Plumbing & Drainage Services

Plumbing for new homes

Whether you’re building for the first time, building your dream home, or if you’re a Property Developer, you can be sure our Plumbing services are of the highest standard with our Quality Control processes.

TaylorMade Plumbing have specialist experience working with highly architectural designs to make sure the plumbing systems are installed to the standard they should be.

If you’re new to the house building process, you’ll need to know that your Plumbing will be completed in 3 stages.

Renovating your home

Whether you’ve bought a fixer-upper or you want to update your family home, TaylorMade Plumbing can take care of a wide variety of renovations – from replacing a fixture to a complete bathroom remodel.

If you’re after a bit of renovation advice head to our Tips and Advice page.

Rural properties

If you aren’t on town supply there are a few extra plumbing services that you will require.

If you own a property outside of the town water supply you may find it has it’s own plumbing challenges that you wouldn’t have to deal with if you lived in a town property.

Many rural water supplies are fed by a trickle feed system or directly from a well supply. In either case you will have a pump and water system designed to suit the water feed that you are connected to.

TaylorMade Plumbing can assist with all manner of plumbing issues which may arise. We can supply, install and provide maintenance for tanks, pumps, and filtration systems.

We can also provide full drainage solutions for your rural property.

drainage Faqs

Maintenance Services

TaylorMade Plumbing offer a full range of Plumbing services. Our vans carry comprehensive stock so most plumbing jobs can be completed on the spot.

If you don’t see what you’re looking for just contact us and we’ll be in touch – and if we can’t sort you out we’ll point you in the right direction.

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plumbing for new homes

stage one – preslab plumbing

As the name suggests this is the plumbing that needs to go in before your slab is poured, after we’ve dug the majority of your drainage. During the pre-slab plumbing the waste services are installed into the foundation to take the waste from your fixtures out to the drainage channels. Some water or hot water cylinder (if you have one) services may also be installed during this stage.

You need to make sure you’ve chosen your plumbing fixtures by this stage so that the waste points can be installed to suit them. Changing the waste points after the slab has been poured is a major (ie expensive) job so you want to avoid having to do this. We’ll organise the Council to inspect our work before the concrete is poured.

Stage two – prepipe plumbing

As your house starts to make progress, the walls are up and the roof is on, TaylorMade Plumbing will come back to run all the water and waste services as per the plans we’ve been supplied. We’ll work with the owner to establish exactly where the shower and bath mixers and all of the fixtures are to be positioned.

All the waste pipes will also be set to suit the fixtures during this stage, and the shower trays are installed. We’ll then set up a test to make sure the pipework is pressure tested to make sure there are no leaks.

Stage three – fit off

Your house is nearly finished – there is paint on the walls, floor coverings are down and the kitchen cabinetry is in. We will once again return to install and connect all of the fixtures and the fittings to the previously installed water and waste pipework as per the house plan. We’ll also put in a main terminal vent for the drainage system. Once this is all done we’ll check again for leaks and check the fixtures to make sure they are working correctly.

Once all the trades are complete, the Council will come back and inspect the work before you are issued with your Code of Compliance which means you can then move into your new home. TaylorMade Plumbing will have your work completed to all relevant building codes, by licensed plumbers, and to your complete satisfaction.

renovating your home

replacing a toilet

This can usually be done in a single visit meaning you’ll only be without your toilet for a few hours. You’ll need to make sure you’ve chosen your new toilet before removing the old one.

You’ll also want to make sure the new toilet base covers the footprint left by the old toilet so you don’t end up having gaps in your tiles or the like.

We can supply a wide variety of toilets and cisterns, and we’re happy to offer advice if needed.

updating your shower

If you’re replacing a shower we’ll work alongside a builder to get the job done.
Often this can be done in a day but you’ll need to wait 24hrs before you use it to allow the sealant to dry.

a complete bathroom replacement

If you want to replace your entire bathroom we can provide the necessary expertise in all things plumbing. You’ll need a builder and most likely a sparky to get involved – we’re happy to recommend some if you don’t know who to use.

It’s our goal to get the job done quickly with the least disruption to you and your property.

Drainage FAQ

Answers to some common plumbing questions.

I’m building a new home. What drainage considerations do I need to take into account?

Making sure the drainage for your new home is laid correctly is key for preventing unwanted issues further down the track. We are fully certified drainage experts who pride ourselves on getting it right first time and completing the job on time. Drainlaying is one of the first parts of building a new house, and if it’s not completed on time, and to code, the rest of your build can get held up.

I think my drains are blocked. What should I do?

Blocked drains can cause all sorts of issues. Most blocked sewer and stormwater drains are caused by tree roots penetrating broken or cracked drains, fat or grease build up, or a blockage caused by sanitary products. It is rare for a foreign object to unintentially go down the drain and block it, as it would have to pass through the pan U-bend or the gully trap U-bend where the waste pipes discharge. Head over to our Tips and Advice page for some ideas to try and sort it out yourself, but if you don’t have any luck get in touch and we’ll come and sort it out.

Which septic tank system should I use?

When it comes to installing your septic tank system, there are a number of options available. Each system has it’s pros and cons.
There are also a number of variables that need to be considered, such as
the size of your house and number of bathrooms.

– is there any slope on your property?
– what type of soil does your property have?
– how close are your neighbours?
– are there any waterways nearby?
– what bylaws does the council have that you need to abide by?

One of the best ways to find the answers to these questions is to get us to undertake a site visit. From here, we can assess the system that will suit your needs and discuss your options with you.

I live at a rural address, what are my stormwater options?

Stormwater soak pits or connection to storm water mains can be a delicate process. The Council will be heavily involved in the process.

TaylorMade Plumbing will design and install your soak pits for you. Just get in touch to discuss the best options for your place.

Hot water cylinders
Water Mains
Roof & Spouting
Leaking & burst pipes

If your hot water has suddenly gone cold, you want to improve your water pressure, or your cylinder is leaking we’ll get you up and running again.
You will most likely have one of the following hot water systems in your house:

Low pressure hot water systems which can either be fed via a roof tank or pressure reducing valve
Medium pressure hot water systems which are fed via a pressure reducing valve
Main pressure hot water systems which are fed via a limiting valve

They’re all similar in set up. If you are currently on a low pressure system and want something better, medium or mains pressure system may be the answer you are looking for. We can sort you out.

Most hot water systems will suffer from the same problems regardless of the type of system that is installed. For example: boiling hot water. This can occur when your hot water cylinder valves are failing and allow water to pass through them constantly. As your cylinder ages, it will develop leaks in and around the system. We’ll come and sort you out to stop hot water being wasted and ensure that you have hot water for your needs around the house.

A water main is the main feed to your house. It is normally supplied from your district council and can be metered. The council have their own requirement as to how the water main has to be installed, and this can sometimes mean that a method of backflow prevention is required. Once the council have connected mains water to your boundary, you will have a water pipe in the ground that goes from your Toby to your house, supplying your house with cold water. This is known as your water main.

LOCATING YOUR TOBY
It is the council’s responsibility to provide you with a working means of isolation, whether this be a turn off tap, a toby or a stopcock. This is normally found under ground, either outside your boundary or just inside it, and can be accessed through a purpose build Toby box. A Toby box normally has a blue or metal lid, and under that you will find the isolation tap/valve for your property. Make sure you know where your Toby is and how to turn it off, so that if you have a mains pipe burst, you can shut it off to prevent further water damage while your pipes are being repaired.

LEAKING WATER MAIN
Because your mains water pipe is used whenever you turn a tap on in your home, it can be prone to leakage, and in many cases this a result of the pipe’s age. Sometimes the fix can be as simple as finding the leak and putting a new join in the pipe where the leak is. Other times a new pipe needs to be run and this can be completed in a way that minimises damage to the lawn, garden or driveway while the work is done. Just turn off your water and contact us to sort it out.

Roofing and spouting issues can be a very grey area in the trade industry for most people. One of the questions we are usually asked is “do you fix roof leaks or who should I call to look at the leak in my roof or spouting?”

The reality is a plumber, a builder, a roofer or a spouting installer could all potentially fix the problem. We are able to assist with a wide variety of solutions to leaking roofs or spouting around your property. In most roof cases, the leak is caused by flashings wearing out or the cladding on the roof. Generally these will need to be resealed or replaced. For spouting, you may have rusted or broken spouting that needs repair.

Most of the repair work we complete on roofs is leaking flashings around the roof (such as where a pipe may come through and the rubber seal is no longer leak proof) and minor cladding repairs. With spouting we do repair or replacement of plastic spouting and smaller sections of metal spouting. In many cases, specialist roofers or spouting installers prefer not to complete the smaller repair jobs, in favour of installing complete new roofs and spouting systems.

Such a common problem in winter in the Southern Lakes. Every June we get the inundated with calls – it goes without saying that prevention is much better than cure here.

For advice on how to prevent burst pipes head to our Tips and Advice page so that we hopefully don’t have to hear from you next winter!

Plumbing & Drainage Services​

Plumbing for new homes

Renovating your home

Rural properties

Maintenance Services

plumbing for new homes

stage one – preslab plumbing

Stage two – prepipe plumbing

Stage three – fit off

renovating your home

replacing a toilet

updating your shower

a complete bathroom replacement

Drainage FAQ

Plumbing & Drainage Services