New Build Plumbing in Surfers Paradise

The two main new-build scenarios inside apartment buildings:

• Sub-penthouse or whole-floor renovation in an existing tower, often stripped back to bare concrete shell and refit as a single luxury unit. Plumbing scope includes new bathrooms, ensuite, kitchen, laundry, often a powder room or second bathroom, and increasingly things like outdoor balcony plumbing for a bar fridge or bath. We coordinate with the builder and the body corporate on every stage.
• Whole-unit gut renovation in a 1980s-90s tower, bringing a 30-40 year old unit up to current standard. Strip back to slab, rebuild bathroom and kitchen, replace shower trays and waterproofing, update tapware throughout, often replace the isolated hot water unit if the building uses individual rather than centralised hot water.

What changes about new plumbing inside an apartment vs a freestanding new build:

1. Body corporate approval needed before starting. Every job inside a strata building needs body corp sign-off on the scope, contractor insurance certificates, work hours, common-area protection, and a written undertaking on liability. We provide all this as standard for every apartment job.
2. Shared sewer stack considerations. The vertical sewer stack runs through every floor of the building, and any work that touches the stack (relocating a toilet, changing the WC connection, branching into the stack) needs proper venting, proper jointing and proper testing to avoid air-pressure problems for the unit above or below. We work on these with the right kit and proper procedure.
3. Isolated hot water in newer buildings, centralised in older ones. Most apartment towers built after 2000 use isolated in-unit hot water units (small electric storage or compact gas continuous flow). 1980s-90s buildings often have centralised hot water reticulated from a plant room. The two scenarios have completely different scope.
4. Common-area access for trades. Material delivery, debris removal, parking, lift access, all coordinated through the building manager. We are familiar with the major Surfers and Broadbeach towers and the typical building manager preferences.
5. Work hours restricted by body corp rules. Most strata bylaws restrict tradework to 8am-5pm weekdays and 8am-1pm Saturdays, no Sundays or public holidays. We schedule accordingly.

Full scope on a typical apartment new build / gut reno: body corp approval pack, site protection of lift, hallway and common areas, strip-out and disposal coordinated with building manager, drainage assessment (stack connection, in-slab drains if any), hot and cold rough-in to new layout, waterproofing coordination (waterproofer is separate licensed trade), fit-off of new tapware and fittings, hot water unit install or replace, body corp sign-off documentation, QBCC compliance certification at completion.

Working with the body corporate: we deal with the body corp committee or building manager directly if you prefer, providing insurance certificates, scope documentation, and progress updates as requested. Many owners find this easier than running it themselves.

Realistic 2026 ranges for new plumbing inside an apartment unit (single unit fit-out scope):

• Whole-unit gut reno (2-bed, two bathrooms, new kitchen and laundry): $14,000-26,000
• Sub-penthouse refit (3-bed, three bathrooms, powder room, kitchen, laundry, premium fitout): $26,000-55,000+
• Body corp approval admin and reporting: typically included in our quote
• After-hours premium for strata-required out-of-hours work: add 25-40% to labour

Apartment new-build plumbing runs at a premium versus equivalent freestanding work because of body corp admin overhead, restricted work hours, material delivery and access complexity, and the higher spec typical in strata renovations.