My very significant other is quite cold-sensitive and I'm considering a plumbed-in natural-gas heater installed on our new terrace. The quoted cost of just the gas-line is $1500, which gives us a pause — the actual heater is going to cost about $1000 on top of that.

Is that a nice thing to have for those chilly nights, that follow the still still warm October days? Is it worth the upfront $2500, or should we plan on using a propane-powered heater you sometimes see at restaurants with outside seating?

Or are they trouble-prone and otherwise a hassle? We need to decide now, while the gas-plumbing is being done throughout the house anyway... Thanks! Yours,

doofus

Since you are already running gas, $1500 sounds really high to extend a line to your terrace. How much did they charge to stub for a gas grill? The amount should be similar with the only variant being the length of pipe.

I know about the benefits of having it permanently plumbed-in. There is also the disadvantage of being unable to move the thing anywhere (such as back-yard) or even replacing it — without hiring someone... We aren't going to use it too often — maybe, 10-20 nights a year total, I think...

How much did they charge to stub for a gas grill?

We aren't setting up a gas-grill :-) If we do grill outside, I intend to use real wood, otherwise, there is a great gas-range (with grill) planned for the kitchen. We negotiated on the whole house, not per-item, so I can't tell, how much is each item.

He said, the materials will cost about $800 and the rest is labor, which does, indeed, strike me as expensive, but I can't replace him at this point without major hassle and delays (the house is half-way through inspections) and he knows it...

And very possibly the size of the pipe.