What does bathroom plumbing work cost in Edinburgh?
Our guide range in Edinburgh is £600–£3,800 including VAT. Prices in Edinburgh run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on Scotland labour rates.
Like-for-like
- New suite in the same positions
Partial re-route
- New hot and cold runs
New layout
- Pump or pressure upgrade
Guide prices for Edinburgh including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in Edinburgh?
Most of Edinburgh is supplied with soft water. In soft water, taps, wastes and toilet pans scale up slowly, so brushed and matt finishes are a safe choice. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. In Queensferry flats, any change to the WC or wastes is planned with the title deeds and the flat below in mind.
What the job includes
- Shower pumps on gravity systems, and macerators or pumped wastes where gravity drainage cannot reach
- Basin, bath and shower wastes sized and laid to a steady fall, with traps that hold their water seal
- The WC connected to the soil stack, or a new branch where the WC is moving
- Draining down and isolating supplies, with the rest of the house back on water as soon as possible
- Isolation valves on every fitting, so taps, cisterns and valves can be serviced without draining the system
- A check of your hot water system, and the pressure and flow rate at the bathroom
Decisions to make first
Gravity or pumped waste
Gravity drainage is always the first choice. A shower waste pump or macerator solves a run that cannot fall, but adds noise, a power supply and servicing.
Copper or plastic
Copper is rigid and suits pipes on show or near the boiler. Plastic is quicker under floors and inside walls, and long runs need fewer joints.
Shower supply
Combi boilers and unvented cylinders give mains pressure. A gravity system with a cold tank may need a pump, but a pump must never be connected to the mains.
Hard water
In hard water areas, a scale reducer or water softener protects valves, shower heads and glass. Keep an unsoftened tap in the kitchen for drinking.
Rules that apply in Scotland
New WCs, taps, showers and valves must meet the water fittings rules where you live: a maximum 6-litre flush for new WCs, backflow protection, and no pump connected directly to the mains supply, because shower pumps are only for gravity systems with a cold tank. Unvented hot-water cylinders must be installed by a G3-qualified installer, and any work on a gas boiler by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
In Scotland, the Scottish Water Byelaws 2014 cover new water fittings, with the same 6-litre flush limit and backflow rules. Altering drainage may need a building warrant, so check before moving a WC or adding a new connection to the stack.