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Moving A Toilet With A Domestic Plumber

Learn about how you can move a toilet in your house, unit or apartment to change the floor plan of your bathroom or laundry.
Summary

Bathroom plumber to move a toilet in a house or unit

Luxury unit bathroom renovations in Sydney installed by Nu Trend 10 of 10

Can a licensed plumber move a toilet or do you need a building renovator?

Plumber in Sydney replace illegal sewer pipe work excavating to relocate plumbing

Moving a toilet is possible in any type of property if you contract a licensed plumber. At the end of the day a toilet, like many other things in a building that has been constructed, is just one of many components that can be changed, removed or altered later. 

Of course what can make that task either quite easy or very complex is the type of installation, the existing conditions of the site & whether it is a house, unit or apartment block. 

So, for example, a house that is on a solid concrete slab will require a different amount of renovation work to move a toilet vs house that has been built using beam and block or suspended timber. If it is a multi-storey unit block this poses a completely different set of challenges but it can still be done with the right preparation & approvals.

Nu-Trend has a team of contractors in Sydney that are licensed plumbers & renovators – this means you can use a single company to move your toilet, connect or disconnect the services & then repair the room with either a light or complete renovation. 

Simple, fast & the easiest way to get your toilet moved and sorting out your bathroom plumbing at the same time. Nu-Trend is a little different to other contractors in Sydney as we can cover both plumbing and renovating.

What things do you have to consider if you want to move your toilet?

What space are you trying to create
If you consider moving a toilet, even just a few inches, it can greatly improve the space usage and function of your bathroom space. This is especially true for older properties where most bathrooms don’t make the most ideal use of their limited space. So sometimes by relocating some of the primary items like the bath, vanity or shower you can make big differences without completely changing everything. 

Sometimes people will move or relocate their toilet for aesthetic reasons like getting it centred on a wall or moving it away from a door or window. In these cases you can normally use a plumber to get this done especially if it is just a few centimetres. In other situations you might want to simply get a new toilet that is more water efficient or has a smart bidet toilet seat.

 

Supply & waste lines
When you start thinking about moving your toilet you have to remember it isn’t just about the big white piece you sit on, there are also the supply line and waste lines that may both need to be moved as well. 

Whether one or both need to be done depends on how far the toilet is being removed and what types of lines you have available. Sometimes the water supply is connected to your toilet by a flexible supply line, so you might be able to get away with simply installing a slightly longer supply line tube thus avoiding the need to reposition the water line access point.

The one that can be a little more complicated is the waste water line that moves whatever you flush into the public wastewater system. In most cases there is a waste water pipe under the toilet that uses gravity to move wastewater away. 

Sometimes a new flange can allow for small movements without having to cut new holes in the floor. In other situations a completely new hole and adjustments to the lines need to be made, so your budget needs to allow for the toilet being moved and then repairs to the old section of the room.

 

Space under the floor
If you have space under your bathroom to work with then your options become much easier. If there is at least crawling space then ground floor bathrooms can be adjusted relatively easily compared to ones on a concrete slab. If the bathroom is on the first or second storey then it means needing access to walls and ceilings to be able to work with the plumbing system.

 

Venting
All plumbing systems also need to be able to vent. For most properties there will be a series of pipes that don’t collect or pass any water they are for venting to provide air to help water flow. They also carry smells out of the house, especially in the case of toilet vent pipes. So, when moving a toilet, you have the drain pipe alignment with the mainline sewer pipe, water supply & vent pipes. It isn’t a typical DIY job and requires a domestic plumber who is licensed and qualified. 

Can you move a toilet on a concrete slab or does it need a bathroom renovation?

If your house, or in particular, your bathroom has been built on a concrete slab then to move the toilet more than a few inches means excavating the concrete to access and relocate water and waste lines. Once that has been done, the concrete foundation needs to be repaired with new sub-flooring, flooring and tiling. 


As you can imagine, these additional steps add considerable cost and work involved, so in some situations may not be financially sensible. Although if you are already planning to do a complete bathroom renovation, this is the ideal time to incorporate such changes as everything would be stripped back in any case. 


The Nu-Trend team are professional renovators who have the appropriate license, qualifications and experience to help you in these scenarios. We can provide a free, fixed price, quotation to move your toilet as well as options for repairing the floors or walls if required. We combine our renovating and plumbing experience to make it simple to get it done.

How much does moving a toilet cost?

As you can see from the information we have shared this will vary based on the scenario, so the elements that have to be considered are;

  • What type of property is it e.g house, unit block, townhouse.
  • How far does it need to be moved?
  • What is access like to the toilet, the plumbing and service lines.
  • Will repair work need to be completed once it is moved.
  • Do we need to move or adjust the existing bathroom plumbing. 

One of our plumbers in Sydney can provide a free quotation to have your toilet moved which makes it really easy to assess your options. You may determine that a bathroom renovation is a more cost effective approach that can deliver better value long term.

How did we move this toilet?

Nu-Trend can provide you with a qualified domestic plumber that can be contracted to do bathroom plumbing repairs, installations or replacements of items. For this project our Client wanted to move their toilet in the outside bathroom, luckily they had a suspended slab and there was space under the house so it made access quite easy.

 

 

– The old toilet had broken but we managed to use the existing cistern to save money.

 

 

– We made sure the drainage stack was adjusted to work in the new position.

 

 

– We capped the existing floor hole with concrete.

 

 

– A new water point was installed and we were able to install plus commission this toilet as a same day service that was completed in a few hours

 

 

The total cost for this was $2,400 ex gst and what made it easier to manage is the space under the house was enough for us to be able to move around with all facilities fairly close to where the old locations for water and drainage were.

Frequently asked questions about moving a toilet

Can you move a toilet on a concrete slab?

Yes you can move a toilet even if has been installed on a concrete slab which is common for a lot of modern homes. Anything is possible when it comes to changing your bathrooom layout and most considerations will come down to budget, the physical building limitations and legal requirements.

As long as we are able to get sufficient access to the piping & floor area without needing to change the structural composition of the property then we can move a toilet on a concrete slab to help change your bathroom floor plan.


Can you move plumbing on a concrete slab?

As well as moving a toilet on a concrete slab Nu-Trend can also assist you to move the plumbing if required. In most case we will use a wet saw machine to chase out and excavate the slab work so we can move the pipe to where it is needed. The cost to move the plumbing in a concrete slab will depend on how much or how far they are being moved as it is a labour intensive project.


How much does it cost to move or relocate a toilet Australia?

Every property in Australia is unique so the cost to move a toilet can vary from $100 to many $1,000’s depending on the property type & layout. What will vary greatly is the time, tools and materials needed to complete any type of toilet move whether that is a wooden floor board or concrete slab. 


How difficult is it to relocate a toilet?

It might be very easy to relocate a toilet if the foundations of the property are raised and there is plany of under floor access. Although this will just all depend on the existing or non existing surrounding and building structures which may or may not pose various limitations to what can be done.


How far can you move a toilet from the stack?

The distance from your toilet to the stack isn’t a fixed number and there are to many variables to be considered and ‘what if’ scenarios that can be looked at. Quite literally Nu-Trend would need one of our qualified local plumbers to come and look at the property to assess or compare the position of the sewer vs the stack vs surrounding ventilation vs where you wanted to move the toilet to so that we can work out if it is possible and legal. 


Can you put a toilet anywhere in your house?

Yes it is quite possible to put your toilet anywhere you like in your house as long as it complies with the local laws and will achieve council approvals. 


Can a toilet and sink share the same drain?

In some situations your toilet and sink might be able to share the same drain although it would need to be sized correctly and  plumbed in a certain way to meet legal requirements or pipe sizing.


What happens if you don’t vent a toilet?

You might try and save some money on moving your toilet by not venting it the right way but that isn’t a good thing as it can lead to;

 – Blockages
 – Bad smells
 – Gurgling
 – The sewer pipes not functioning correctly
 – Potential overflow of your sewer


What does it mean when a toilet gurgles?

If you hear a strange gurgling noise from your toilet it can mean a few different things depending on the property. So in some scenarios it could be related to incorrect venting, the beginning of a pipe blockage or simply just old, poor, plumbing that has had its day.

 

How do you tell if your vent stack is clogged?

You can tell if your vent stack is clogged when you start to experience bad smells, gurgling or even sewer overflow. By hiring a Nu-Trend qualified plumber we can use our CCTV digital camera equipment to inspect the lines to see what is causing the issue.


Does every toilet need a vent pipe?

Every toilet needs to be connected to a vented sewer line in the appropriate position to function properly. This includes any toilet that is relocated or moved because the venting may also need to be adjusted. 


Can you vent a toilet with a 2 inch pipe?

The size needed for venting will depend and vary for each specific toilet relocation project as every property and situation is unique. 


Can a toilet vent run horizontal?

You can run toilet vents horizontally however vent pipes must be run in a way where water will be able to drain with no obstructions.


How many toilets can be on a 4 inch drain?

Every toilet renovation project is different. So depending on what the surrounding fixtures are and the distances between them you may be able to use a 4 inch drain. Our qualified plumbing team can help you work out what is required.


Can you move a toilet over a few inches?

Yes it is possible to move a toilet a few inches to help with creating space in your bathroom. The Nu-Trend plumbing team can help with these scenarios. Although, it is important to consider that depending on how the toilet was installed on the floor there is a chance it could be damaged when it is removed from the base to the sewer pipe.

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Nu-Trend has been operating since 2009 as an independent bathroom renovation and plumbing contractor in Sydney. Rick and his team provide a wide range of services for home owners in houses, units, apartments or businesses.

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