When the owners of a Frenchs Forest residence decided to renovate, they didn’t want a cosmetic refresh — they wanted it done properly, from the brickwork out. Pearla Plumbing & Electrical, working in a dual-trade partnership with Scott Electrics, delivered a complete strip-out and infrastructure rebuild at 10 Prahran Avenue: precision copper hydraulics, PVC drainage, in-floor heating, full electrical rough-in, and a high-end modern finish — all fully compliant with July 2026 eCert standards.
Project Details
| Location | Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 |
| Property Type | Residential — Full Bathroom Renovation |
| Scope | Hydraulic rough-in, electrical rough-in, tiling, fixtures & fit-out |
| Trades | Pearla Plumbing & Electrical + Scott Electrics (dual-trade) |
| Compliance | NSW Fair Trading eCert — July 2026 compliant |
| Finish | High-contrast modern — sage green subway tile, matte black fixtures |
The Challenge — Renovating Through Solid Brick
Renovating a solid brick home is a fundamentally different challenge to lightweight construction. There is no flex, no cavity to route services through casually, and no margin for imprecision. Every pipe penetration, every conduit run, every floor waste position has to be planned and executed exactly right — because once the tiles go on, nothing moves.
At 10 Prahran Avenue, the entire bathroom was stripped back to raw brickwork to give the hydraulic and electrical teams a clean canvas. This is the only way to guarantee that new infrastructure meets current standards and will perform reliably for decades — rather than patching around aging pipework hidden in walls.
Phase 1 — Hydraulic & Electrical Rough-In
Plumbing & Hydraulic Infrastructure
Pearla’s plumbing team executed the full hydraulic rough-in through solid brick walls — one of the more technically demanding aspects of any bathroom renovation in an established Frenchs Forest or Northern Beaches home.
- Complex copper pipework installed for hot and cold supply lines
- PVC drainage installation including precise floor-waste positioning
- Structural reinforcement with concrete slurry where brick penetrations required it
- All hydraulic work carried out to AS/NZS 3500 plumbing standards
- Pre-tiling inspection completed to confirm all rough-in positions before wall close-up
Getting floor-waste positioning right at this stage is critical. A floor waste placed even 20mm out of position creates drainage and tiling problems that are expensive to fix post-tile. Pearla’s team mapped every outlet position against the final tile layout before a single pipe was set.
Electrical Rough-In & Floor Heating
Working simultaneously with Pearla, Scott Electrics completed the full electrical rough-in — lighting circuits, power points, and in-floor heating systems — integrated directly into the wall and floor cavities before tiling commenced.
- Electrical lighting circuits and power points rough-in through brick cavities
- In-floor electric heating system installed under large-format floor tiles
- All cabling positioned in coordination with hydraulic runs to eliminate trade conflicts
- July 2026 NSW Fair Trading eCert compliant throughout — digital certificate issued on completion
The dual-trade approach — both teams on site simultaneously under a single coordinated plan — eliminated the trade overlap delays that typically extend bathroom renovations by weeks. There were no “the plumber’s pipe is where the electrician needs to run the conduit” moments. Everything was mapped before the first hole was drilled.
Phase 2 — The Modern Finish
With the infrastructure complete and inspected, the fit-out phase delivered a bathroom that matches the quality of the work behind the walls.
Tiling & Surfaces
- Vertical-stacked sage green subway tiles on feature walls — a high-contrast, design-forward choice that works beautifully in natural Northern Beaches light
- Large-format grey floor tiles over the in-floor heating system
- Grout lines aligned precisely across both formats — only possible because the rough-in positions were set to the tile layout from day one
Fixtures & Fittings
- Matte black rain shower head with integrated handheld unit — wall-mounted at structurally reinforced positions set during rough-in
- Back-to-wall high-efficiency toilet suite — concealed cistern, clean wall-face presentation
- All water outlet positions and electrical switch/power point locations technically aligned — no visible compromise between trades
Because Pearla and Scott Electrics operated as a single coordinated team, the outlet-to-switch alignment is exact. The rain shower position, the niche lighting, the heated floor zone — all of it lines up the way it should, because it was planned that way from the start, not adjusted around each other’s work after the fact.
Why Dual-Trade Coordination Matters
Most bathroom renovations in Frenchs Forest and across the Northern Beaches involve at least two licensed trades working independently — a plumber and an electrician who may never speak to each other until something doesn’t fit. The result is compromised layouts, extended timelines and, in some cases, non-compliant work that has to be rectified before a Certificate of Compliance can be issued.
Pearla Plumbing & Electrical’s partnership with Scott Electrics eliminates that entirely. Both trades work from a shared plan, on site simultaneously, with a single point of accountability. The homeowner gets one contact, one timeline, and one compliant outcome.
July 2026 NSW eCert Compliance
All electrical work on this project was completed to NSW Fair Trading eCert standards. From July 2026, all prescribed electrical work in NSW must be certified digitally via the NSW Fair Trading eCert portal — paper Certificates of Compliance will no longer be accepted. Every Pearla and Scott Electrics project involving prescribed electrical work is issued with a digital eCert, ensuring full compliance for insurance, sale, and regulatory purposes.
Services Performed
- Full bathroom strip-out and structural preparation
- Copper hydraulic pipework — hot and cold supply
- PVC drainage installation and floor-waste positioning
- Concrete slurry structural reinforcement
- Electrical rough-in — lighting circuits and power points
- In-floor electric heating installation
- NSW Fair Trading eCert (July 2026 compliant)
- Vertical-stacked subway tiling and large-format floor tiling
- Matte black rain shower and handheld fixture installation
- Back-to-wall toilet suite installation
- Dual-trade project coordination — Pearla + Scott Electrics
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both a plumber and an electrician for a bathroom renovation in NSW?
Yes — in most full bathroom renovations, both trades are required. Plumbing work including drainage, water supply and fixture installation must be carried out by a licensed plumber. Any electrical work — lighting, power points, in-floor heating, exhaust fans — must be done by a licensed electrician. Pearla Plumbing & Electrical works in a coordinated dual-trade partnership with Scott Electrics, so both trades are managed under a single project plan.
What is the benefit of using a dual-trade team for a bathroom renovation?
The main benefits are timeline efficiency, technical precision and compliance. When a plumber and electrician work from a shared plan simultaneously, rough-in positions for water outlets and electrical points are coordinated before walls close. This eliminates the common problem of trades conflicting with each other’s work, which causes costly delays and layout compromises. It also ensures a single NSW Fair Trading eCert can be issued covering the complete scope of work.
What is the NSW Fair Trading eCert and why does it matter for my renovation?
A NSW Fair Trading eCert (Digital Certificate of Compliance) is the mandatory digital certification for all prescribed electrical work in NSW from July 2026. It replaces paper-based Certificates of Compliance and is required for insurance validity, property sale disclosure, and regulatory compliance. Pearla and Scott Electrics issue eCerts digitally on every eligible project — your renovation is fully protected and compliant from day one.
Can you renovate a bathroom in a solid brick home in Frenchs Forest or the Northern Beaches?
Yes — this is a speciality of Pearla Plumbing & Electrical. Solid brick construction requires precise planning of all penetrations and service runs before any rough-in work begins. Our team has extensive experience with established homes across Frenchs Forest, Forestville, Belrose and the wider Northern Beaches, where solid brick construction is common. The key is working to a fixed plan from the outset — which is exactly what our dual-trade approach delivers.
How long does a full bathroom renovation take?
A full strip-out and rebuild renovation like the Frenchs Forest project typically takes 3–5 weeks depending on scope, tile lead times and fixture availability. The dual-trade approach with Pearla and Scott Electrics tends to compress the rough-in phase significantly — rather than plumbing completing, then electrical beginning, both phases run simultaneously.
Whether you’re planning a full bathroom renovation, need a licensed plumber for hydraulic rough-in, or require coordinated plumbing and electrical work for a renovation project in Frenchs Forest or across the Northern Beaches — Pearla Plumbing & Electrical delivers trade-quality outcomes with a single point of contact.
