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What Plumbing a New House Costs in Ontario (2026): Per Fixture Rough-In and Trim, a 12-Fixture House Added Up, and What the Quote Leaves Out
Plumbing & Water
What It Costs to Plumb a New House: Count the Fixtures, Then Count What Is Not in the Count
Plumbers price a new house by the fixture, and that is a good honest way to price it. The trouble is everything that is not a fixture: the water heater, the pipe under the basement floor, the line out to the street or the well, the permit and the toilets themselves. Two quotes that look $6,000 apart can be the same price once you add those back. This page shows the per-fixture numbers, a 12-fixture house worked out line by line, and the list of things to find in writing before you sign.
The numbers
$1,000 + $300per fixture, rough-in plus trim, our default
$8,000 to $15,000+whole-house rough-in alone, a Halton plumber
$12,600 to $18,60012 fixtures, rough-in and trim, our estimate
$317Toronto basic plumbing permit, 12 fixtures
| New-house plumbing | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Rough-in per fixture, new construction | $800 to $1,200 | a Toronto plumber; $1,000 default |
| Rough-in per fixture, Ottawa | about $950 | an Ottawa plumber |
| Rough-in per fixture, Halton and Hamilton | $800 to $1,800 | a Halton/Hamilton plumber |
| Setting the fixture (trim), labour | $250 to $350 | separate from rough-in; $300 default |
| Whole-house rough-in, several baths and a kitchen | $8,000 to $15,000+ | rough-in only |
| 12 fixtures, rough-in and trim | $12,600 to $18,600 | our estimate, derived from the lines above |
| Tank water heater, installed | $1,200 to $1,800 | usually not in the plumbing price |
| Fixtures themselves (toilets, taps, tubs) | an allowance | varies too much to publish one number |
The renovation rate is higher, $1,200 to $1,800 a fixture, and condos $1,400 to $2,000, because somebody is working around walls that are already there. That is on the bathroom rough-in cost page.
Why Ontario prices are all over the map: the plumbers and price guides we checked for this page quoted very different prices for the same rough-in. A Toronto plumber said $800 to $1,200 a fixture, an Ottawa plumber about $950, and a Halton plumber $800 to $1,800. For the whole house, $8,000 to $15,000 or more for the rough-in alone. Part of the gap is the city, and most of it is scope: the trim, the fixtures, the underground, the service and the water heater are in some quotes and not in others. Budget $1,300 a fixture for rough-in and trim, and get two or three quotes on the same written scope.
What a Plumbing Quote Covers, and What It Usually Does Not
A per-fixture price covers the drain, the vent and the hot and cold supply to each fixture, tested and inspected, and then a second visit to set the fixture once the floors and counters are in. That is the core of the job, and it is the part plumbers compete on. The rest is where the surprises live.
- The fixture count. Plumbers count differently. One counts a double vanity as two fixtures, another as one. The dishwasher, the washer box, the fridge line, a floor drain and the hose bibs may or may not be fixtures. Ask for the list by room.
- The underground. The drains under the basement slab are a separate stage and sometimes a separate price.
- The water service or the well line from the street or the well to the house, and the sewer or the septic outlet going the other way.
- The water heater, and whether it is bought, rented, gas or electric. Gas water heaters and gas piping are TSSA-regulated work by a registered gas contractor, which may or may not be the plumber.
- The fixtures, supply or install only. Most new-house quotes are install only.
- The sump pit and pump, any sewage ejector, and a backwater valve where the house is on a town sewer.
- The permit and the inspections. In Toronto, a basic plumbing permit is $205 for up to 5 fixtures plus $16 for each one past 5, according to a Toronto plumber’s summary of the City fees. Other towns charge differently; check yours.
If a line is not in the plumber’s number, it is not in anybody’s number, and you meet it later as an extra. The plumbing basics page explains when each piece happens in the build and what the inspector checks at each stage.
A 12-Fixture House, Added Up
Take a two-storey house with a main bath (toilet, vanity, tub and shower), an ensuite (toilet, double vanity counted as two, shower), a powder room (toilet, sink), and a kitchen sink, dishwasher and laundry box. That is 3 + 4 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 12 fixtures.
| Line | Basis | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rough-in | 12 x $1,000 | $12,000 |
| Trim, setting the fixtures | 12 x $300 | $3,600 |
| Plumbing, rough-in and trim | $15,600 | |
| Tank water heater, installed | middle of $1,200 to $1,800 | $1,500 |
| Permit, Toronto example | $205 + 7 x $16 | $317 |
| Town lot, before fixtures and the service | $17,417 | |
| Rural lot: well drilled | 200 ft x $80 | $16,000 |
| Rural lot: pump, tank, pitless, wiring, controls | our estimate, default | $4,500 |
| Rural lot: trench and water line, 100 to 250 ft | allowance | $5,500 |
| Rural lot, before fixtures and the septic | $43,417 |
October 2026, before HST. At the ends of the ranges the plumbing alone runs 12 x $800 + 12 x $250 = $12,600 to 12 x $1,200 + 12 x $350 = $18,600. The town lot still needs the water service and sewer connection, which the municipality and the plumber quote per lot. Well depth is a guess until the driller hits water; the well drilling cost page explains why.
The rural line is the one that surprises people from the city. On a town lot the water is a valve at the property line. In the country it is a hole in the ground, a pump, a tank, a trench and a septic system, and the plumbing inside the house is less than half the water bill. The rural water system calculator puts all of it on one sheet, and the septic is on the septic cost page.
How the Money Should Get Paid
A new-house plumbing job comes in three visits: the underground before the slab, the rough-in before the insulation, and the trim and final at the end. The split between them is set in your contract. Say yours is 15, 55 and 30 percent of the $15,600: that is $2,340, $8,580 and $4,680, and $2,340 + $8,580 + $4,680 = $15,600.
- Tie every payment to a passed inspection, not a date. The underground money is due when the groundwork inspection passes, the rough-in money when the rough-in passes its water test, the last payment after the final.
- Keep the holdback. Ontario’s Construction Act holdback, 10 percent of what you pay, stays back until the lien period is over. Your lawyer can walk you through how it works on your job.
- Get the fixture count and the exclusions in writing before the first payment. Changing the count at rough-in is an extra; changing it after drywall is a much bigger one.
- Check the licence. Plumber is a compulsory trade in Ontario. Whoever does the work must hold a Certificate of Qualification, a provisional certificate, or be a registered apprentice working under one. Look them up on the Skilled Trades Ontario public register.
On our own builds in Simcoe, Muskoka and Georgian Bay, I am the builder and the plumbing is done by licensed plumbers I hire. I coordinate the stages and the inspections; they do the work.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to plumb a new house in Ontario?
About $800 to $1,200 a fixture for the rough-in and $250 to $350 a fixture to set them, before HST. A 12-fixture house comes to about $12,600 to $18,600 by our estimate, before the water heater, the permit, the underground and service, and the fixtures themselves.
What counts as a plumbing fixture?
Toilets, sinks, tubs and showers always. Dishwashers, washer boxes, fridge lines, floor drains and hose bibs depend on the plumber. Ask for the count by room so two quotes are counting the same house.
Does the plumbing quote include the water heater?
Often not. A tank installed runs $1,200 to $1,800, and many people rent; the rent or buy page works out which is cheaper.
Is plumbing more expensive on a rural lot?
The plumbing inside the house is about the same. The well, pump, tank, trench and septic are what add up: in our example the well side alone is $26,000 before the septic.
Do I need a separate plumbing permit for a new house?
Plumbing is inspected as part of the building permit process; some municipalities issue a separate plumbing permit or charge plumbing fees by the fixture. Ask your building department which yours does.
Run your own fixture count
The plumbing cost estimator takes your fixtures, town water or well and septic, basement or slab, and gives you a range with nothing counted twice. If you already have plumbing quotes, the $99 review reads up to three of them against this page and tells you what each one left out.
Sources and further reading
- Toronto standalone plumbing and drain permits: what a plumbing permit covers in Toronto and the published fees.
- Skilled Trades Ontario public register: where you check that the plumber on your quote can legally work in the trade, by name or ID number.
- Construction Act, R.S.O. 1990: the 10 percent holdback, the lien period and the prompt-payment timelines that apply to a plumbing contract.
