Whether fixtures move
Like-for-like replacement in the same position is the cheap case. Relocating drains is where the cost lives.
Renovation & new-build
Rough-in through finish, with the paperwork done
Working to your drawings and your trades schedule. We pull the permits and book the inspections rather than leaving that on your list — and we'd rather flag a problem with a layout before demolition than after.
What the job actually involves
Renovation plumbing happens in two visits, and both matter.
Rough-in comes after demolition and framing, while walls and floors are open. Supply lines, drains and vents get run, pressure tested and inspected. Everything that will be invisible for the next thirty years gets done and checked now.
Finish comes near the end, once tiling and cabinetry are in. Fixtures are set, connected, tested in front of you, and the site gets cleaned.
The most common mistake we're called in to fix is a homeowner who booked a plumber only for the finish stage — after the walls were closed over pipework nobody inspected. That's an expensive way to discover a vent was never run.
Second suites are their own thing
A basement apartment isn't just a bathroom and a kitchen in a basement. It has to satisfy an inspector, not merely function, and the plumbing is where unpermitted builds most often come undone.
The two recurring issues: drainage below the main sewer line, which usually needs a sewage ejector or pump system rather than gravity, and proper venting for every new fixture, which is the thing most quietly skipped. Both are far cheaper to build correctly than to retrofit after an inspector has looked at it.
Before you finalise the layout
One piece of advice worth more than anything else on this page: if the budget is tight, move the sink and the shower and leave the toilet where it is. A toilet needs a three-inch drain at consistent fall to reach the stack, plus venting. On an upper floor that has to happen within the depth of the joists. On a slab it means breaking concrete. It's routinely the single most expensive line item in a bathroom renovation, and it's often moved for reasons that turn out not to matter much.
Renovating an older home in Thornhill or Unionville? An open wall is the cheapest opportunity you'll ever get to replace aging pipe behind it. Ask us to look while it's open.
Cost
What moves the price
Renovation quoting is mostly about how much has to change, not how many fixtures there are.
Which fixture moves
A sink or shower is reasonably flexible. A toilet needs a larger drain at fixed fall, and it's a different order of work.
Upper floor or slab
Working within joist depth limits routing. Working in a slab means concrete comes up and goes back down.
What we find when it opens
Old galvanized or cast iron behind the wall changes the scope. We re-quote before proceeding — never after.
Permits and inspections
Required whenever plumbing is altered or added. We pull and book them; the fee is part of the job.
Second suite requirements
Ejector pumps, full venting and compliance work make a suite substantially more than the sum of its fixtures.
Renovation work is quoted from drawings and a site visit, not over the phone. If we open a wall and the scope changes, work stops and we talk before the number moves.
Where we do this
Renovation work across the areas we cover
Questions
About renovation plumbing
Do I need a permit for a bathroom renovation?
It depends whether the plumbing moves. Swapping a toilet, vanity or tub in the same position usually does not need a permit. Moving a fixture, adding one that was not there, or altering drain and vent piping normally does. Adding a bathroom always does. We work it out and pull it ourselves.
Can I move the toilet to the other side of the bathroom?
Usually yes, but it is the most expensive fixture to move. A toilet needs a 3-inch drain at consistent fall to reach the stack, plus venting, and upstairs that has to fit within the joist depth. Sinks and showers are far more forgiving, so move those and leave the toilet.
What's involved in the plumbing for a basement second suite?
More than most people expect, because a suite has to satisfy an inspector rather than just work. Usually a bathroom and kitchen below the main sewer line, which often needs a pump rather than gravity drainage. And proper venting for every fixture, which is the part most commonly skipped.
When in a renovation should the plumber come?
Twice, and both matter. Rough-in after demolition and framing, while walls and floor are open, when supply and drain lines are run and inspected. Finish near the end, once tiling and cabinetry are done. The common mistake is booking only the finish, after walls closed over pipework nobody checked.
Do you work with my contractor or do I hire you separately?
Either. On a larger project we work to the general contractor schedule as one of the trades. On smaller jobs plenty of homeowners hire us directly. What matters more is being brought in early enough to see the drawings, because the cheapest time to raise a problem is before demolition.
Send us the drawings
Call to talk it through, or book online and we'll arrange a site visit.