Same position is cheap, new position is where the money goes
The single most useful thing to understand before you sketch a new bathroom or kitchen: replacing a fixture where it stands is a fraction of the cost of moving it somewhere new. A like-for-like toilet swap runs $350 to $750 plus the suite. Move that same toilet two metres along a slab-on-ground wall and you are into slab cutting, excavation, new 100 mm drainage laid at correct fall, an inspection, and concrete reinstatement before a tiler goes near the room. Water supply pipes are the easy part, they are small and pressurised and go almost anywhere. Waste pipes are gravity-fed, they need continuous fall to your sewer connection, and gravity does not negotiate.
What each kind of move involves
| Type of move | What is involved | How we price it as of 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Same-position fixture swap | Disconnect, reconnect, new seals and flexis | Published fixed prices, e.g. toilet suite $350 to $750 plus the suite |
| Move along an existing wet wall | New supply runs, waste tee-ins within reach of existing drainage | Fixed quote on inspection, usually the affordable end |
| Move across a timber or upstairs floor | New pipework through joist space, drop through cavity | Fixed quote on inspection |
| Move across a concrete slab | Cut, excavate, new drainage at fall, inspection, reinstate | Fixed quote on inspection; as a guide, our under-slab pipe work runs $1,500 to $4,000 plus |
| Move a gas point | Licensed gas work plus compliance | New gas point $480 to $820 plus compliance |
| Add or upsize hot water for the new layout | System supply and install | Electric storage $1,300 to $2,400, gas continuous flow $1,900 to $3,500 |
The toilet is the least movable thing in your house
Kitchens and vanities forgive a lot because their waste pipes are 40 mm or 50 mm and can travel further with modest fall. The toilet runs on a 100 mm waste that wants the shortest, straightest, best-graded path to the sewer, which is why we tell renovators to decide the toilet position first and design the rest of the room around it. Upstairs bathrooms often move more cheaply than people expect, because the pipework can run through the floor cavity below rather than through concrete. Ground-floor slab homes are the opposite. If your dream layout puts the toilet diagonally across a slab from where it lives now, get that priced before you commit to anything else, because it may fund a very nice freestanding bath if you leave it where it is.
Why renovation budgets blow up here and how we prevent it
The pattern we see is consistent: the layout gets locked in with a designer or a cabinet maker, the plumbing relocation is carried as a vague allowance, and the slab cut surprise lands mid-project when the cheapest options are gone. We work the other way around. Site visit first, lift the manhole, find the sewer and its depth, check what the slab is hiding where records allow, then a fixed itemised quote for the relocation scope before you commit to the layout. If we cannot know a condition until the slab is open, we say so in writing and price the contingency honestly instead of pretending it does not exist. Fixed pricing only means something if it is built on a real inspection.
The compliance side of moved plumbing in Queensland
Relocating fixtures and drainage is regulated work under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018, not a handyman task. New and altered sanitary drainage is notifiable or permit work performed by licensed plumbers and drainers, documented on a Form 4, with underground drainage inspected before it is covered. Moving fixtures also drags the wet area into current waterproofing requirements under AS 3740, with a certificate for the new work. Skipping this paperwork saves nothing: it surfaces at sale time, at insurance claim time, or when the next tradesperson opens the wall. Every relocation we do comes with its compliance trail completed, which is part of what the fixed price buys.
QLD compliance note: Altered water supply and sanitary drainage is regulated work under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 and Regulation 2019, requiring licensed plumbers and drainers, Form 4 documentation and inspection of new drainage. Gas point relocations require a licensed gas fitter and compliance documentation.
Before you lock in a renovation layout, call Hills Plumbing & Gas on 0472 657 042. One site visit gets you a fixed relocation quote and could save you thousands in redesign, under QBCC licence 15243081. Start at our bathroom renovations page.
Sources: Queensland Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 and Regulation 2019, QBCC licensing requirements, AS 3740, Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 for gas work.