luck in your search, maybe someone here is old enough to know and young enough to still remember

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Andy Wilhide

Old prices for history report

Yes--I'm looking for how much these systems used to cost for a history report. I'm not looking for pricing on a current job. I got the Lost Art of Steam Heating and have read through the primary sources you have in "the library" on this website hoping to find information on how much these systems used to cost in a small, single-family home but haven't been able to come up with number. I've found old prices for furnaces, boilers, etc...but not for a steam, hot-water or forced-air system. Would you know what a general prices might be or where I could look?

Thanks--Andy

Andy Wilhide

Old prices for history report

I'm looking for how much these systems used to cost for a history report. I'm not looking for pricing on a current job. I got the Lost Art of Steam Heating and have read through the primary sources you have in "the library" on this website hoping to find information on how much these systems used to cost in a small, single-family home but haven't been able to come up with number. I've also looked through old catalogs--retail and trade. I've found old prices for furnaces, boilers, etc...but not for a steam, hot-water, radiant or forced-air system. Would you know what a general prices might be or where I could look? I'm not in the heating industry so I don't know how to guesstimate how much a system would have cost.

Thanks,
Andy

Tony Conner_2

Didn't...

... Sears used to sell prefab kits? I remember something posted about something like $70,000,000 worth of business a year, up until WWII. There's likely an old cagalog kicking around on somebodys shelf.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

A 1923 Colonial home in kit form from Gordon VanTine. About 3,000 sq.ft (one of the largest they made).

Cost of ALL materials for home proper (to include cabinetry and all hardware, paint, nails, etc.) save foundation and plaster, with nearly every piece pre-cut to exact size: $2,925.

Cost of materials for warm air heating system for same: $263.80 (9%).

Cost of materials for two-pipe gravity hot water heating system for same: $722.50 (25%).

----------------------------------------
I've misplaced the reprint of the catalog. I did post an analysis of different forms of heat for homes of a range of sizes/styles here years ago. Alas so long ago that it's not even contained in the history.

If I remember correctly, that 25% material cost was fairly common. One-pipe steam (which was also offered) was significantly less. Proportionate cost for small homes was higher. Hot water heat was by far the most expensive option offered by Gordon VanTine. If I recall properly a complete electrical system would run from $30 - $120 for an "average" home depending on the grade of the light fixtures.

Labor is not included in the price I mentioned. Two-pipe hot water would obviously cost the most in labor as there are more pipes to thread...

Andy Wilhide

Thank you

Mike,

Thank you for all the great information--it was really helpful to see real historic prices. Have you come across any prices for heating systems in the 1950s/60s? Especially a Radiant heat system? Again...I keep finding all the info on furnaces and boilers but am not finding info on the complete system. Any info or tips you can give on where I can look would be very appreciated.

Thanks!
-Andy