Pipe relining in Sydney costs between $500 and $1,100 per metre, with most complete residential jobs landing between $3,000 and $20,000 once setup and junction work are included. The upfront price is higher than laying new PVC pipe, but relining is usually the cheaper option overall, because you are not paying to dig up and reinstate your driveway, garden, paths or concrete slab afterwards.
This guide gives you the actual numbers, a self-assessment checklist to work out whether you need relining at all, and a script for vetting the plumber who turns up at your door.
How much does pipe relining cost, and why is it so expensive?
Relining costs $500 to $1,100 per metre. It is expensive because of the specialised CCTV equipment, robotic cutters and structural epoxy resin involved, but it saves thousands in property reinstatement. Relining can be a high risk job for the installer and requires a lot of experience.
Here is how a real quote is built. These are Ready Set Reline’s rates for the two pipe sizes found in most Sydney properties.
| Cost component | 100mm pipe (most homes) | 150mm pipe (apartments, larger sites) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial setup | $2,500 | $2,600 |
| Relining, per metre | $500 | $1100 |
| Junction reinstatement, each | $500 | $900 |
| High-pressure jetting | Included with reline | Included with reline |
| CCTV inspection | Included with reline | Included with reline |
| Follow-up inspection after 12 months | Included with reline | Included with reline |
Work out your own estimate: setup + (metres × per-metre rate) + (junctions × junction rate).
Some worked examples:
| Job | Calculation | Estimated total |
|---|---|---|
| 5m, no junctions (100mm) | $2,500 + $2,250 | $4,750 |
| 10m, one junction (100mm) | $2,500 + $4,500 + $750 | $7,750 |
| 20m, two junctions (100mm) | $2,500 + $9,000 + $1,500 | $13,000 |
| 25m, two junctions (150mm) | $2,600 + $13,750 + $1,700 | $18,050 |
This prices are indicative only and you should contact us for a specific quote.
Notice how much of a small job is setup. That fixed cost covers site preparation, safety, and mobilising the equipment, and it takes roughly the same couple of hours whether the job is 3 metres or 30. This is why a minimum charge applies to short jobs, and why relining 5 metres does not cost half of relining 10. On our rates, the smallest realistic full reline lands around $4750. Below that you are usually looking at a patch rather than a full line which would usually be around $3000.
Relining versus excavation: the total cost comparison
Comparing these on plumbing cost alone is where people get caught out. The digging is rarely the expensive part. Putting everything back is.
| Cost element | Trenchless relining | Excavation and replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Pipe and materials | Liner and epoxy resin | New PVC pipe |
| Labour | Two to three specialists (Two to four guys for big jobs) | Full excavation crew |
| Heavy machinery | None | Excavator, spoil removal, skip bins |
| Driveway or paving | Untouched | Broken out and reinstated |
| Landscaping and lawn | Untouched | Cleared and replanted |
| Council permits | Rarely required | Often required |
| Traffic control | Not required | Required for work near roads |
| Time to complete | Usually one day | Several days to weeks |
| Warranty | 50 years | Typically 1 year on new pipe |
| Finished pipe | Seamless, no joints | New joints roots can re-enter |
Best suited to relining: pipes running under driveways, concrete slabs, mature trees, retaining walls, heritage gardens or paved courtyards. Anywhere the reinstatement bill would exceed the plumbing bill.
Best suited to excavation: shallow pipes under open lawn with no obstructions, and pipes that have completely collapsed or crushed, where there is no longer a path for a liner to pass through. Those two lists cover the clear-cut cases. For the jobs that sit in between, our relining versus replacement guide runs through the three questions that settle it, including what to check on the footage before you accept either quote.
Do this now: estimate your meterage
Walk outside and pace the distance from your home’s main drainage point to the street boundary. That gives you a rough maximum length for a sewer line reline. Most Sydney residential runs fall between 10 and 30 metres, though only the damaged section usually needs lining, not the whole run.
What if I only need a patch?
If your CCTV footage shows one isolated crack in an otherwise sound pipe, you do not need a full reline. A sectional patch repairs just the damaged length, typically 0.5 to 1.5 metres, and usually costs in the range of $3000 to $4500, plus GST, all up.
The catch: if the camera shows several faults, patching each one separately costs more than lining the whole run once, and it leaves the untouched sections free to fail later. A good plumber will tell you which situation you are in.
How do I know if I need pipe relining?
Quick assessment: if you have recurring tree root intrusions, blockages that keep coming back, or wet patches in your yard, the pipe structure itself is compromised. Cleaning will not fix it.
The sewer health self-assessment
Score one point for each symptom you have noticed in the past twelve months.
| # | Symptom | Point |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slow-draining sinks, showers or basins | ☐ |
| 2 | Gurgling from toilets or drains | ☐ |
| 3 | Sewer or damp smells around drains and gullies | ☐ |
| 4 | Blockages returning yearly | ☐ |
| 5 | Tree roots found during a previous drain clean | ☐ |
| 6 | Soggy ground or a lush green patch of lawn that never dries | ☐ |
| 7 | Cracked paths, lifted paving or a small sinkhole | ☐ |
| 8 | Sewage backing up after heavy rain | ☐ |
| 9 | Damp patches or mould inside the property | ☐ |
| 10 | A Sydney Water notice or a failed drain inspection | ☐ |
How to read your score
Score 1 to 2 (slow drains, gurgling only): this is most likely a build-up problem. High-pressure jetting will probably clear it, and the pipe is likely structurally fine. Book a drain clean, not a reline. That is a far smaller bill than anything above:
| Type of blockage | Typical Sydney cost |
|---|---|
| Sink, toilet or basin, reachable from an accessible point | $300 to $700 |
| Main sewer or stormwater line needing high-pressure jetting | $360 to $850 |
| Tree roots or hard obstructions needing robotic cutting | $1,000 and up |
Score 3 or more, or any single instance of items 4 through 10: this points to structural damage. Roots returning every few months, sinkholes and sewage backing up are not cleaning problems. Book a CCTV inspection.
Your next step
Book a CCTV drain camera inspection. Relining cannot be quoted accurately without one, because the length, diameter, pipe condition and number of junctions are what determine the price. Any quote given without a camera going down the drain is guesswork.
Across Sydney, a standalone CCTV drain inspection typically costs $250 to $600, depending on the plumber, the length of pipe inspected and whether you get a written report and the footage.
Can you DIY pipe relining?
No. Structural pipe relining is not a DIY job. It requires specialised equipment, including inversion drums, hydro-jetters, robotic cutters and curing gear, plus precise control of resin curing times. For example, our specialist built, fully-equipped, Reline truck cost close to $1 million dollars. A botched liner can permanently block your connection to the sewer main, which turns a repair bill into a much larger one.
Since doing it yourself is off the table, the useful skill is hiring the right person. Here is what to ask.
The plumber vetting script
Ask these five questions before you accept any quote.
1. “Will you do a CCTV inspection before quoting, and do I get the footage?”
If the answer is no to either part, walk away. They are guessing at the scope, and you cannot compare their quote against anyone else’s.
2. “Is this a fixed price per metre, and what is the setup cost?”
We will provide you with a clear, transparent, fixed price quote, so there are no suprises and you know how much the total job will cost.
3. “Which liner and resin system do you use?”
Listen for a named system such as Brawoliner, and confirm the materials are WaterMark approved and meet AS/NZS 3500. Vague answers about “epoxy” are a warning sign.
4. “What curing method will you use, and how long until I can use my drains?”
Ambient, hot water, steam or UV. Any of these is fine, but a professional will know which one they are using and why.
5. “How many junctions are in this run, and is reinstating them included?”
Junction reinstatement is a real cost, roughly $550 to $990 each. If it is not itemised in the quote, ask whether it has been included or is going to appear later as a variation.
The self-check that matters most
Ask for the warranty in writing, and check it is 50 years. Ready Set Reline provides a 50-year installation guarantee plus a 100% workmanship guarantee. If a contractor offers a short or vaguely worded warranty, that usually reflects either the materials or the confidence they have in the install. Treat it as a dealbreaker.
Also confirm they carry public liability insurance, and note that in NSW, Home Builders Compensation insurance is required on residential work valued over $20,000, which adds several hundred dollars to larger jobs.
The most common expensive mistake
Paying to reline a pipe that has bellied. A belly, or sag, is a section where the ground has dropped and the pipe now holds water. A liner follows the exact shape of the existing pipe, so relining a bellied section gives you a brand new pipe with the same sag in it. It fixes cracks. It does not fix a fall problem.
If your CCTV footage shows standing water in a section of pipe with no blockage, ask specifically whether that is a belly, and what the plan is. That section may need excavating and re-laying to correct the grade.
How long do relined pipes last, and are they strong?
A correctly installed epoxy-relined pipe lasts 50 years or more. It is technically stronger than traditional PVC, roughly four times stronger, because the cured-in-place liner forms a seamless, joint-free barrier bonded to the inside of the old pipe. With no joints, there is no entry point for tree roots.
The key point: relining is a permanent structural repair, not a temporary coating. The relined section becomes the new pipe, and it carries a longer warranty than newly laid pipe does.
What success looks like
A properly relined pipe should give you zero blockages for a decade and beyond. If you are still calling a plumber for the same line within a year or two, something was missed, most commonly an unaddressed belly, a junction that was not sealed, or damage extending beyond the section that was lined.
One thing to do after the job
Ask for the final post-installation CCTV footage and keep it. It is worth holding onto for two reasons: your home insurance may want evidence of the repair, and when you eventually sell, documented proof that the drainage was structurally relined with a 50-year warranty is a genuine selling point. Buyers increasingly ask about drains, and most vendors have nothing to show them.
Get an accurate figure for your property
The tables above will get you a realistic ballpark. For an exact number, the pipe needs to be inspected, because length, diameter, access and the number of junctions are what move the price.
Ready Set Reline includes the CCTV inspection free as part of quoting, provides a fixed written price before any work starts, and will beat any comparable written quote by 10%.
