94 Accord timing belt/water pump/axle

I have a 94 Accord EX w/ 150,000 miles. Recently I took it to a well-known repair chain to have my muffler fixed (muffler was under warranty from previous repair). The mechanic called and said I need my timing belt replaced along with my water pump. Also, he said I have one axle that needs to be replaced. He quoted the water pump job alone at $750, so all in all I'm looking to spend well over $1000. First of all, does this amount sound right? Second, what is the level of difficulty on these jobs? I am going to ask my dad to do it for me (he has rebuilt truck engines before and does all the repair on our cars so he has an excellent level of experience) but want to know how difficult it is before I ask him, and how much these repairs should typically cost. The mechanic claimed he wouldn't even turn it on due to its "problems". It was driving a little rough but I didn't notice anything abnormal and the water level was fine--do you think he's trying to gouge me? I would prefer to have my dad do it for cost reasons, but if it's next to impossible I would re-consider.