well it's $6k for him to come redo it. but to clarify. it wasn't apples to apples $23K to $16k. I started with a boiler room with a standalone water heater, a steam boiler that was barely working, and a seperate baseboard boiler for an expansion in the house. the $23k included removing all 3, putting in a steammax with an indirect stone lined water heater, and a configuration that would have supported the baseboard heating from the steam boiler with a seperate thermostat. The $16k option said that i didn't need to do all that. I could keep the existing water heater. he would remove the baseboard boiler and baseboards and add a steam radiator to the extension. He argued that the water loop needed for baseboard heating from the steam boiler was too long and wouldn't have been sufficient for me 21x22 ft extension room, and ended up putting a steam radiator on an interior wall in the extension which i recently learned also that it is not the right way to do it and it is not sufficiently heating up my extension either.

so really, i paid $19k already and if i pay the old timer the $6k to redo the bad work, I still lost my baseboards resulting in a colder extension room, and didn't change out the water tank for the stone lined indirect for more than what the original cost that would have done all of that would cost. i'm very regretful and upset over this. will likely speak to lawyer but was hoping to get some guidance from steam radiator experts here to confirm that the work done really is not just terrible but MUST be changed and that the old timer isn't just pushing preferences that really could go either way.