NSW and Sydney rules that touch a renovation
Same layout, no Notice of Work
NSW lists bathroom renovations where the fixtures stay in the same places among the minor works that don't need a Notice of Work. Move the shower, toilet or basin and the plumber lodges one before starting.
Strata bathrooms need a special resolution
Bathroom work involves waterproofing, so NSW treats it as a major strata renovation. The owners corporation must pass a special resolution at a general meeting, with no more than 25% of the value of votes cast against it. A kitchen renovation is a minor one, needing more than 50%.
Plenty of Sydney homes are strata
At the 2021 Census, 30.7% of Greater Sydney's occupied homes were flats or apartments and 12.8% townhouses, terraces or semis. If yours is in a strata scheme, the approval comes before the plumber's first visit.
Extending, not just renovating?
Building or excavating over or near Sydney Water's pipes can affect them, so Sydney Water wants to check those plans through Sydney Water Tap in. You don't need to disconnect from its services to renovate, though a renovation may need water saving fittings to meet BASIX.
Where the plumber fits in a Sydney renovation
Before demolition
Settle the layout and get any strata approval in writing. If a fixture is moving, the plumber lodges a Notice of Work with Building Commission NSW before work starts.
Rough-in
With the walls and floor open, the plumber runs and tests the new water and waste pipes, before waterproofing and tiling close everything up.
Fit-off
After tiling, the toilet, basin, taps and shower go on. Hot water reaching the shower, bath, basin and any bidet must arrive at no more than 50°C, which a tempering valve or similar device controls.
The certificate
A Certificate of Compliance confirms the plumbing meets the Plumbing Code of Australia. The plumber must give a copy to whoever arranged the work.
Who owns the pipes in a strata bathroom
In most NSW strata schemes, the owner is responsible for plumbing in internal walls and for fixtures such as the bath, toilet, basin and shower. Plumbing in boundary walls and under the floor is usually the owners corporation's to maintain. A renovation that touches both needs to be clear about which is which.
That's why NSW requires the special resolution for a major renovation to state who is responsible for maintaining any common property it affects from then on, the owners corporation or the lot owner. Read it before you sign off.
Your part and the plumber's
You can
- Choose fixtures and confirm their positions before rough-in.
- Get strata approval, or your landlord's written permission if you rent, before anything is removed.
- Book the waterproofer and tiler around the plumber's two visits.
- Keep every certificate in one folder.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Moving, adding or capping pipes
- Connecting the toilet, shower, bath, basin and taps
- The temperature control at bathroom fixtures
- The Notice of Work, if fixtures move, and the Certificate of Compliance
What we would do
Fix the layout before you book anyone, because moving a fixture brings in a Notice of Work and changes the job. If you're in a strata building, get the special resolution passed first, and check what it says about who maintains the pipes afterwards. Then bring the plumber in early, before demolition, so the rough-in is planned with the waterproofer and tiler rather than squeezed in between them.