Norblom Plumbing charges more than $180 per hour (Feb 2016). I like to buy and hire local and recently moved St. Paul, MN. I was looking for a plumber and saw an advertisement for Norblom Plumbing in the area newspaper. This company is located on Selby and I went against the rule of getting at least three bids knowing that contractors can be all over the place with ability and pricing. I hired them to move a laundry tub, washer and dryer, bring the sewer venting up-to-code, add a new dryer vent, and permits. On the telephone, I was told that it would cost, “about $1,500,” which sounded fair. A plumber showed up on time but said that the sewer venting was fine and a permit was not needed, so it would be, “a lot less than $1,500.” At the end of the six hours that it took him, I was presented an invoice of $1,588. The plumber danced around with words when I questioned him on the bill, saying that the office decided that the work that he did was more than he thought. I paid him but because he didn’t make any changes to the sewer venting, did not add the new dryer vent, and I didn’t have to pay for a permit as originally quoted, I was feeling stung. After looking carefully over the invoice, I discovered that I was billed $181.50 per hour. I called the office to see if this was correct and they said that I was billed for TIME AND MATERIALS and their time is $45 on 15-minute increments. This rate was never presented in writing or verbally until after the work was completed and I never would have agreed to such a high rate. The manager said that he would speak with the people who gave me the initial quote and the plumber who did the work and then get back to me. That was two weeks ago and I have not heard from anyone at Norblom Plumbing. After researching the going rate for plumbers in St. Paul, I learned that $80-$125/hr is usual, depending on the work and ability of the plumber. I have more plumbing work and will not hire Norblom Plumbing in the future. My advise to homeowners looking to hire a plumber (or any contractor), get at least three quotes and make them tell you their TIME RATE before you agree to hire them.