What does bathroom plumbing work cost in the Scottish Borders?
Our guide range in the Scottish Borders is £600–£3,800 including VAT. Prices in the Scottish Borders run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on Scotland labour rates.
Like-for-like
- Isolation valves, new tails
Partial re-route
- Waste re-routed
New layout
- WC moved on the soil stack
Guide prices for Scottish Borders including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in the Scottish Borders?
Water across much of the Scottish Borders is soft. 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. Plumbing surveys in Hawick include a look at the existing pipework for lead, corrosion or poor support before we quote.
What the job includes
- Basin, bath and shower wastes sized and laid to a steady fall, with traps that hold their water seal
- A check of your hot water system, and the pressure and flow rate at the bathroom
- Isolation valves on every fitting, so taps, cisterns and valves can be serviced without draining the system
- Shower pumps on gravity systems, and macerators or pumped wastes where gravity drainage cannot reach
- Draining down and isolating supplies, with the rest of the house back on water as soon as possible
- New hot and cold pipework in copper or plastic, properly clipped, and insulated where it runs through cold spaces
Decisions to make first
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.
Pipe routes
Drilling through the middle of joists, rather than notching the tops, keeps the floor strong. Routes are planned with the joist direction in mind.
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.
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.