The Plumber's Business Starter Kit
USA (2026 Edition) — What's Inside
Every state gives plumbers a loaded weapon against non-paying customers. Almost none of them use it. Mechanic's lien rights let a licensed plumber put a legal claim on a property — forcing the owner to either pay or watch their title get clouded at closing. Most plumbers have never filed one. Most don't know the deadlines (30–90 days — miss it, you lose the right forever).
What's inside the 122-page manual
Being a great plumber and running a plumbing business are two different skills. The license, the insurance, the LLC, the pricing math, the contracts, the lien deadlines, the 2026 water heater efficiency rules — none of it was in your apprenticeship. This kit is the missing apprenticeship for the business side.
- The license ladder, decoded — journeyman vs master vs contractor, what each tier lets you SELL, the difference between statewide license states (TX, CA) and local-licensing states (NY, PA, IL), with a state-by-state lookup method for all 50
- Lien rights as a collection system — how mechanic's liens work for plumbing contractors, the preliminary notice requirement (miss it in CA and you lose your lien), filing windows in every major state, the exact sequence: demand letter → notice of intent → lien → release on payment
- Pricing that actually works — burdened labor rate, the true cost of a service call, flat-rate vs time-and-material, materials markup tiers, and a quick-reference rate guide for 30 common plumbing services
- The 2026 water heater rules — DOE efficiency mandates and what they mean for your replacement quotes
- The complete paper trail — phone intake to site assessment to signed quote to post-job checklist to warranty certificate
- The money math — startup budgets at three tiers, monthly break-even, and a projection model that shows how to reach $8,000/month as a solo operator
19 ready-to-use templates
- 7 Excel calculators with live formulas — price book pre-loaded with 30 plumbing services (water heater replacement, drain cleaning, leak repair, slab leak, repipe, and 25 more)
- 12 Word documents — service agreement, operating agreement, subcontractor agreement, estimate, change order, work order, invoice, warranty certificate, phone intake checklist, post-job QC checklist, site assessment, and 5-email follow-up pack
Preview — pages from the kit
Cover & title page
Table of contents — 20 chapters
Chapter sample — mechanic's lien rights
Price book — 30 plumbing services
Full kit contents overview
Who this is for
- Journeymen and masters going out on their own
- Plumbers moonlighting who want to do it legally and profitably
- New contractors in their first two years
Not for: anyone looking for plumbing technical training (this assumes you can do the work), or non-US markets.
Choose your tier
Instant download · PDF + Word + Excel · Refund within 14 days if not satisfied