Bathroom renos are most of what we do.
Hills is best known on the Gold Coast for bathroom renovation plumbing. We handle the entire plumbing scope, from ripping out the old to fitting off your new tapware. Premium brass, matte black, chrome, whatever you're installing, we install it properly. Bathroom renovations are the core of our week, every week, at every stage from strip-out to rough-in to fit-off.
We work with builders, owner-builders, homeowners doing it themselves, and a handful of bathroom-specialist designers. We'll slot into whoever's running the job, or run it for you if you want one point of contact for the whole reno.
The full reno plumbing scope.
- Site protection, drop sheets, floor protection, dust barriers
- Strip-out and disconnection of all existing fittings (toilet, basin, vanity, shower, bath, taps, mixers)
- Demo coordination, most plumbers don't smash out tiles; we do or we coordinate the demo crew
- Drainage relocation if you're moving the toilet, shower or basin (often needs a slab core)
- Hot and cold water rough-in to new layout, with isolation valves
- Pressure testing before the walls go up, catches every leak before tiles cover them
- Inspections coordinated with your waterproofer and tiler
- Niche, hob and waste outlet set-out for the tiler
- Fit-off, taps, mixers, shower, basin, bath, toilet
- Final testing, leak checks and commissioning
- Written workmanship guarantee on every job
Working with your other trades, or being the only one you call.
A bathroom reno is a coordination job as much as a plumbing job. There's usually 5-7 trades involved: demo, plumber, electrician, plasterer, waterproofer, tiler, glazier, painter. Get the order wrong and somebody tears out somebody else's work.
We work with your tiler, sparkie, waterproofer and cabinetmaker if you've got them lined up. If you don't, we can recommend Gold Coast trades we've worked with for years, there's a small network of bathroom-reno specialists across the Coast that know each other's work and slot together cleanly.
Or we can run the whole reno for you. You pick the fixtures and tiles, we manage everything else: trades scheduling, deliveries, inspections, the lot. One point of contact, one invoice.
Premium tapware specialists, brass, matte black, chrome.
Premium tapware is most of what we install on bathroom renos. The right install matters as much as the right brand:
- Brass (PVD finish): Sussex Calibre, Astra Walker, Gareth Ashton Astoria, Brodware Yokato. PVD coating holds up against coastal salt air, electroplated brass doesn't.
- Matte black (PVD): Phoenix Vivid, Methven Aurajet, Sussex Voda. Best for show-piece bathrooms; can date in 5 years if used everywhere.
- Chrome: Most durable finish long-term. Methven Aurajet shower heads engineer the spray to feel like more water at lower flow.
- Wall-mounted vs deck-mounted: Wall-mounted looks cleaner but rough-in is unforgiving. Deck-mounted is more forgiving and cheaper to install.
Watch for cheap online tapware without WaterMark certification, technically illegal to install in Australian plumbing and the warranty's void from day one.
Timing, how long will you be without a bathroom?
Plumbing on a typical Gold Coast bathroom reno is spread across 2-3 weeks of build time. That's not 2-3 weeks of solid work, some days are waiting for waterproofing to cure, or for tiles to be delivered. But you're without that bathroom the whole time.
Typical timeline if everything runs to schedule:
- Day 1-2: strip-out, rubbish removal, framing changes if any
- Day 3-5: rough-in (plumber + electrician), plaster patching, cement sheet
- Day 6-7: waterproofing (must cure properly, can't rush)
- Day 8-12: tiling (floor + walls)
- Day 13: plumbing fit-off, electrical fit-off
- Day 14: shower screen, mirror, final paint, clean
If you've got two bathrooms, do them one at a time, we typically suggest renoing the one you use least first.
Pricing, what actually drives the cost.
Honest 2026 pricing ranges for a Gold Coast bathroom reno:
- Builder's basic ($18-25k total reno): standard layout, builder-grade tapware, ceramic tiles, prefab shower base. Plumbing portion: $4,500-6,000.
- Mid-tier ($28-40k total): quality brass or matte black tapware, frameless screen, stone benchtop, larger format tiles. Plumbing portion: $6,000-9,000.
- Premium ($45-70k+ total): custom layout changes, premium fixtures, freestanding bath, bespoke joinery, underfloor heating. Plumbing portion: $9,000-14,000.
What drives the plumbing cost:
- Whether you're keeping the same layout (cheaper) or relocating fixtures (more involved, drains have to be cored through the slab)
- Wall-mounted vs deck-mounted tapware (wall-mounted needs precise rough-in)
- Number of fixtures (most renos: toilet, vanity basin, shower, bath = 4. Adding a double vanity or rain shower head adds parts)
- Hidden damage uncovered at strip-out (rotten timber framing, asbestos backing in pre-1986 homes, budget $2-3k contingency)
The detail work that separates a good fit-off from a bad one.
Most plumbers can rough-in a bathroom. The difference shows at fit-off, the visible work. Things we check on every fit-off:
- Tapware sits dead level (no 1° tilt, you notice it every time you look)
- Mixers oriented correctly (hot left, cold right, every time)
- No silicone fingerprints, no scratched chrome
- Bath spout centred over the bath
- Toilet sits flat with no wobble
- Shower waste exactly at the lowest point of the floor fall
- All visible drainage threaded clean, no slop
- Mixer cartridge action smooth, replace any cartridge that feels gritty
If you accept a sloppy fit-off you'll see it every day for 15 years. We won't hand over a bathroom we wouldn't want in our own house.
What we don't do on bathroom renos.
Worth being upfront about:
- We don't tile. We coordinate with tilers but we don't lay tile ourselves, let a specialist do their thing.
- We don't waterproof. Same reason, specialist trade, and your insurance benefits from the waterproofer's separate certificate.
- We don't carpenter framing changes. We work around them or coordinate the chippy.
- We don't install glazed shower screens. The screen installer measures after the tiles go in.
What we DO do is run the whole reno (including all those trades) if you want one point of contact, or slot in cleanly with trades you've already organised. Either way works.
Bathroom reno FAQ.
- Can I source my own tapware online? Yes, but check WaterMark certification (mandatory for legal install in Australia) and the brand's installation conditions (some void warranty if not installed via authorised channels). If we install supplied-by-owner tapware, the installation is guaranteed but the tapware itself is on the supplier.
- Can I keep the existing toilet/bath? Yes if it's in good shape. Most reno customers replace everything because the cost gap between repair-and-keep vs. new-and-clean is small relative to the total reno.
- Do you handle ensuite + main bathroom together? Yes, often more efficient if both need work and you can survive on one for 3 weeks.
- Powder rooms / laundries? Yes. Both regularly get done at the same time as a bathroom.