Replacing a tap is a smaller job than moving a toilet, a shower waste or a kitchen sink. The quote is only comparable with another quote when both describe the same layout. Say whether the fixtures stay where they are, and whether a dishwasher, a sink position or a gas cooktop is changing. “Renovate the bathroom” is not a scope. A list of what moves, and what stays, is a scope.
What to put in the request
For a bathroom, say whether the bath, shower, basin and toilet stay in their current positions. Say whether the wall tiles and the floor will be removed by someone else, or whether the plumber is being asked to work around a finished room. For a kitchen, say whether the sink bowl, the tap hole and the dishwasher position change. If you have a plan, say so and offer to share it when the plumber calls. You do not need to attach a drawing to the form if you can describe the moves in sentences.
Say who supplies the fixtures. A quote that includes a specific toilet suite is not the same document as a quote that connects a suite you have already bought. If you have bought fixtures, say what they are in plain language, without expecting the plumber to have seen them. If nothing has been chosen, say that the quote should allow for a standard connection and that the fixture choice is still open.
Licences, waterproofing and gas
Plumbing and waterproofing are not always the same licence. In some states waterproofing is its own class. Ask who holds the licence for the pipework and, if the job includes a bathroom membrane, who holds the licence for that part. A gas cooktop that moves is gasfitting, which is licensed separately. Do not disconnect the cooktop yourself so that a cabinetmaker can start. Leave isolation to a licensed gasfitter, and ask the quote to say whether that isolation and the later reconnection are included.
Do not start demolition on the assumption that the pipes can be moved to match a picture. Agree the positions with the plumber before the floor or the wall is opened. If the existing drain cannot be moved to the place the plan shows, the plan has to change or the quote has to include a different method. That conversation belongs before the strip-out, not after the skip is full.
Units and strata
A body corporate or owners corporation may need to approve work that affects common property, a waterproof membrane, or the lot below. The owner or the agent arranges that approval. PlumberQuotes does not. If you are a property manager, say whether approval is already in place, or whether the quote is only for a scope the committee can consider. Put access, the tenant and the invoice name in the job details.
Ask the quote to list exclusions: tiling, carpentry, electrical for a new point, painting, and rubbish removal. Ask which compliance certificates apply. Check the plumbing licence, and any separate waterproofing or gasfitting credential, on the register for that state or territory before you accept. This site does not publish a price for a bathroom or a kitchen. The plumber quotes the property in front of them.
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PlumberQuotes introduces you to a local plumber. It is not a plumbing contractor, and it does not promise a time.