steelskies:

You have run into a flooring contractor who knows what he's doing. He's obviously experienced. I'd take his suggestions and I'll bet it turns out beautifully.

Why can't you just roll the fridge?

I am sorry, but it is not complicated at ALL to unhook water supply to fridge and unplug a stove from the power supply. They also slide pretty well and can moved off the old floor with one person. If you are concerned about them scratching any other floors you can lay a thin sheet of luan down. There are also sliders made to go under heavy appliances for ease of moving.

I have no idea of a fair cost of installation, but he is being a little dramatic about moving appliances. But move them you must to get your best floor.

greenhaven:

When you rip or damage a new vinal floor reinstalling appliances and have to buy the customer a new one, you too will be a "little dramatic" about moving appliances.

" ... also very involved to unhook the water going to the icemaker and water dispenser."

Is there something more than turning off the water and unhooking the supply line ... ?

Trebuchet said "greenhaven:
When you rip or damage a new vinal floor reinstalling appliances and have to buy the customer a new one, you too will be a "little dramatic" about moving appliances."

And that is why people lay down luan on floors they don't want trashed. Heck, for a simple re-installation of appliances it wouldn't even have to be fastened down, just laid and picked up again. And I know alll about ripping new vinyl. Did it myself once, putting back a fridge after vinyl installation. But I also was lazy and impatient and did not take any precautions.

jellytoast said: "Is there something more than turning off the water and unhooking the supply line ... ?"

Unless I am missing something (and that is entirely possible,) then no, that it is about it. If the appliances are all going right back where they belong it is a five minute or less job to disconnect appliances.

Of course, I say that but once we replaced a dishwasher and did not realize it was hard-piped in (who does that???!) It snapped when we pulled it out and it started spewing hot water everywhere. Things do happen.

I'm still trying to figure out how three guys are going to lift a refrigerator and sit it down without having to slide it. My fridge is enclosed. How in the heck would they do that??

We put two sheets of Ramboard (don't know what that is exactly) on the whole floor where the refrigerator would slide in (it had been sitting waiting for the cabinets and plumbing to be finished). It was not a problem. Disconnecting electrical and plumbing might be a little tricky with an enclosed or built-in fridge?

I imagine you'd have to slide or pull the fridge out before you can disconnect the power cord and the water line. But that doesn't seem complicated to me? I mean, the installation is done the same way, except that it's reversed?

There's usually about 2" clearance in the back of the fridge. Before pulling it out, you can probably tilt it backward a little, and put some furniture felt pads underneath to prevent it from scratching the floor.

ILoveCookie - do you think the plumbing line and electrical connections are long enough to pull it out far enough to disconnect them? (I honestly don't know)

sjhockeyfan -- unless the surrounding and adjacent cabinets were installed after the fridge was put in place (which would be unusual, I think), I think the lines should be long enough to allow the initial install to take place. I just cannot imagine another way for the installer to reach the very back of the fridge.

Yes, it would be seriously messed up if water and electrical were not long enough to slide appliances out. Standard range cords are 6' for exactly that reason; long enough not slide the stove out of the way and for someone to reach down to unplug it.

I agree with Trebruchet, sounds like you picked the right guy to do your project

Not sure why anyone here would try to second guess the "pros" opinion about have 3 guys move the fridge...this is what he does for a living and one would think he has done something like this many times and has learned his lesson about doing it the right way and doing it the wrong way...wrong way may work 9 out of 10 times, but of course the 10th time the floor gets messed up and someone will be on here complaining that the floor guy damaged the new floor etc etc....

Quote of $600 sounds more then reasonable

Let the guy do his job the way that he knows will work....

The OP seems overwhelmed by what's involved to properly replace the kitchen flooring. It's not complicated...just requires a little planning, and moving furniture / appliance out of the way is an essential part of the project.

When I replaced my bedroom floor, I hired movers to move my furniture out of the room. It was $200 each time they came out ($400 total for moving stuff out and back in). So the $600 quote the OP got for the entire job seems very very reasonable to me too.

"Not sure why anyone here would try to second guess the "pros" opinion about have 3 guys move the fridge ..."

I'll hazard a guess as to why ... because the "pros" aren't always right and there have been countless incidents posted about here to prove it. The OP simply asked if it seemed reasonable and others chimed in with their opinions. That's what the OP asked for ... other opinions. Since moving refrigerator in and out is usually a fairly simple thing not requiring three guys and not requiring removing all the doors, the OP's question did not seem at all out of line. There is nothing wrong with someone questioning what they have been told by their contractor. That's one of the reasons this board exists.

Jellytoast: I agree pros are not always right, but in this case it seems as if the pro is going above and beyond to make sure that he does not have a call back about a damaged floor.

OP's question was perfect and a great way to use a board such as this...it is more the responses that get me shaking my head

Going above and beyond is one thing, but calling a job complicated when it really isn't and charging for complicated isn't right, either.

Just to clarify, I do NOT necessarily think that is what is going on here, because I have not one clue about what it costs to install vinyl these days.

It is easy to second-guess a pro when one knows all too well that it does not take three guys and door removal to move a fridge for vinyl installation. There are always exceptions, and those have already been well-documented here.

It is more about making a knowledgeable decision on the part of homeowners rather than trying to prove pros wrong. Knowledge is power.

"OP's question was perfect and a great way to use a board such as this...it is more the responses that get me shaking my head."

What's so strange about them? I guess to some of us, it seemed like he may have been going above and WAY beyond. If a flooring guy told me, "I have to remove your refrigerator doors to move the refrigerator," I'd want to know why. Why? Because I don't want someone taking my refrigerator apart unnecessarily. If he said it was a big deal to unhook the water supply, I'd want to know why because normally it ISN'T a big deal.

If I took my car to the mechanic for a suspected oil leak and he said "You need a new engine!" I could take him at his word and pay for a new engine whether I needed it or not and never be the wiser, or I can get a second opinion.

I know enough to be able to check my oil and change a tire, but otherwise I know diddly-squat about engines and wouldn't have a clue if I were being ripped off.

Again, not suggesting these installers are trying to rip her off, just offering some perspective.

One would think that this particular floor installer, who based on his quote and the way he detailed the work to be done, has done this many times and has learned that he is better off having three men there to move the fridge instead of two.

I would also say that for $600 it seems like a good deal and peace of mind that (according to some) is going above and beyond what is required to make sure that he does his job properly and has no call backs and problems with the HO

I would much rather pay this person $600 then get another guy come in and do it for $500 and be in there trying to muscle the fridge out by himself and then trying to get it back into its opening and risk damaging the new floor

The taking off the refrigerator doors is what gives me pause. I've never seen that done to move a refrigerator and I'd be concerned about possible damage to the refrigerator. Is it still under warranty? Would having the floor guy tinkering with it void the warranty? Is it ice and water through the door? That would make me more nervous.

Somewhat randomly, I have only ever seen one or two guys move a refrigerator, and I'm not sure how a third would get his arms in there to help, but I have had small refrigerators so maybe that's a difference.

What's going to happen to this delicate floor should the fridge need service? Is the service tech going to bring two other "strong guys" to help him slide the fridge out for service and remove the doors to boot?

Sure, using three guys might be this flooring installer's way of moving the fridge out, but as others have pointed out, there are other ways to skin a cat. It's interesting how we all see things differently! Ajc71, you see removing the doors and having three guys move the fridge as "going above and beyond" and "peace of mind" for avoiding damaging the floor, and I see it as overkill with a good chance of damaging or scratching the appliance. Personally, I wouldn't let him remove my refrigerator doors, but that's just me.

So I have to ask, how big is this honkin' beast that it takes three men and disassembly to move it? Is there something about its location that is awkward? Where are they taking it? Are doors a problem? They always make a big deal of simple things to try to justify charging a lot of money for something. So it could possibly be a red flag for what you are in for. Two men would not be unusual, unless they just need to roll it somewhere else in the room.

How big is the kitchen? $600 for everything doesn't sound terribly expensive, considering what we pay for things. But it would be interesting to hear back how long the job takes and why so labor intensive if he should happen to keep multiple men on the job. A lot of flooring guys work independently, although they might have to call for help when moving things.

I would not want them taking my refrigerator apart. Were you around to see how it was handled at installation? Will you miss it?

If you're handy, I would look into DIY for this type of job. Very satisfying.

The gentleman who just installed our new vinyl floor put the fridge on plywood to move it back into place but apparently it caught & tore. No one saw it until moments after he left. He had a family member help him put it back into place so who is ultimately responsible (this person works for/contracted by home depot). We don't want to hurt a person's livelihood but we cannot afford to replace it because we have just paid to have ALL the flooring/carpet replaced.

pidbon:

It depends on the floor pattern, the severity of the rip, its visibility, and your fussiness level. If you've got some sort of geometric pattern, it can probably be repaired inconspicuously. If it's not too severe and visible, he may be able to stick it back down.

You're going to hear from the "Replace it!" crowd here. Keep a cool head and it will all work out, please.

To move my fridge into/out of kitchen the freezer drawer has to be pulled out and removed, and the french doors have to be unscrewed and removed. The 2 doorways into my kitchen are 32" wide. Our big (but not specialty/oversized) fridge physically can not travel through the 32" doorway in any orientation with the doors attached.

if the OP does not have open floor plan (i.e. has framed doorway(s) into kitchen), and has contemporary/large fridge, it totally makes sense that fridge door could have to come off to move it out of the room. You could ask if instead of moving everything (fridge) out of kitchen entirely, if he could put the fridge aside (with doors on) to one side of the kitchen, install the vinyl up to and into the fridge niche, then replace the fridge to its niche from storing in the "other" side of the kitchen, and complete the remaining floor portion?