Choosing plumber for bathroom renovation

I am preparing for a gut renovation of the bathroom in my pre-war apartment. It was previously re-done, in an extremely shoddy and hideous fashion, in the early 80s, but the plumbing is original and there have been a lot of issues in the building over the last few years; in any case, the management company requires re-doing it to the risers. My contractor got bids from a couple of plumbers and... [more]

I am preparing for a gut renovation of the bathroom in my pre-war apartment. It was previously re-done, in an extremely shoddy and hideous fashion, in the early 80s, but the plumbing is original and there have been a lot of issues in the building over the last few years; in any case, the management company requires re-doing it to the risers. My contractor got bids from a couple of plumbers and there's a big gap between the prices quoted. The (much) more expensive plumber does work in the (old, quirky) building all of the time, and is the plumber that the resident manager calls when the building's systems have problems. My impulse is to go with this plumber despite the expense because he's familiar with the building, and as a known quantity using him will probably make the process with the building management (which is very fussy) easier. Is this approach smart or stupid?! [less]