How to Quote for Plumbing Work — Template and Guide for Plumbers

Plumbing is one of the most in-demand trades in the UK, yet many plumbers still struggle with quoting. Some under-price to win work and then resent the job. Others over-price and wonder why they keep losing out. The plumbers who consistently win profitable work are the ones who quote accurately, present professionally, and communicate clearly.

This guide covers everything you need to know about quoting for plumbing work in the UK — from pricing structures and common job costs to materials markup, payment terms, and what a professional plumbing quote should contain. Whether you are newly qualified or looking to improve your quoting process, this will help you price with confidence.

Pricing Structures for Plumbing Work

There are three main ways to price plumbing work, and the best approach depends on the type of job.

Fixed Price Quotes

Fixed price quoting means giving the customer a single price for a defined scope of work. This is the best approach for installations, replacements, and projects where you can accurately predict the time and materials involved. Boiler installations, bathroom fitting, central heating installations, and radiator replacements all lend themselves to fixed pricing.

The advantage of fixed pricing is that it gives the customer certainty, which makes it easier to win the work. It also rewards efficiency — if you complete the job faster than expected, you earn more per hour. The risk is that if the job takes longer than planned or you encounter unexpected problems, your margin shrinks.

To price fixed jobs accurately, you need experience with similar work and a thorough survey before quoting. Do not guess — visit the property, assess the existing pipework, check access, and understand exactly what is involved before committing to a number. Our job pricing guide can help you benchmark your rates against the market.

Hourly or Day Rate

Hourly rates work best for repair work, diagnostic jobs, and maintenance where the scope is uncertain. A typical approach is to charge a call-out fee that covers the first hour, then an hourly rate thereafter. This protects you from losing money on small jobs while giving the customer transparency on larger repairs.

In 2026, typical UK plumber hourly rates are as follows.

• Outside London: forty to sixty pounds per hour
• London and South East: sixty to ninety pounds per hour
• Emergency and out-of-hours: eighty to one hundred and fifty pounds per hour
• Day rate (eight hours): two hundred and fifty to four hundred and fifty pounds

When quoting hourly, always state your rate clearly upfront and give the customer an estimate of how long the job will take. Nobody likes an open-ended bill.

Hybrid Approach

Many successful plumbers use a combination of both methods. Fixed prices for defined installations and projects, hourly rates for repairs and diagnostics. This gives customers clarity where possible while protecting your income on unpredictable work.

Common Plumbing Job Prices in 2026

Here are typical prices for the most common plumbing jobs in the UK in 2026. These include labour and materials unless stated otherwise.

Boiler Installation

• Combi boiler swap (same location): two thousand to three thousand pounds
• Combi boiler new position: two thousand five hundred to four thousand pounds
• System to combi conversion: three thousand to five thousand pounds
• System boiler with cylinder: three thousand five hundred to six thousand pounds
• Back boiler removal and combi install: three thousand to five thousand five hundred pounds

Boiler prices vary significantly by brand and output. A mid-range combi boiler costs six hundred to one thousand two hundred pounds at trade price. Premium brands like Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, and Viessmann sit at the higher end. Always specify the exact boiler model in your quote so there is no ambiguity.

Bathroom Plumbing

• Full bathroom fit (labour only, five to seven days): two thousand to four thousand pounds
• Bathroom suite supply and fit (standard): four thousand to seven thousand pounds
• Shower installation (electric, over bath): three hundred to six hundred pounds
• Shower installation (thermostatic, enclosure): eight hundred to one thousand eight hundred pounds
• Bath replacement (like for like): four hundred to eight hundred pounds
• Toilet replacement: two hundred to four hundred pounds

Central Heating

• Full central heating system (average three-bed house): four thousand to seven thousand pounds
• Radiator replacement (single, like for like): one hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds
• Radiator addition (new position, pipe run): three hundred to six hundred pounds
• Power flush: three hundred to five hundred pounds
• Magna clean filter supply and fit: one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty pounds
• Thermostat upgrade (smart, e.g. Nest/Hive): two hundred to three hundred and fifty pounds

General Plumbing

• Leaking tap repair: sixty to one hundred and twenty pounds
• Tap replacement (basin or kitchen): eighty to one hundred and eighty pounds
• Burst pipe repair: one hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds
• Stopcock replacement: one hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds
• Washing machine or dishwasher connection: sixty to one hundred and twenty pounds
• Outside tap installation: one hundred to two hundred pounds
• Unblocking drain (internal): eighty to one hundred and fifty pounds

Materials Markup for Plumbers

Marking up materials is standard practice and perfectly reasonable. You are investing your time sourcing the right products, collecting them, carrying them to site, and taking responsibility if they are faulty. Your markup covers this and the risk of price changes between quoting and purchasing.

Typical markup percentages for plumbing materials in 2026.

• Boilers: ten to fifteen per cent (lower percentage because of higher absolute value)
• Sanitaryware (toilets, basins, baths): fifteen to twenty-five per cent
• Taps and showers: fifteen to twenty per cent
• Copper pipe, fittings, and sundries: twenty to thirty per cent
• Radiators and valves: fifteen to twenty per cent

Some plumbers prefer to quote materials at cost and charge a higher labour rate instead. Either approach is valid — the key is that your total price covers all your costs and delivers a reasonable profit. Our free material cost estimator can help you total up your materials spend quickly. For a deeper look at this topic, see our guide on how to price materials and markup for trade jobs.

Customer-Supplied Materials

Customers sometimes want to supply their own materials — particularly sanitaryware, taps, and boilers they have found online. This is their right, but it creates risks for you. If a customer-supplied tap is faulty or the wrong specification, you still spend time dealing with it. Establish a clear policy: if customers supply materials, you cannot guarantee the product, only your workmanship. Charge a reasonable labour-only rate that reflects the additional risk and potential for delays.

Payment Terms for Plumbing Work

Getting your payment terms right protects your cash flow and avoids disputes. Here are the standard approaches for different types of plumbing work.

Small Jobs (Under One Thousand Pounds)

For small repairs and replacements, payment on completion is standard. Some plumbers ask for payment before leaving the property. Others invoice on completion with seven-day terms. For call-out and repair work, cash or bank transfer on the day is perfectly reasonable.

Medium Jobs (One to Five Thousand Pounds)

For boiler installations and similar mid-value jobs, a deposit of twenty-five to thirty per cent on acceptance of the quote is reasonable, with the balance on completion. The deposit covers the cost of ordering the boiler and any other materials. Make sure you specify this clearly in your quote.

Large Projects (Over Five Thousand Pounds)

For full bathroom installations, central heating systems, and other large projects, staged payments work best. A typical structure is twenty-five per cent deposit on acceptance, twenty-five per cent at first fix completion, twenty-five per cent at second fix completion, and the final twenty-five per cent on completion and sign-off. This keeps your cash flow positive throughout the project and limits your exposure if the customer defaults.

What to Include in a Plumbing Quote

A professional plumbing quote should contain the following elements. Missing any of these creates ambiguity that can lead to disputes, lost work, or eroded margins.

Your business details. Trading name, address, phone number, email, and registration numbers. If you are Gas Safe registered, your registration number is essential — customers will check, and it is a legal requirement for any gas work.

Customer details. Name, property address, and contact details.

Description of work. A clear, detailed description of exactly what you will do. Not just "fit new boiler" but the specific model, where it will be located, what pipework will be modified, what controls will be fitted, and what making good is included. The more specific you are, the fewer disputes arise.

Itemised pricing. Break down the costs so the customer can see where their money is going. Labour, materials (itemised where practical), and any other costs like waste removal or skip hire. If you prefer not to itemise materials individually, at least separate labour from materials.

Total price. State clearly whether the price includes or excludes VAT. If you are VAT registered, show the VAT amount separately. If you are not VAT registered, state this clearly to avoid confusion.

Timeline. Estimated start date and duration. For a boiler swap, this might be one day. For a full bathroom, it might be five to seven working days. Be realistic — overpromising on timescales is a common source of customer dissatisfaction.

Payment terms. When payments are due and what methods you accept. State your deposit requirement and any staged payment schedule clearly.

Exclusions. What is not included is just as important as what is. If your bathroom quote does not include tiling, decorating, flooring, or electrical work, say so explicitly. If unforeseen additional work is needed (for example, corroded pipework behind a wall), state that this will be quoted separately.

Guarantee. State what guarantee you offer on your workmanship and what manufacturer warranties apply to the products. For boiler installations, the manufacturer's warranty (typically five to twelve years depending on the brand and whether you are an approved installer) is a significant selling point.

Validity period. State how long the quote is valid — typically thirty days. Material prices can change, and you do not want to be held to a price you quoted six months ago.

Tips for Winning More Plumbing Quotes

Getting the price right is only half the battle. Here is what separates the plumbers who consistently win work from those who do not.

Respond fast. When a customer requests a quote, they are usually contacting two or three plumbers. The first one to respond professionally often wins. Aim to reply within two hours and schedule a site visit within forty-eight hours. Speed signals reliability.

Be professional on site. Turn up on time, wear clean workwear, introduce yourself, and listen to what the customer wants before telling them what they need. Take notes. Ask questions. Customers are choosing who they want in their home for days at a time — trust and professionalism matter as much as price.

Quote quickly after the visit. Send your quote within twenty-four hours of visiting the property. The longer you wait, the more likely the customer has already accepted someone else's quote. Use a tool like QuoteSmith to generate professional proposals quickly — input the job details and costs, and it produces a branded PDF in minutes. See our guide on why professional proposals win more work.

Follow up. If you have not heard back within three to five days, follow up with a polite message. Many customers intend to accept but get busy and forget. A simple "just checking if you had any questions about the quote" can tip the balance. Read our full guide on how to follow up on a quote.

Get reviews. After every job, ask for a Google review. Positive reviews are the single most powerful marketing tool for plumbers. When a potential customer is choosing between three plumbers with similar prices, they will almost always pick the one with more and better reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should a plumber charge per hour in the UK?

In 2026, most UK plumbers charge between forty and eighty pounds per hour depending on location and experience. In London and the South East, rates of sixty to ninety pounds per hour are common. Outside London, forty to sixty pounds per hour is more typical. Emergency and out-of-hours work commands a premium of eighty to one hundred and fifty pounds per hour. Many plumbers prefer fixed prices for defined jobs rather than hourly rates.

How much does a boiler installation cost in the UK?

A new combi boiler installation typically costs between two thousand and four thousand pounds in 2026, including the boiler and all labour. A straightforward swap in the same location is at the lower end. Moving the boiler, converting from a conventional system, or installing a system boiler with cylinder costs three thousand to six thousand pounds. Premium brands increase the cost further.

Should plumbers quote fixed prices or hourly rates?

For defined installations like boiler fitting and bathroom plumbing, fixed prices work best for both parties. For repair work and diagnostics where the scope is unknown, an hourly rate with a clear call-out fee is more appropriate. Many successful plumbers use a hybrid approach — fixed prices for installations and hourly rates for repairs.

How much markup should a plumber add to materials?

Most plumbers add between fifteen and thirty per cent markup on materials. For high-value items like boilers, ten to fifteen per cent is standard. For copper pipe, fittings, and sundries, twenty to thirty per cent is reasonable. The markup covers your time sourcing materials, the risk of price changes, and the cost of carrying stock.

What should a plumbing quote include?

A professional plumbing quote should include your business details and Gas Safe registration number, customer details, a clear description of the work, itemised labour and materials costs, the total price with VAT status, estimated start date and duration, payment terms, exclusions, guarantee terms, and quote validity period. A detailed quote protects both parties and demonstrates professionalism.

How much does a full bathroom installation cost?

A full bathroom installation in the UK costs between four thousand and twelve thousand pounds in 2026. A basic refit with standard sanitaryware costs four thousand to six thousand pounds. A mid-range bathroom with quality fittings and full tiling costs six thousand to nine thousand pounds. A high-end bathroom with premium fixtures, underfloor heating, and bespoke finishes can exceed twelve thousand pounds.