Service

Bathroom & kitchen plumbing

Rough-in · Fit-off · Moving fixtures · Laundries · Drainage set-out

The plumbing decisions get made before the tiler arrives.

Renovation plumbing happens in two visits months apart, and almost everything that goes wrong in a bathroom traces back to the first one. Falls, waste positions, pipe routes and set-out all get locked in at rough-in, and they are expensive to change once the floor is down.

How a reno runs

✓ Licensed & insured ✓ 24/7 emergency ✓ Price before we start

Book renovation plumbing

Three quick steps. Every enquiry answered within 12 hours. If it's urgent, call.

Thanks. We've got it, and we'll come back to you within 12 hours. If it's urgent, call Luke on 0423 213 079 or Zach on 0402 273 744.

24/7 Emergency

Renovation gone wrong?

Luke0423 213 079 Zach0402 273 744

The short answer

Renovation plumbing is done in two stages. Rough-in happens after demolition and before the walls and floor are closed up: the water pipes, waste pipes and drainage are installed in their final positions, the floor waste is set at the correct fall, and everything is pressure tested. Fit-off happens after tiling: tapware, mixers, shower fittings, toilets, vanities and sinks are installed and commissioned. Getting the rough-in right matters most, because the position of a floor waste or the route of a drain is fixed once the floor is tiled, and changing it later means lifting the work you just paid for.

Where bathroom renovations go wrong

We get called into other people's renovations often enough to know the pattern. Almost all of it is decided at rough-in.

The floor does not fall to the waste. Water sits on the tiles instead of draining. This is the most common complaint about a finished bathroom and it is set long before the tiles go on.
The floor waste is in the wrong place. Under the door, in the middle of where you stand, or too far from the shower to be any use.
Nobody checked the fixture positions against the actual cabinetry. Waste and water outlets that do not line up with the vanity that has been ordered.
Shower mixer at the wrong height, or in the spray. A small set-out decision that you live with every day.
Tapware bought that will not work with the plumbing. Some imported fittings do not suit Australian connections or pressures, and it is much better to find that out before tiling.
Drainage connected without thinking about the existing system. A new bathroom sharing an already marginal old drain line is a blockage waiting to happen.
Trades sequenced wrongly. Plumber after waterproofer, tiler before fit-off. Every out-of-order trade costs somebody money.
Relocating a toilet without checking the fall. Toilets need adequate fall to the drain, and moving one a couple of metres is not always as simple as it sounds.

If you are planning a renovation, get the plumber in at the design stage, not after the cabinetry is ordered. Ten minutes looking at the plan saves a great deal later.

How it works

How a renovation runs, in order

Look at the plan before anything is bought

We check the fixture positions against what is actually possible: where the existing drainage runs, how much fall is available, whether the wall can take the pipework, and whether the tapware you have chosen suits the setup. Changes here are free.

Demolition and disconnection

Old fixtures out, services capped and made safe. We work out what is behind the walls, which in older homes is often not what the previous owner told you.

Rough-in

Water and waste installed in their final positions. Floor waste set with correct fall. Pipework fixed and protected. Everything pressure tested before it is covered up, because finding a leak now is trivial and finding it later is a demolition job.

Waterproofing and tiling

Not our trade, and we say so. We work around whoever is doing it and make sure they have what they need from us. Sequence matters here more than anywhere.

Fit-off

Once tiling is done, tapware, mixers, shower fittings, toilet, vanity and sink go in and get commissioned. Water on, everything tested, everything checked for leaks.

Final check with you

We run the water, check the fall by watching where it actually goes, and make sure the things you use every day are where you want them.

What renovation plumbing costs

Renovation plumbing is priced on the job, and the biggest cost driver is whether you are keeping fixtures where they are or moving them.

Are you moving anything? A like-for-like bathroom where the toilet, shower and vanity stay put is a very different price from a new layout. Moving a toilet is the most expensive single change because of the drainage.
What is behind the walls and under the floor. Old galvanised supply pipe found at demolition is worth replacing while it is open. Concrete slab is harder to run drainage through than a subfloor.
Single or double storey. A first floor bathroom means dealing with the ceiling below and longer pipe runs.
How many fixtures. Bath, shower, vanity, toilet, laundry tub, kitchen sink, dishwasher and washing machine points all add up.
Whether the existing drainage can take it. If we camera the line and find it is already marginal, dealing with that now is far cheaper than after tiling.
Your tapware choices. Standard Australian fittings are straightforward. Specific imported or designer items sometimes need particular parts or preparation.

We quote rough-in and fit-off as one job so you know the total plumbing cost before you start, rather than getting a second surprise months later at fit-off. If we hit something genuinely unforeseen behind a wall, we will show you and price it before we proceed.

Where we work

Renovation plumbing across Sydney's north

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Questions

Renovation plumbing questions

Rough-in is the first-stage plumbing, done after demolition and before the walls and floor are closed up. It puts all the water and waste pipes in their final positions and sets the fall on the floor waste. Fit-off is the second stage, after tiling, where the visible things go on: tapware, mixers, shower fittings, toilet, vanity and sink. Rough-in is where the important decisions get made and fit-off is where they become visible.

No, and we would rather tell you that plainly than take it on. Waterproofing is its own trade and it needs to be done by someone who does it properly, because a failed shower membrane is one of the most expensive things that can go wrong in a house. We work in with whoever is doing it and make sure the sequence and the set-out suit them.

Sometimes, and it is the change most likely to cause problems. A toilet needs adequate fall from the pan to the drain, so how far and in which direction you can move it depends on where the existing drain sits and how much height you have to work with. On a concrete slab it can mean cutting the slab. We can tell you quickly whether your plan works, which is why it is worth asking before you commit to a layout.

Yes, and most of our renovation work is alongside other trades. What we need is realistic notice of when rough-in and fit-off are wanted, because those two visits have to land in the right slots in the sequence. If the tiler is booked and the rough-in has not happened, everybody has a problem.

You can, and plenty of people do. Two pieces of advice. Buy it before rough-in so we can set out to suit it, not after. And be careful with cheap imported fittings, because some are not suited to Australian connections or water pressure and you will not enjoy discovering that at fit-off.

Rough-in on a standard bathroom is typically a day or two. Fit-off is usually a day. The gap between them is set by the waterproofing, tiling and drying times, not by us, so the plumbing is only a few days of a renovation that may run for weeks.

It depends on the scope and on your council, and if you are in a strata building you will almost certainly need the owners corporation's approval as well. Plumbing and drainage work itself has to be done by a licensed plumber and there are notification and certification requirements for certain drainage work. We will tell you what applies to the plumbing side of your job.

Yes, and we do. Be prepared for the honest answer though: if the problem is that the floor does not fall to the waste, fixing it properly means taking up the floor. We will tell you what it will actually take rather than offering a patch that does not work.

Yes. Kitchen sinks, dishwasher and fridge points, laundry tubs, washing machine taps and the drainage for all of it. Kitchens are usually simpler than bathrooms because there is no floor waste and no shower to worry about.

Get the plumber in before the cabinetry is ordered

The best money you can spend on a bathroom renovation is ten minutes of a plumber's time looking at your plan before anything is bought. It is also the step almost everyone skips.

Why rough-in decides everything

At rough-in, the position of every pipe and every waste is fixed and then buried under screed, waterproofing and tiles. The fall of the floor towards the waste is set. The height of the shower mixer is set. Whether the vanity waste lines up with the vanity you have ordered is set. All of it becomes permanent the day the tiler starts.

Changing any of it afterwards means removing tiles and cutting into a waterproof membrane, which means re-waterproofing and re-tiling. That is why a decision worth nothing at planning stage can cost thousands three weeks later.

The fall on the floor is the thing people complain about

If you have ever stood in a shower with water pooling around your feet, or seen a puddle that sits in the middle of a bathroom floor for an hour, that is fall. The floor has to be shaped so water runs to the waste, and the waste has to be somewhere sensible. It is set at rough-in and screeding, it is invisible when the tiles are on, and it is the single most common thing people are unhappy about in a finished bathroom.

Older homes hold surprises

Pulling an original bathroom out of a Federation home in Wahroonga or Turramurra, or a 1960s bathroom in Baulkham Hills or Castle Hill, regularly reveals galvanised supply pipe, lead-jointed cast iron, or drainage that has been modified by three different tradespeople over sixty years. The right time to deal with all of that is while the wall is open, because it is a fraction of the cost then compared with later. We will show you what we found and give you a straight recommendation about what genuinely needs doing versus what can be left.

Sequencing, briefly

Demolition, then plumbing rough-in, then electrical rough-in, then wall and floor preparation, then waterproofing, then tiling, then plumbing fit-off and electrical fit-off. Trades out of order is the most common cause of a renovation running late and over budget, and it is almost always avoidable with a bit of planning.

Call Luke on 0423 213 079 or Zach on 0402 273 744, or send the form with your plan and we will come back to you within 12 hours.

Related services

Taps & toiletsDripping tapware, a cistern that runs all night, a toilet that will not flush properly. Hot water systemsNo hot water, not enough of it, or rusty water. We repair what is worth repairing and replace what is not. Gas fittingGas leaks, new appliances, cooktops and hot water. Licensed gas work with a compliance certificate. Blocked drainsGurgling toilets, slow showers, water coming up the gully. We find the cause with a camera before we clear it. Burst pipes & leaksWater where it should not be, a jump in the bill, or a wet patch that will not dry out. Strata plumbingCommon property and lot work for strata managers and building managers, with a written report for the file.

Planning a renovation?

Send us the layout, even a rough sketch, before the cabinetry and tapware are ordered. Every enquiry answered within 12 hours.

Luke 0423 213 079 Zach 0402 273 744 admin@bmadvanced.com.au

The Hills, North Shore & Northern Beaches, NSW

We'll call you back

Three quick steps. Every enquiry answered within 12 hours. If it's urgent, use the numbers.

Thanks. We've got it, and we'll come back to you within 12 hours. If it's urgent, call Luke on 0423 213 079 or Zach on 0402 273 744.