Moving the toilet on a Geelong reno — slab chase or stay put.
It is the single layout decision that drives the budget more than any other: can the toilet shift, or does it have to stay where the original plumber put it in 1978? On a Highton or Armstrong Creek slab-on-ground, you have about 1.5 metres of working room before the saw-cut comes out. On a Newtown stump-floor cottage the maths is different. Here is what we look at before we price a new layout.
Two different Geelongs, two different jobs.
Greater Geelong's housing stock splits neatly into two construction types and the toilet-move job is fundamentally different on each. The post-1970s brick-veneer estates — Belmont's later infill, Grovedale, Waurn Ponds, Armstrong Creek, the Bellarine corridor through Drysdale and Ocean Grove — are almost universally slab-on-ground. The Victorian and Edwardian inner suburbs — Newtown, Geelong West, much of central Geelong and parts of Belmont's older streets — sit on timber stumps with a subfloor cavity underneath. The first decision a sensible builder makes on a Geelong bathroom reno is to confirm which one is under your feet, because it decides whether moving the toilet is a $1,500 line item or a $6,000 one.
The slab-on-ground rule of thumb.
On a slab home, the existing toilet is fed by a 100mm DN waste cast into the slab when the house was built. That waste goes to a fixed point — the stack — with a fixed fall set by the concretor in the late 70s, 80s or 90s. We can extend the new waste pipe within the wall cavity for roughly 1.5 metres in any direction, keeping the AS/NZS 3500.2 minimum fall of 1 in 60 (we prefer 1 in 40 for residential), without touching the concrete. Beyond that distance, or if the new location loses the gradient, you are into a slab chase: cordon the area, dust extraction set up, saw-cut and remove a strip of slab, drop the new waste with the correct fall, repour to AS 3600 concrete spec, re-membrane to AS 3740 over the patch, and re-screed. Two extra trades, three extra days, $3,000–$6,000 on the typical job.
The Victorian-era stump-floor rule.
A Newtown or Geelong West cottage on stumps is a different conversation entirely. The plumber works from underneath: lift the boards (or sometimes enter through an existing subfloor access), hang the new waste off the bearers with proper saddles, fall it to the stack, and tie back in. The toilet can shift almost anywhere within the room and sometimes into an adjoining cavity. What it costs you instead is the subfloor inspection first — because in older Newtown cottages we very routinely find rotten bearers under the existing toilet that need replacement before any new plumbing goes in, and stumps themselves that have heaved or rotted. We price the subfloor remediation transparently before we commit to a new layout.
The drainage assessment we do first.
Before we draw a new bathroom plan we send the plumber for a drainage assessment: where is the stack, what is the existing waste line doing, what is the achievable fall to the new pan location, and is the substrate slab or timber. A small subfloor inspection on a Newtown cottage takes 30 minutes. A floor-level survey on a Highton slab takes 45 minutes. Both save you from committing to a layout that, on paper, looks lovely — and then collides with AS/NZS 3500.2 the day we open the floor.
A Belmont reno where the toilet stayed put — and saved the budget.
A recent Belmont bathroom we quoted came in with a designed layout that shifted the toilet 2.4 metres from its original position to the opposite wall. The drainage assessment showed the slab waste was running the wrong direction for the new location, the fall was unachievable without a chase, and the chase would intersect a structural slab edge near the external wall. We took it back to the homeowner, kept the toilet in its existing plumbing position, moved only the shower and vanity (both can shift more easily because waste lines are smaller and falls more forgiving), and delivered the same visual feel for around $4,800 less than the chase option. That is the conversation we want to have before you commit to a layout, not after.
Common questions about moving the toilet.
How far can I actually move a toilet in a Geelong slab-on-ground home?
On a typical Highton, Waurn Ponds or Armstrong Creek slab, usually about 1.5 metres without breaking the slab — the plumber extends the waste line in the wall cavity keeping the AS/NZS 3500.2 minimum 1-in-60 fall. Beyond that, or if you lose the fall, you are into a slab chase. The cost gap is typically $3,000–$6,000.
What about Victorian-era stump-floor cottages in Newtown or Geelong West?
A timber stump-floor changes the maths entirely. The plumber works from underneath, so the toilet can shift almost anywhere within the room. What it costs you instead is the subfloor inspection — we routinely find rotten bearers under existing toilets in older Newtown cottages that need replacement first.
Why does the AS/NZS 3500.2 gradient matter so much?
AS/NZS 3500.2 sets the minimum fall for a 100mm waste at 1 in 60, with 1 in 40 preferred for residential. Move a toilet 2 metres horizontally and you need 33mm minimum vertical drop. In a fixed-floor slab home that drop has to come from a chase or a stepped floor.
Do I need a permit from the City of Greater Geelong to move the toilet?
The plumbing work itself is automatically certified to the VBA by the licensed plumber. A City of Greater Geelong building permit is generally required for structural change, replumbing or significant waterproofing change, which most full renos with moved fixtures involve. We confirm the permit pathway with the surveyor up front.
Get the drainage assessment before you commit to a layout.
VBA-registered builder, MBV/HIA member, fully insured, working across Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast. We bring the plumber to the drainage assessment, not just the final job. Call us and we will tell you on site what your toilet move actually involves — chase or stay put.