Whether you do-it-yourself or hire a plumber, advance planning pays off when plumbing is involved.

Yours may be a simple "drop-in" replacement or entail additional tasks, such as:

• Floor tile work
• Faulty shut-off valve repair
• Repair or modification of water supply lines
• Repair or modification of the drain line pitch
• Repair or modification of the venting system
• Painting of wall (if the new toilet tank is smaller than the old one)

Price around and get quotes before the work is done.

Each quote should include any related jobs that need to be part of the project and any extra work items that could develop during the job.

The quote should also include the total number of hours, the plumber's rate per hour and an itemized list of direct expense costs so that a comparison between quotes can be easily made.