Plumber in Newcastle, NSW
Where we work in Newcastle
Newcastle is a harbour city with a beach on its doorstep. We work from the terraces of The Hill and Newcastle East, under King Edward Park and above Nobbys, through Cooks Hill and the Darby Street end, and out to the Beaumont Street end of Hamilton. Merewether has its ocean baths and its steep streets. Wickham and Islington sit on flat land close to the harbour, where old industrial buildings are turning into apartments and the cottages beside them are being renovated one by one.
Access is tight in the inner suburbs. Terrace streets around The Hill and Cooks Hill have street parking only, narrow lanes at the back, and houses that share walls with the neighbours. Pipes often run through a shared party wall, so a leak in one house can show up next door. Apartments in Wickham and Newcastle East have a strata manager and a building key, and the water shut off for one unit may mean booking a time with the building. Tell us who has the key and how to get in.
Much of inner Newcastle sits on old underground coal workings. Hamilton, Merewether, Islington, Wickham, Cooks Hill and The Hill are all inside the Newcastle Mine Subsidence District, which Subsidence Advisory NSW administers. That matters for anything that changes the footing of a building, such as new drainage or a dig near a wall. The housing is mostly Victorian and Federation terraces, timber cottages on piers, and 1920s to 1950s brick homes, with cast iron, earthenware and old galvanised pipework still behind many walls.
What we do here most
Jobs we are called to in Newcastle
Terraces, cottages and harbour-side apartments each have their own habits. These four show how the work changes between them.
Blocked Drains
Shared drain backing up in a Cooks Hill terrace
A row of terraces sharing a back lane, and a floor drain in the laundry that overflows whenever the neighbour runs a wash. The line is old earthenware with several joints. We find where the blockage is, clear it, and say whether the whole run is shared before anyone talks about replacing it.
Bathroom Renovations
Renovating a bathroom in a Hamilton cottage
A timber cottage on piers, with a bathroom added behind the kitchen in the 1950s. The floor feels soft by the shower and the tiles are cracked. We strip it back, check the bearers and sheeting underneath, move any pipes that are in the wrong place, and waterproof the new shower before the tiles go on.
Hot Water Systems Installation
Fitting hot water to a Wickham apartment
A converted warehouse unit where the old storage heater has stopped working and the cupboard is small. The new system has to fit the same space and be approved by the building. We shut down the unit's own supply, swap the heater, reconnect the lines and the relief valve, and test the hot water at every tap.
General Plumbing Maintenance
Tracking down damp in a Merewether brick home
A home near the baths with a damp patch that grows after southerly weather. It could be a leaking pipe, a failed gutter or salt in the wall. We check the taps and pipes inside the wall first, then the stormwater, and tell you what we find before any wall is opened.
If it is urgent
If a pipe lets go in a Newcastle terrace or unit after dark
- 1Turn off the main tap at the street meter, or at the unit's own isolation valve if you live in an apartment.
- 2Leave the walls alone and do not cut into a shared party wall, because the pipe may belong to the neighbour or the building.
- 3Tell us your suburb, whether the house is a terrace, cottage or unit, and whether the water is also showing up next door.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Which areas do you work in?
We work across the Central Coast and Newcastle, and into the Hunter Valley, Northern Sydney and the Northern Beaches. Each place we list has its own page describing the housing and ground there. If your suburb is not listed, call and ask.
Do you take emergency plumbing calls?
Yes. The phone is answered day and night, and emergency plumbing is one of the twelve services on this site. Burst pipes, urgent blockages and water with nowhere to go are the usual calls.
What should I do while I wait if a pipe has burst?
Shut the water off at the isolation valve, which is usually near the water meter or where the main pipe enters the house. Switch off power to any wet area if you can do it without standing in water. Then call and tell us where the water is coming from.
Do you work on homes and commercial properties?
Yes, both. A home job and a shop or office job share the same pipework, but access, hours and shut-offs are different, so tell us which it is when you call.
What kinds of hot water systems can you install?
We install and repair gas, electric and solar hot water systems. The choice depends on whether the house has mains gas or bottled gas, where the unit will sit and how many people use it. We talk that through on the first call.
Can you clear a drain that keeps blocking?
Yes. A drain that blocks again and again usually has a cause such as tree roots, a broken pipe or a belly in the line, and clearing it once will not fix that. We find the cause and tell you what it is before suggesting a repair.
Do you do the whole renovation or just the plumbing?
We handle the plumbing, gas fitting, strip out and demolition side of bathroom, kitchen and laundry renovations. Ask on the first call what is included in the job you have in mind, and we will tell you which parts we do.
Can you put in the water connections for a new kitchen?
Yes. That covers the sink and tap, the dishwasher connection, a water line for a fridge with an ice maker and the gas point for a cooktop. Send a photo of the existing kitchen and the plans if you have them.
What does roofing have to do with plumbing?
Gutters, downpipes, flashings and stormwater all carry water, and they are part of the plumbing trade. We look at roof leaks, gutter and downpipe repairs and storm damage. Describe where the water is getting in when you call.
What happens before you start a renovation?
The area is looked at in person or from photos, the water and gas are isolated, and the quote names what is going in and what is coming out. If the old room reveals something behind the wall, you are told straight away.
How do I get a quote?
Call, email or use the form on this site, and say what the job is and where. For a simple job a few photos may be enough, and for a renovation the room will usually be looked at in person.
Everything we do here
Services in Newcastle, NSW
All twelve of our services are available in Newcastle, from the harbour suburbs out to the beach.
Local, and on the phone
Plumbing job in Newcastle?
Tell us the suburb and whether the place is a terrace, a detached cottage or an apartment. That decides whether we need building access, a parking spot or a neighbour's permission before we arrive.
0489 271 23824 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead