What to Expect to Pay for Plumbing Work
Real Estate In Motion | Many home and business owners who have needed plumbing work done have often wished they’d acted sooner, before a small problem...
Dreim

What to Expect to Pay for Plumbing Work

Many home and business owners who have needed plumbing work done have often wished they’d acted sooner, before a small problem became an emergency. Why do people put off work that they know needs to be done? One reason is uncertainty over cost. Knowing what to expect and understanding what contributes to the cost of plumbing work can go a long way toward making it a more comfortable proposition.

Here are a few approximate figures based on the Australian Plumbing Cost Guide. That’s the guidebook that many Australian plumbers use to help them with estimating.

What Goes Into the Estimate?


Some people are surprised when they hear plumbers’ typical rates, but there’s a lot more that goes into that figure than just the work you’re paying them to do onsite. Yes, of course expertise is part of it. Plumbers have to work their way through years of training and low-paying apprenticeships before they have the right to call themselves master plumbers and charge the full rate. Of course, you’d have to pay an even higher hourly rate for the services of a well-educated lawyer, doctor, dentist, architect or professional engineer.

However, it’s not just expertise you’re paying for. A master plumber will have a truck or van, maintain an office, and use administrative, accounting and marketing services to maintain their business. They have to buy and maintain plumbing tools, testing devices, computers and smartphones. They pay for insurance and licensing. They spend time and petrol driving to and from your home or business. They have to charge an hourly rate that takes all of that into consideration.

Typical Hourly Rates


The Australian Plumbing Cost Guide recommends a $75 to $95 call-out fee and $120.00 to $130.00 an hour, plus GST. That means you’ll likely pay at least $200 in labour for a simple job. If you group a few simple jobs together, you can avoid paying more than one call-out fee. However, your plumber may be able to save you money on the price of fixtures.


Examples of Plumbing Costs for Specific Jobs


Perhaps the most common plumbing job is tap repair and replacement. If you need new taps installed, either as a repair or part of a renovation, you can expect it to cost approximately $150 to $300 plus the price of the new fixture. If your home or business does not have a gas connection and you’d like to add one it will typically cost you at least $1,250. A repair to a home appliance might cost anywhere from $100 upwards.

The fact is, the cost of plumbing is highly variable, so give your plumber as much information as possible at the outset so that the estimate will be as accurate as possible.