Bathroom and kitchen plumbing, done in the right order
- Response
- Booked in
- From
- $160 – $240
- Typical time
- How long it takes
- Warranty
- 12 months, in writing
Renovation plumbing is mostly a scheduling problem wearing a trade's clothes. The rough-in has to happen before the waterproofer, the waterproofer before the tiler, and the fit-off after the tiler — and if any one of those turns up in the wrong order somebody is paying to redo work.
So this is the service where we do the most talking and the least drama. We work to your builder's or your own program, we give you dates we can actually hold, and we tell you early when something upstream has slipped.
Booked in, usually within the week
The signs, in the words people actually use
If two or more of these sound familiar, you have almost certainly got this one.
- You are planning a renovation and need the plumbing programmed into it
- A tap or mixer that drips no matter how hard it is turned off
- A toilet that runs continuously or rocks on the floor
- A shower that has never drained properly since it was tiled
- Rust or damp showing at the base of a wall behind a wet area
What it turns out to be, most common first
Written in frequencies rather than percentages, because a made-up percentage is worse than an honest 'most of the time'.
- 1
Fit-off done before the tiling was finished
The commonest cause of a leaking new bathroom. Everything gets disturbed by the tiler and never re-tested.
- 2
A shower floor that falls the wrong way
A tiling and waterproofing fault rather than a plumbing one, but we find it, and it is worth finding before the room is finished.
- 3
Worn cartridges and seals
Ordinary wear. A dripping mixer is usually a $40 cartridge, and replacing the whole tap is rarely necessary.
- 4
Waste and vent runs that were never right
A gurgling or slow-draining new bathroom nearly always traces back to venting that was improvised during the reno.
What actually happens, stage by stage
No mystery, and nothing that happens out of sight. If there is a camera going down a drain, the screen gets turned around.
- Stage 01
Walk it before anything is ordered
We come out at the planning stage and tell you what your layout will actually cost in plumbing terms. Moving a toilet two metres is a very different number from moving a basin two metres, and it is much cheaper to know that before the tiles are chosen.
- Stage 02
Rough-in to the set-out
Water and waste run to the fixture positions, pressure tested, photographed and marked up before the walls close. You get the photographs — they are worth a great deal in ten years when somebody wants to hang a mirror.
- Stage 03
Hold the program
We coordinate directly with your waterproofer and tiler so the sequence holds. If they slip, we move rather than turning up and charging you for a wasted visit.
- Stage 04
Fit off and test everything
Fixtures fitted, every joint tested under pressure, every waste flood-tested, and the whole room checked before we leave. Twelve months of workmanship warranty, in writing.
Published, with the reasoning attached
Renovation work is quoted per room from the plan, not per hour. Replacements and repairs are quoted as jobs.
Tap or mixer cartridge replaced
$160 – $240
Most drips. Cheaper and better than replacing a tap that is otherwise sound.
Toilet suite supplied and installed
$620 – $980
Complete, including removal and disposal of the old one. The range is the suite you choose.
Bathroom rough-in and fit-off — same layout
$2,400 – $3,600
Two visits. Keeping the fixtures where they are is by far the biggest saving available in a bathroom reno.
Bathroom rough-in and fit-off — new layout
$3,800 – $6,500
Moving waste points means opening the floor. The range is about how far things move and what is under them.
Kitchen plumbing — sink, dishwasher and tap
$680 – $1,400
Includes the dishwasher point. More if the sink is moving to an island, which needs the waste re-run.
Fixtures and fittings are at your choice and your cost — we are happy to supply at trade or install what you have bought, and we will tell you honestly which brands we end up going back to.
How long it takes
A tap or toilet is under two hours. A rough-in is a day. A fit-off is a day. Between the two you are waiting on the waterproofer, the tiler and the cabinetmaker, which in practice makes a bathroom a three to five week job even though the plumbing in it is two days.
Getting a renovation right first time
Three decisions, made early, that save the most money.
- Keep fixtures where they are if you can live with it. It is the single biggest cost saving in any bathroom, and nobody has ever regretted the money they did not spend moving a toilet.
- Choose your fixtures before the rough-in, not after. A wall-hung basin, a floor-standing bath and a rimless toilet all need different things in the wall, and they need them before it closes.
- Insist on photographs of the rough-in before the plaster goes on. Any plumber who will not take them is one to think twice about.
A job of exactly this kind, with the invoice
What it was quoted at before it started, what each line cost, and whether the two numbers matched.
- 03ApplecrossDecember 2025
A slab leak found with a thermal camera, not a jackhammer
A water bill that had tripled and a warm patch on a tiled floor. Located to within a hand-span, then re-routed overhead instead of breaking the slab.
Invoiced$1,680against $1,680 quoted
What people ask about bathrooms & kitchens
Do you do the whole bathroom or just the plumbing?
The plumbing, and the coordination around it. We are not a renovation company and we would rather tell you that than pretend. We work alongside your builder or your own trades, and we can recommend the tiler and waterproofer we trust if you have not got one.
Can you install fixtures I bought online?
Yes, with one condition: it has to be WaterMark certified for installation in Australia. A lot of very attractive imported tapware is not, and installing it would void both your insurance and our warranty. Send us the model before you buy and we will check it for you.
My new shower already leaks. Whose fault is it?
We will find out and tell you, even when the answer is not us. Most of the time it is the waterproofing or the fall on the floor rather than the pipework — and knowing which it is, with photographs, is what you need to have it put right by whoever did it.
Ring us about bathrooms & kitchens
24 hours, 7 days — including public holidays. You get the price before anything comes out of the van, and you are free to say no to it.
Plumbing Contractor PL 7742 · Gas Fitting GF 3318 · 12 months on workmanship, in writing on every invoice