Length of the damaged run
The single biggest factor. Lining four metres and lining twenty-four metres are different jobs, and the camera is what tells us which one you have.
Guide · Costs
What pipe reliningactually costs.
Nobody can give you a number down the phone, and anyone who does is going to revise it. Here is what the price is actually made of, so you can read a quote properly — ours or anyone else’s.
- 50yrLiner warranty
- 1,300+Five-star reviews
- 25+Years in Melbourne drains
- 130+Suburbs covered
VBA licensed #43464Master Plumbers #504231Fixed price before we startSame-day CCTV inspections
01 — The variables
The five things that set the price
01
02
Pipe diameter
We line from 50mm to 300mm. Larger bore means more liner, more resin and more equipment on site.
03
Depth and access
A shallow line with an open inspection shaft in the front yard is quick. Three metres down behind a locked side gate is not.
04
Number of junctions
Every branch connection has to be reopened with a robotic cutter after the resin cures. Four junctions is meaningfully more work than none.
05
Condition before lining
A line packed with roots and scale needs serious jetting before anything can bond to it. That prep is where cheap quotes quietly cut corners.
06
Pipe material and shape
Terracotta, PVC, concrete and cast iron all line, but a badly deformed or offset section may need extra work or may not be linable at all.
02 — The real comparison
Why the plumbing quote is not the whole cost
Compare two quotes for the same broken sewer under a driveway. The excavation quote covers the plumbing. It usually does not cover cutting and removing the concrete, re-pouring it, matching the finish, replacing the garden bed the machine drove over, or the days you cannot park there.
Relining has none of that, because nothing is opened. That is the gap people miss when they compare the two numbers side by side.
| Criterion | Pipe relining | Dig and replace |
|---|---|---|
| Time on site | 1–2 days | 3–5 days, often longer |
| Your driveway | Untouched | Cut, removed, re-poured |
| Garden and paving | Untouched | Excavated and reinstated |
| Root re-entry | Sealed permanently | Returns at the new joints |
| Reinstatement cost | None | Concreting, paving, landscaping |
| Council permits | Rarely needed | Often needed for crossings |
| Warranty | 50 years on the liner | Workmanship only |
Honest caveat: if a pipe has fully collapsed there is nothing left to line against, and we will tell you to dig. The camera decides, not the quote.
The full breakdown is in pipe relining versus pipe replacement.
03 — Reading a quote
What a quote should actually contain
- The metre marks of the damaged run, taken from the footage
- Pipe diameter and material
- Whether jetting and root cutting before lining is included
- How many junctions will be reinstated, and that it is included
- A post-works CCTV inspection and a copy of the footage
- The liner manufacturer and the warranty term in writing
- What happens, and what it costs, if the camera finds a collapse mid-job
- A fixed total, not a range and not an hourly rate
If a quote is missing three of those, it is not a quote, it is an opening position.
04 — Proof
What people said about the price
★★★★★
“Excellent job clearing and fixing the tree roots blocking our sewer pipe. Straight answers, no upsell, and the driveway never got touched.”
Rob C.
Camberwell · Sewer line, tree roots
★★★★★
“We had four plumbers come out. Nick was the only one who actually found the problem instead of guessing, and the camera footage proved it.”
Mary X.
Kew · Recurring blockage
★★★★★
“Nick has been maintaining and clearing our sewer pipes from tree roots for years. Customer service is 10/10 and the relining finally ended it.”
Ursula C.
Brighton · Ongoing root intrusion
Reviews shown are from the Google profile of our parent business, DrainPro — same crews, same trucks, same licence.
Questions
Pipe relining costs — FAQ
What is the average cost of pipe relining in Melbourne?
Published averages are close to meaningless because the variables swing the number so hard. A short four-metre patch on a shallow, accessible line is a very different job from a twenty-five metre run three metres down with four junctions to reinstate. What we can promise is that the inspection that produces your number is free, and the number does not move once you have accepted it.
Is relining cheaper than digging the pipe up?
On the plumbing alone the two are often comparable. Relining wins once you add what excavation actually costs you — cutting and re-pouring a driveway, replacing paving, reinstating a garden, possible permits, and three to five days instead of one or two. On a driveway or slab job it is rarely close.
Why will nobody quote me over the phone?
Because an honest number needs four facts nobody has until a camera has been down the line: how long the damaged run is, what diameter it is, how deep it sits, and how many junctions come off it. A phone quote is a hook that gets revised upward on the day.
Does the price include the CCTV inspection?
Yes. The inspection is free when it forms part of a relining or repair quote, and you keep the footage whether or not you book the work. Standalone surveys, such as a pre-purchase inspection, are a flat fee we tell you on the phone.
Do you charge extra for junctions and bends?
Junctions take extra work — each one is reopened with a robotic cutter after the resin cures — so they are counted in the quote. Bends generally are not charged separately. Either way they are in the fixed price before you agree to anything.
Can I pay in stages, or is it all up front?
For larger jobs, body corporate work and multi-run properties we stage the work and the invoicing by run. For a standard residential job it is one price, invoiced on completion.
Will my insurer or the water authority pay for it?
Most policies exclude gradual deterioration, which is what an aged clay line is. Sudden damage is a different conversation and the footage and report we supply is exactly what an assessor asks for. Beyond your boundary the line belongs to the water authority, and our inspection shows which side of it your problem sits on.
Is a cheaper quote from another relining company a bad sign?
Not automatically, but ask two questions: does it include jetting the line properly before lining, and does it include reinstating every junction. Those are the two steps that get left out to make a number look good, and both cost far more to fix afterwards.
Book an inspection
Get a fixed price, not a range
Tell us what the drain is doing and we will book a CCTV inspection, usually same day. No charge, no obligation, and you keep the footage either way.
Oakleigh depot48 Downing Street, Oakleigh VIC 3166
Essendon depot65 Rose Street, Essendon VIC 3040
Ivanhoe depot26 Seddon Street, Ivanhoe VIC 3079
Mon – Fri6:30am – 7:00pm
Saturday7:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday8:00am – 4:00pm
Emergencies24 hours