Unreasonable?? Not at all... In fact, this is probably a conservative estimate of the actual time it will take them, and maybe your quote is just what they think they will actually bill you for, barring major problems, because the slush time for fixing the inevitible unexplained problems is usually not on the initial quote, and is hardly ever fully billable.
I usually do not like to see end users in this forum, because it is supposed to be just pros. But, since you are here... look around at some of the other threads and see the problems we face. Many of the threads are newer pros asking advice from salty old veterans, but you will easily find the old vets looking in bewilderment for any help on a portion of a job that doesn't work properly for some unexplainable reason.
PVC is cheap, why was your plumbing so expensive?? Plumbing is not a hard science to master, and changes very little from decade to decade, much less month to month like custom A/V... Imagine what your plumbing contractor would charge in the instance where a certain valve or other common part he has used 100 times before suddenly and unexplainably didn't work... replace it with a backup and it still doesn't work. The manufacturer's support tells you, after waiting between 3 hrs & 2 days for a callback, that it should be working fine and to "check your connections". This is what we face every day. No matter how well designed the system is, it happens to some degree.
The guy needs to make money, he has a business to run with payroll for neat and reliable installers that don't have any desire to rob your house after the job, insurance payments in case someone drills through your radiant floor heat tubing, vehicle maintenence for the van(s) that come to your house, worker's comp insurance so nobody sues you in case someone falls off a ladder mounting the sat dish or ceiling speakers in the 2 story cathedral ceiling, etc.
BTW, the "rob your house" comment is based on reality... You know the roofers and siding guys that work for the contractor that always has the lowest bids?? I have seen a vanload of them hauled off a jobsite because the sherriff showed up to serve a warrant on one guy and noticed that most of the crew had outstanding warrants for things like HOME INVASION!!!
In IL, that's home burglary while the home is occupied.
I think I would take a closer look at the higher bids...
You are not being taken advantage of, in fact many of the pros here would not even go near a job where the homeowner wants to do this much of his own labor. Who assumes liability when something fails??
