Pipework measured by diameter and material, fixtures counted off the schedule, drainage set out from the sewer plan and gas kept on its own line. The whole hydraulic package, priced with your rates.
A price per bathroom is fine until the bathrooms are different, the run to the sewer is long, or the specification changes the pipe material halfway up the wall. Those are the jobs where a per-fixture allowance quietly loses money.
We measure the pipe runs by diameter and material, count every point and fixture off the schedule, and keep water, sanitary drainage, stormwater and gas as separate packages. Your supply rates and your labour rates drive the total, and you can change either one in the sheet.
Hydraulic drawings give the pipe routes; we measure them by linear metre within each diameter and material, and add the fittings, valves and brackets that go with them. Vertical runs come off the sections rather than being estimated from the floor plan.
Fixtures and tapware are counted against the schedule and grouped by room, so you can see the fit-out cost per wet area. Rough-in points are counted separately from the final fix, because they happen at different times and get paid at different times.
Below ground is measured on its own: sanitary drainage by diameter and depth band, stormwater including pits and downpipe connections, inspection openings, and the run to the point of connection. Gas is a separate package again, sized off the load and the run length.
Nothing here is an allowance. Each line is measured off your drawings in its own unit, so you can check it against the plan yourself.
| Item | How it is measured | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cold and hot water | Linear metres by diameter and material, plus fittings and brackets | Material changes mid-run more often than people expect, and the rates are not close |
| Sanitary drainage | Linear metres by diameter with depth bands, plus junctions and bends | Depth drives excavation cost, which is usually the bigger half of the drainage line |
| Stormwater | Downpipe connections, pits, grates and pipe runs to the discharge point | Stormwater gets left off residential quotes constantly — it is a full package on its own |
| Fixtures and tapware | Counted off the fixture schedule and grouped by wet area | Grouping by room is what lets you check the number against the plan quickly |
| Rough-in points | Counted per fixture, separated from final fix | Rough-in and fit-off are different visits and different progress claims |
| Hot water unit | Type, size and location, with flue or relief line requirements | Location decides pipe run length and whether a tempering valve is needed |
| Gas | Linear metres by size, appliance points and meter position | Sizing follows total load and run length, not the number of appliances |
| Excavation and backfill | Trench metres by depth, with bedding and backfill material | The trench is often a bigger cost than the pipe going in it |
| Package | Measured as | Common omission |
|---|---|---|
| Water services | Metres by diameter and material | Vertical runs read off the plan instead of the section |
| Sanitary drainage | Metres by diameter and depth band | Depth bands collapsed into one rate |
| Stormwater | Metres, plus pits and connections | The whole package, on residential work |
| Gas services | Metres by size, plus appliance points | Meter and regulator position |
| Fixtures | Count by type against the schedule | Tapware treated as included in the fixture |
| Trenching | Metres by depth, with bedding and backfill | Rock and shoring absorbed into the metre rate |
The length from the building to the sewer or water connection is one of the largest single variables on a residential plumbing job, and it is the one that is hardest to see on a floor plan. We take it off the site plan and the service authority drawings, and where the connection point is not shown we flag it rather than assuming a short run.
Depth matters as much as length. A connection that sits deep means a deeper trench, possible shoring and a much slower dig, so drainage is banded by depth instead of averaged.
The same five steps on every job, whether it is a single slab or a full tender package.
Email the architectural and structural drawings, the specification and the scope of works in whatever format you have — PDF, DWG, or photos of a marked-up set. If something is missing we will tell you before we start, not after.
Hydraulic drawings give the pipe routes; we measure them by linear metre within each diameter and material, and add the fittings, valves and brackets that go with them. Vertical runs come off the sections rather than being estimated from the floor plan.
Every measured item gets its own colour and legend entry on the drawing. When the takeoff comes back you can see exactly what was counted and what was not, so you are never asked to trust a number you cannot trace. This is the part clients tell us they did not know they needed until they had it.
The takeoff is delivered as a working spreadsheet, not a locked PDF. Your rates sit in their own column, so you can change a supply price or a labour rate and watch the total move. Plug in your own numbers and the sheet is yours to reuse on the next job.
Quantities are re-measured independently and cross-checked against the drawing before anything leaves here. You get the marked-up plans, the priced spreadsheet and a plain-English note on anything we flagged as unclear or excluded.
The takeoff arrives as a live Excel spreadsheet with the colour-coded marked-up plans beside it. Your rates go in your own column, so you can plug in your own supply and labour numbers and reuse the sheet on the next job. Nothing is locked.
First estimate free. After that the fee is confirmed in writing as a fixed amount before any work starts. No retainer, no subscription, no lock-in contract. Full pricing detail here →
Water authority requirements differ from state to state and sometimes council to council: backflow devices, metering arrangements, inspection requirements and detention storage all vary. Those requirements are scope items with real cost attached.
We work from the hydraulic drawings and the specification, and where an authority requirement is likely but not documented we list it as an item to confirm rather than pricing it silently either way.
Quantities are measured against the standards and the specification for your job. Where a drawing and a standard disagree, we flag it rather than quietly picking one.
| Standard | Covers | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| AS/NZS 3500 | Plumbing and drainage | Water services, sanitary plumbing and drainage, stormwater |
| AS/NZS 5601 | Gas installations | Gas pipe sizing and appliance installation |
| NCC Volume Three | Plumbing Code of Australia | Compliance framework for plumbing work |
None of these are unusual. They are the things that get missed when a quote is put together at 9pm after a full day on the tools.
If your question is not here, email it through and you will get a straight answer, not a sales call.
Hydraulic drawings if they exist, plus the architectural set with the sections, the fixture schedule and the site plan showing the point of connection.
On smaller residential jobs there are often no hydraulic drawings at all. We can still measure from the architectural set and the fixture schedule, and we will list what we assumed so you can check it.
Yes. They are different visits, they get claimed at different stages, and keeping them apart makes your progress claims much easier to justify. Each comes back with its own total.
Yes, by linear metre within depth bands, including bedding and backfill material. On a drainage package the trench is frequently the larger cost, so folding it into a pipe rate hides most of the job.
Yes, and we always keep it separate. Pipe sizing follows total appliance load and run length, and the meter and regulator position affects both. It comes back as its own priced section.
We price those too — fit-outs, multi-level risers, plant room connections and backflow prevention. They take longer than residential work because there is more to measure, and we confirm the timing when the drawings arrive.
Your first estimate is free. After that it is 1% of the quoted job value as a fixed fee agreed before we start, with no retainer and no lock-in. Most clients add it as a line on their own quote so the customer covers it if they win.
Plans in by 5pm and most residential plumbing packages come back within 24 hours. Larger commercial hydraulic packages take longer — we tell you the timing before you commit.
Most jobs cross more than one trade. We can price the whole package in one spreadsheet.
Your first estimate is free. Email the drawings and the scope, and you will have a marked-up takeoff and a priced spreadsheet back within 24 hours on most residential jobs. Prefer to talk first? Reply with "KEEN" and your number.