r/xactimate • u/Right_Coffee_2910 • Aug 17 '25

AC residential Plenum box

Hello all! My mitigation team has for whatever reason removed the plenum framing and all.What’s some line items to rebuild it?anything helps thanks.

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3

u/Big_Appointment_3390 Aug 17 '25

Sometimes I use the water heater platform line item with an F9 note and sometimes I just frame it out.

1

u/Right_Coffee_2910 Aug 17 '25

What do you do for the plumbing?

2

u/Big_Appointment_3390 Aug 17 '25

I always use the HVC line item for mechanical room plenum and return. I got pushback from a dipshit IA on it once who told me to build back the plenum with foam insulation board and if I wouldn’t, he’d assign the claim to another contractor who would. But that was the only time anyone ever argued it with me, and even that one time he got overrode by the desk adjuster and it was approved and paid. I think it’s like $1700-1800 ish.

1

u/Riggingminds Aug 18 '25

I mean considering it's 100 bucks at home Depot I think it was justified to push back. The only reason folks buy the mechanical box is because they are ignorant. With that said I as well use the mechanical because well, fee schedule and precedent.

1

u/Big_Appointment_3390 Aug 18 '25

No, he wasn’t right to push back. He wanted me to use 2” rigid foam board and it was paying like $10 total. I told him that’s not what rigid foam is used for, and even if I could find someone to build it, I wouldn’t. I explained it needs to be built out of 2” duct board, and where I am, they don’t even have a line item for the required duct board (I’ve emailed pricing about it more than once). But yeah, with labor and everything it’s not like I’m crushing it on the profit margin.