What it costs
Rough numbers, before you ring.
Most tradies make you enquire before they will tell you anything. Here is the ballpark up front so you can work out whether it fits your budget. The accurate number still comes from Hoff looking at your job.
These are indicative ranges to help you budget, not quotes. Every job is different and the only accurate number is the one Hoff gives you after looking at yours. Quotes are free, itemised and in writing before any work starts. All figures include GST.
Air-conditioning
Cooling and heating.
Split-system, small room (2.5kW)
quality unit supplied and installed, straightforward back-to-back
Bedroom or study sized. A long pipe run or a second-storey position adds to this.
$2,000 to $2,900
Split-system, living area (5-7kW)
quality unit supplied and installed
Most Brisbane living rooms land in this band. Larger open-plan spaces sit at the top of it.
$3,200 to $5,200
Install only, you supply the unit
labour, mounting, pipe run, electrical connection and commissioning
Hoff will tell you honestly if the unit you have bought is the wrong size for the room.
$700 to $1,400
Multi-split, two indoor heads
outdoor unit, two indoor heads, supplied and installed
Suits homes where there is no roof space for ducting. Each additional head adds to this.
$5,500 to $8,500
Ducted, 2-3 bedroom single storey
system supplied, ducted, zoned and commissioned
$9,000 to $11,500
Ducted, 3-5 bedroom single storey
system supplied, ducted, zoned and commissioned
$12,000 to $14,500
Ducted, large or multi-storey
system supplied, ducted, zoned and commissioned
Roof access, zone count and storey count are what move this figure.
$15,000 to $20,000
Service and clean, per unit
filters, coils and drain cleaned, gas pressures and operation checked
Cheaper per unit when several are done in the same visit.
$150 to $280
Fault diagnosis, first hour on site
attendance and diagnosis, credited toward the repair if you go ahead
Parts and any refrigerant work are quoted once the fault is known.
$130 to $190
Electrical
Power, lighting and safety.
Call-out and first hour
attendance plus the first hour of labour
Small jobs are often done inside this hour.
$120 to $180
Hourly rate after the first hour
labour, standard weekday hours
Hoff works Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm. There is no after-hours rate because there is no after-hours service.
$95 to $140
Additional powerpoint
one new outlet supplied and installed off an existing circuit
Cavity walls and accessible ceilings sit at the low end. Solid walls or a long cable run sit higher.
$180 to $380
LED downlights, per light
supplied and installed, replacing existing fittings
Per-light cost drops as the count goes up. A whole-house relight is quoted as one job.
$90 to $170
Ceiling fan, existing wiring
fan installed and balanced where a fan or light point already exists
Running new wiring and a wall control costs more than swapping an existing point.
$180 to $340
Switchboard upgrade
new board, circuit breakers, safety switches, circuits identified and tested
Older Brisbane homes with ceramic fuses and unlabelled circuits sit toward the top.
$1,500 to $3,000
Safety switch (RCD)
one RCD supplied and fitted to an existing board with spare capacity
If the board has no room, this becomes a switchboard job rather than a single device.
$180 to $450
Interconnected smoke alarm, per alarm
photoelectric interconnected alarm supplied and installed
Queensland has specific requirements for domestic smoke alarms. Whole-house compliance is quoted per property.
$150 to $280
Fault finding, first hour
attendance and diagnosis
Intermittent faults can take longer to trace. Hoff will tell you before the clock runs on.
$130 to $190
Why quotes differ
What moves the number.
Access
A ceiling you can stand up in, or a crawl space on your stomach. Solid walls or cavity. Ground floor or second storey. Access is the single biggest swing on most jobs.
What is already there
An existing circuit with spare capacity keeps a job small. A full switchboard with no room turns the same job into a bigger one.
Equipment chosen
Hoff fits Mitsubishi Electric and Daikin as a preference, and can quote budget options as well. The unit is often most of the cost on an air-con job.
Doing it once
Several jobs in one visit costs less than the same jobs across three. Worth listing everything when you enquire, even the small stuff.
Before you ask
Common questions.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. Quotes are free and there is no obligation. You get an itemised price in writing before any work starts.
Why is there a range instead of a price?
Because the honest number depends on your place. Two identical-sounding jobs can differ by hundreds once someone actually looks at the switchboard and the access. The range tells you the ballpark so you can decide whether it is worth a conversation.
Is the quote what I pay?
The written quote is the price. If something genuinely unforeseen turns up once a wall or ceiling is open, Hoff stops and talks to you before doing anything that changes the number.
Do you charge extra for after hours?
There is no after-hours rate because there is no after-hours service. Hoff works Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm.
Still not sure where your job lands? Call Hoff on 0413 832 356 and describe it. He will give you a ballpark on the phone rather than make you book a visit to find out.
Get the actual number.
Free, itemised and in writing. No obligation and no sales pressure.