How much does Handyman Plumbing cost in LA?

P-trap replacement: $80–$160

A P-trap is the U-shaped pipe under every sink in LA — it holds a water seal that blocks sewer gas. Plastic PVC traps last 15–25 years; chrome-plated brass traps in older homes can last 40 years before the threads corrode. Replacement is a 30–45 minute job: shut off the supply, place a bucket, unthread the slip nuts, swap the trap, reseat with new washers, and run water for two minutes to verify no leaks at any joint.

LA pricing is $80–$120 for a standard PVC trap swap on a kitchen or bathroom sink. The range covers PVC slip-joint traps (cheapest and most common — Keeney or Plumb Pak hardware from Home Depot), and 1.5-inch versus 1.25-inch sizing depending on whether it's kitchen or bath.

What pushes it to $160: chrome trap replacement in a 1940s Hancock Park bathroom where the existing brass is cracked and the tailpiece is corroded into the strainer, or a sink with a garbage disposal where the dishwasher branch tailpiece also needs replacement. If the trap arm goes back into a galvanized stub-out, the pro may recommend a full transition to PVC at the wall, which is a separate but related quote.

Supply line replacement: $60–$120

Supply lines are the flexible braided hoses connecting your shut-off valve to the sink faucet, toilet tank, or dishwasher. The braided stainless lines (Brasscraft, Fluidmaster) are good for 8–15 years before the rubber inside degrades. Past that point they can fail without warning — most of LA's slow water-damage claims come from a supply line that burst overnight while nobody was home.

Replacement is the cheapest plumbing call you can make: $60–$100 per line for a standard swap, $100–$120 if the angle stop is also weeping and needs repacking. A pro will usually replace both hot and cold under a vanity at the same time since they're already there — call it $90–$140 for the pair.

What you can't economize on is hose quality. The cheapest big-box supply lines (under $4) have thin-wall rubber and use plain steel braid that rusts. Pay $8–$12 for a Brasscraft, Fluidmaster, or Eastman braided line and they'll outlast the next faucet you install.

Shut-off valve (angle stop) replacement: $100–$180

The angle stop is the small valve where the supply line meets the wall. In LA homes built before 1990 these are often multi-turn brass valves with a small round handle. They're notorious for seizing — many have not been touched in 30 years and refuse to close cleanly when you finally need them. Modern installs use quarter-turn ball valves (Brasscraft KT or SharkBite) which are reliable, easier to operate, and the standard for any new work.

Replacement on copper supply pipes with existing compression fittings is straightforward — $100–$140 in LA. The pro shuts off the main, removes the old valve, cleans the copper, and installs a new compression-fit quarter-turn. If the existing supply is galvanized steel (common in pre-1980 Hollywood, Silver Lake, and Pasadena homes), the work is more involved: galvanized threads strip easily, and pros often transition the connection to PEX or copper using a SharkBite or threaded brass adapter. That pushes the job to $140–$180.

One pattern worth knowing: galvanized supply piping gets brittle from the inside out as it ages. If the pro encounters scaled, pitted galvanized pipe behind the wall, they'll flag that the broader supply system is approaching end-of-life — that's a re-pipe conversation, not a same-visit fix, and outside handyman scope.

Drain clearing: $120–$220

Drain clearing on Shatun Brothers covers fixture-level clogs: a bathroom sink that drains slow, a kitchen sink backed up at the trap, a tub that won't fully empty. Pros use a hand auger (drum snake) or a small electric snake (Ridgid K-39 or similar) to clear the trap arm and the branch line back to the main stack. LA pricing is $120–$220 depending on the fixture and how far the snake has to travel.

Kitchen drains are the most common call and usually the simplest — grease and food buildup in the trap arm, cleared in 20–30 minutes. Bathroom sinks are similar (hair, soap, toothpaste). Tubs and showers run the higher end because the pop-up assembly and overflow tube have to be partially disassembled to get the snake into the line.

What's outside this scope: anything past the fixture branch line. If the snake meets resistance at the main stack, or multiple fixtures back up at once, the issue is in the main drain or sewer lateral — that's licensed plumber territory, often involving a hydro-jet or camera inspection. Tree-root intrusion in the sewer lateral is very common in LA's older neighborhoods (mature ficus and magnolia roots find clay sewer joints) and is never handyman scope.

What an honest pro will do at the visit: try the simple snake first, and if the line is fully blocked or the snake bottoms out without breaking through, stop and tell you it's bigger than fixture-level. You shouldn't get billed $400 for a snake that didn't fix the problem — the pro should pivot to recommending a licensed plumber and only charge for the diagnostic time, not a full clearing.

What's outside handyman scope

It's worth being explicit about where simple plumbing ends and licensed-plumber work begins, since it changes who you should book:

• Re-piping — replacing supply main runs through walls or under slab. Permits, inspections, and licensed contractor required.
• Sewer mains and laterals — anything from the main stack to the city connection. Camera, hydro-jet, and licensed plumber work.
• Gas lines — even adding a stub for a new range or dryer is licensed-plumber-only in LA. Handymen do not touch gas.
• Full water heater replacement — gas water heater replacement involves gas line work, T&P relief plumbing, and earthquake strapping verification. Tankless conversion adds electrical and gas resizing. Both are plumber jobs.
• Slab leaks — water leaking from below the foundation slab. Detection equipment and licensed leak repair specialist.

How LA neighborhoods change the work

LA's housing age range is wider than most cities — and plumbing work tracks the era. Pre-1980 Hollywood, Silver Lake, Pasadena, and parts of Hancock Park were often plumbed in galvanized steel for the supply lines. Galvanized scales and rusts from the inside, and small handyman jobs in these homes regularly turn up the underlying issue: low water pressure, brown water on first draw, or pipes that look fine externally but are 70 percent restricted internally.

Mid-century homes (Sherman Oaks, Mar Vista, Eagle Rock, Long Beach) usually have copper supply with a mix of original cast-iron and PVC drain lines. These are predictable to work on — most simple plumbing jobs sit at the middle of the price ranges above.

Modern construction (post-1995 condos and renovations) uses PEX supply, PVC drains, and quarter-turn ball valves at every fixture. Quick, clean, and most repairs sit at the low end. When booking, mentioning your home's approximate build year helps the pro bring the right fittings — especially SharkBite transition couplings for any galvanized-to-modern work.

On the platform: pros showing the License Verified badge are licensed plumbers who can take both simple and broader plumbing work in the same visit if scope expands. Persona ID verification and Insurance Verified badges apply to all dispatched pros regardless of trade. If your job starts as a simple shut-off swap and the pro discovers a deeper galvanized issue, the License Verified pro can either continue (with a re-quote and your approval) or refer cleanly without you starting from zero.