Rough-in before the tiles
The rough-in is the plumbing installed before the wall linings and the floor go on — the waste, the water supply, the gas (if the kitchen has a gas cooker), and the set-outs for the fixtures. Getting the rough-in right is the difference between a renovation that goes together cleanly and one where the toilet sits too close to the vanity, the shower waste does not fall, or the mixer does not line up with the basin. We rough in to the actual fixtures you have chosen, with the right falls and the right set-outs.
Falls and waste
A shower floor that holds water is a fall problem, not a tile problem. The waste has to fall to the grate at the right grade, the floor has to be screeded to that fall, and the waterproofing has to be done before the tiles. We set the falls, install the floor waste and the linear grate where used, and coordinate with the waterproofer so the job is sequenced right. A bathroom that leaks into the room below is almost always a failed waterproofing or a waste that does not fall.
Vanities, basins and mixers
We install wall-hung and floor-standing vanities, inset and vessel basins, and the mixers that go with them. The common issues are the set-out (the mixer has to clear the basin rim), the waste (a slotted or unslotted pop-up waste to suit the basin), and the backing for a wall-hung unit (the wall has to carry the load). We check all three before the unit goes in.
Kitchen sinks and the gas cooker
In the kitchen we install single and double-bowl sinks, pull-out mixers, filtered-water outlets, and the gas connection for a gas cooker. The gas cooker is Type A gas work — we size the gas line to the full connected load, commission the appliance, and issue the Energy Safe Victoria compliance paperwork. A dishwasher is a plumbing connection (the water supply, the waste, and the overflow) and we set that up to the manufacturer's instructions.
Compliance and sign-off
Renovation plumbing has to be signed off. We lodge the compliance work — the water, the waste, the gas — so the renovation is legal, insurable, and ready for the next owner. If you are selling, the plumbing compliance is the part a buyer's inspector will check. We do not leave a renovation without the sign-off.
Repairs without a full renovation
Not every bathroom or kitchen problem needs a full renovation. A leaking shower waste, a cracked basin, a stiff mixer, or a sink that will not drain can all be repaired in place. We will tell you when a repair is the answer and when the underlying waterproofing or waste has gone and a renovation is the only proper fix.
Waterproofing, sequencing and the trades
A bathroom renovation is a sequence, and the plumbing has to land in the right order or the waterproofing and the tiling fail. We rough in the waste and the supply, set the floor waste and the falls, and hand over to the waterproofer with the waste installed and the floor screeded to the right grade — because a waterproofing membrane laid over a waste that moves or a floor that does not fall will leak the day the tiles go on. We come back to fit the fixtures once the tiles and the sealing are done, connect the mixers, the toilet and the basin, and pressure-test the whole system before sign-off. On a kitchen we coordinate the gas connection for the cooker with the sparky and the cabinetry, and we set the dishwasher and the sink waste so the cabinetry goes over plumbing that actually fits. We do not leave the sequencing to chance.