1-800-Plumber +Air Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
1-800-Plumber +Air is a plumbing and HVAC services franchise for residential and commercial customers. Franchisees run local operations, dispatching technicians for plumbing, heating, and cooling work and managing scheduling and sales.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A 1-800-Plumber +Air franchise requires a total initial investment of $179K – $346K, including a $35K – $55K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $166K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 10.7% charge-off rate across 28 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $179K – $346K
- 70th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $166K
- 3rd pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd pct Home Services
- Units
- 54
- 44th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 10.7%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $179K – $346K including a $35K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $166K/year (median $538K).
- Verdict D (Below average), verdict score 36/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 10.7% across 28 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- 69% of franchisees own multiple units, a high repeat-buyer signal suggests strong unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- 1-800-Services, LLC
- Parent company
- The Shaded Oak Group, LLC d/b/a Elevate Franchise Brands
- Predecessor
- 1-800-Plumber, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO and President
- Mark Collins
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- Texas
- HQ
- 1331 Broadway Street, Suite J, Pearland, Texas 77581
- Auditor
- CPA firm, Ft. Collins, Colorado (2024 report); St. George, Utah firm (2025 report)
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.2M
- vs $2.0M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mark Collins
- Headquarters
- Texas
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 24
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 16% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown38 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee (Standard) | $55K | $55K | |
| Real Property/Site Lease (Standard) | $1K | $5K | |
| Leasehold Improvements (Standard) | $1K | $20K | |
| Vans and Signage (2 Vans) (Standard) | $10K | $25K | |
| Tools and Equipment (Standard) | $15K | $26K | |
| Office Furniture (Standard) | $500 | $5K | |
| Computers/Office Equipment (Standard) | $0 | $5K | |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) (Standard) | $350 | $500 | |
| Insurance (Standard) | $2K | $30K | |
| Plumbing Inventory (Standard) | $3K | $10K | |
| HVAC Inventory (Standard) | $3K | $5K | |
| Start-Up Supplies (Standard) | $1K | $2K | |
| Training Costs (Standard) | $1K | $3K | |
| Security and Utility Deposits (Standard) | $500 | $6K | |
| 1-800-PLUMBER Business Licenses (Standard) | $10 | $10K | |
| Market Penetration Strategy (Standard) | $15K | $15K | |
| Professional Fees (Standard) | $500 | $3K | |
| Field Management System Fee (Standard) | $1K | $2K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (Standard) | $50K | $100K | |
| Franchise Fee (Conversion) | $45K | $45K | |
| Total initial investment | $287K | $644K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $179K – $346K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $55K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $14K |
| Inventory (initial) | $48K – $48K |
| Total fee load | 5.5% of rev |
A 5.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 86% below the home services norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$22K
13.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
6%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
15.6 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $166K
- Per unit/yr · from the Item 19 franchised-cohort breakdown (no single system-wide average disclosed)
- Median gross sales
- $538K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- tiered_actual_revenue
- Sample size
- 26 units
- vs category median 32
- Range (low → high)
- $39K→$7.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 355 Home Services brands
Revenue is only 0.6x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $166K/year in gross sales. Median ($538K) exceeds the average — distribution is bottom-heavy but most units perform well. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.6x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 5.5% — below the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 3/10 — moderate disclosure depth. Average and range data are available but detailed cohort breakdowns may be limited.
Multi-unit rate
69% of franchisees own multiple units — high repeat-buyer rate signals strong unit economics and operator satisfaction.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services averages
How 1-800-Plumber +Air Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 54
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 11
- Turnover rate
- 22.0%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 93%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 69.2%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 21
- Closed (3yr)
- 7
- Terminated (3yr)
- 4
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 2
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 15
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 50.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 30 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 28
- Loan volume
- $5.8M
- Median loan
- $205K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 10.7%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- 33.3%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 3
Vintage analysis
1-800-Plumber +Air charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing 1-800-Plumber +Air franchisees
Showing 3 of 4 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into 1-800-Plumber +Air's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 4 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 14 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 10.7% — 33% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Small, under-transparent plumbing franchise with high capital requirement, no revenue disclosure, and modest growth trajectory — suitable only for franchisees willing to conduct extensive validation due to missing financial benchmarks.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CPA firm, Ft. Collins, Colorado (2024 report); St. George, Utah firm (2025 report)
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 36 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (average unit volumes) disclosed — impossible to assess ROI or payback period against $159k-$327k investment
- 02MEDSmall system (54 units) with modest 13.6% YoY growth — limited scale, higher operational risk, reduced support infrastructure
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($54.5k franchise fee + $159k-$327k total) relative to system size and transparency
- 04MED4-6% royalty on undisclosed revenues creates earnings uncertainty — franchisees cannot benchmark profitability
- 05MINORNo 'going concern' status suggests potential franchisor stability questions or recent reorganization
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 5.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 350,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 100 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Houston, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor's headquarters in Pearland, Texas
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 40 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee (subject to franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Field Management Software System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Field Management Software System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
62 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
1-800-Plumber +Air · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a 1-800-Plumber +Air franchise?
The total investment to open a 1-800-Plumber +Air franchise ranges from $179K – $346K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do 1-800-Plumber +Air franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the 1-800-Plumber +Air FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $166K. The median is $538K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is 1-800-Plumber +Air's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, 1-800-Plumber +Air has a charge-off rate of 10.7% across 28 loans, meaning 10.7% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many 1-800-Plumber +Air franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, 1-800-Plumber +Air has 54 total units in the United States, including 50 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is 1-800-Plumber +Air a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates 1-800-Plumber +Air as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 36 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.