How To Find Plumbing Plans for Your House

Are you planning an expansion for your home? Getting ready to update your bathroom? You’re probably going to need a copy of your plumbing plan. Major plumbing work around the house always goes much smoother when your plumber has access to your original plumbing plans. Unfortunately, house plans and building approvals can be complex, and it’s not always easy to track down the documents you need. If you’ve got plumbing or construction work coming up, there are a few different ways you can find the plumbing plans for your house.

What are Plumbing Plans?

Plumbing is such an integral part of our daily lives that all newly-built homes, commercial and industrial properties require building approvals. These approvals will include plans for your home’s drainage and plumbing systems.

In most cases your home’s plumbing is self-explanatory, and a plumber won’t need to see the plans during simple maintenance and installation work. However, if you are planning large renovations or building a new property, it’s smart to have a copy of your plumbing plans available. You can make your plumber’s work simpler and reduce the chances of things like accidentally cutting or drilling through important pipes by simply providing your plumber with the plans.

Where to Find Plumbing Plans for Your Home

In Australia homebuilding and renovation work is subject to building approvals that are usually issued by your local or city council. Building inspections are carried out by independent building certifiers who then submit the information to Council for their approval. If you need to obtain a copy of your home’s plumbing plans, you can contact:

• Local Council. In Brisbane, all new homes require building approval from Brisbane City Council. Plumbing plans will be part of the documentation provided to the Council for approval. If you live elsewhere, find out who is in charge of approving new builds or issuing plumbing approvals. Copies of your Drainage Plan can also be obtained from Brisbane City Council.
• Previous owners. The previous owners of your home may have requested plumbing plans for their own construction or renovation work, and they may be able to provide a copy without the need to contact your Council.
• Building company. The construction company in charge of building the home or doing any renovations would have needed a copy of the plumbing plan to receive building approval. Contact your builder and ask if they have a copy of the plans on file.
• Plumbing company. If the builder who constructed the home doesn’t have or can’t find a copy of the plans, ask them to provide the information of the plumber they worked with. The plumbing company may have records of the project.
• CCTV camera. Finally, if you still cannot locate your plumbing plans or think the ones you have are inaccurate, hire a plumber to use a CCTV camera with a locator. The camera can precisely locate your pipes and other hidden services so you can be certain your plumbing plans are correct.

How Can I Locate My Stormwater or Sewer Pipes?

Locating the stormwater or sewer pipes on your property is important before beginning renovations or extensive landscaping projects as you do not want to accidentally damage your plumbing infrastructure. Because these pipes are buried, they can be nearly invisible to a homeowner. If you can locate records, they are often outdated, incomplete, or changes in the boundaries of your property could mean your pipes are under your neighbour’s property!  Our expert team at S&J Plumbing and Gasfitting can use leading-edge  CCTV camera and locator technology to help you precisely locate your  stormwater and sewer pipes enabling you to  safely proceed with your renovations or unclog a hidden pipe. 

What Does a Plumbing Plan Show?

Residential plumbing plans are exactly what they sound like – they show the layout of water supply pipes, drains, vents, toilets, sinks and appliances like fridges and dishwashers. The plumbing plan will also depict how drains and water supplies are connected to city water and sewer services that are found on the drainage plan.

When contacting the council for a copy of your plumbing plan, it’s important to consider that the plumbing shown on the plan may differ from what’s actually installed in your home. During construction it is common for plans to change, and some pipes or fixtures may end up being moved or removed. The building approvals process usually includes an inspection that requires the plumber to supply an as-constructed plan that shows the final version of the home’s plumbing. If you can find a copy of your as-constructed plans, those are the ones you should use.

Planning Some Renovation Work? Speak to S&J Plumbing and Gasfitting Today!

Over time, as renovations or additions are made, the layout of your home’s plumbing can change. Before you carry out any demolition, construction or renovation work, you need to have a clear picture of your home’s plumbing system. Although there’s often a small fee to retrieve plans from Council, the cost of repairing accidental damage is usually be much higher. It can be especially beneficial to double check the accuracy of your plumbing plans once you have them. We specialize in CCTV camera inspections for the location of  hidden services in and around your home so you can confidently take on a construction project without disrupting your plumbing system. 

If you need plumbing work done around your home, the expert team at S&J Plumbing and Gasfitting is here to help! Our range of services  –including CCTV camera inspections– is designed to take care of all residential plumbing work to keep your family happy and healthy. Get in touch with us for more information or to make an appointment with our master plumbers!