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Drain relining costs: what affects your quote

There is no useful one-price-fits-all figure for relining a domestic drain. The pipe's condition, the section needing repair and access to it all affect the scope. For a Wellington home, compare the complete repair—not just a price per metre.

What affects the cost?

• Length and diameter. A short damaged section and a longer run need different amounts of preparation and lining material. Ask which section the quote covers and how its length was established.
• Condition and cleaning. Roots, deposits or other obstructions may need to be removed before a suitable liner can be installed. Cleaning does not by itself fix the defect that allowed roots to enter. See why root-related blockages can return.
• Access. Existing access points may help, but local excavation can still be needed. A pipe beneath paving is not automatically suitable for a completely no-dig repair.
• Layout and connections. Bends, changes in diameter and branch connections need assessment. Ask how connected pipes will be dealt with in the proposed repair.
• Reinstatement. Where digging is necessary, establish whether making good the path, driveway or garden is included or separately arranged.

Why a camera inspection matters

A CCTV inspection helps locate visible defects and assess the existing pipe. It can help distinguish cracks or root entry from a collapse, displacement or another problem. Relining depends on the condition of the pipe; it does not correct its slope.

If you already have a camera report, mention it when you call. The report may be useful, but further inspection or cleaning may be needed before a repair can be specified. Ask whether the inspection is a separate charge and what report or footage you receive.

Break the quote into stages

Use these stages to understand what you are paying for and what remains uncertain before authorising work. This is general guidance, not a statement of services offered by WDDR; confirm the scope and provider for each item in your own quote. The stages are cost headings, not a fixed work sequence.

1. Assessment. Establish what is known before a repair is priced. Ask whether the initial visit, camera inspection and written findings are included or charged separately, and whether any uninspected section could change the recommendation. Use the CCTV inspection guide to ask what evidence you should receive.
2. Preparation. Ask what cleaning or obstruction removal is allowed for and whether a further inspection is needed once the pipe is clear. If preparation reveals a different fault, agree how the revised scope and cost will be approved before repair work starts.
3. Defined repair. Request the method, start and end points, defects being addressed and treatment of connections in writing. A short repair and a longer lining cover different scopes: compare the repair categories before treating their totals as alternatives.
4. Access. Identify existing entry points and any proposed pits or local excavation. Ask who provides access and whether opening and closing those pits is included, rather than assuming it is covered by the lining price.
5. Reinstatement. Separate pipe work from making good. Specify which disturbed surfaces will be restored, to what agreed finish, and who removes spoil. If another contractor is needed for paving or landscaping, allow for that separate quote before comparing totals.
6. Completion checks. Ask how the agreed repair will be checked and what footage, report or written record will be handed over. Confirm who explains any remaining defects or limitations so completion of the quoted section is not confused with assessment of every drain on the property.

For example, one quote may cover preparation and lining while another also covers access and paving. Ask each provider to mark the same stages as included, excluded or provisional; do not add an assumed allowance to fill a gap.

Quote comparison checklist

Download the comparison checklist (PDF, 1 page) ↓
Print it and compare two quotes side by side. No sign-up needed.

Put the written quotes side by side. For each item below, note included, excluded or not stated for each quote. Ask for missing details in writing before comparing the totals; an omission is not the same as an inclusion.

• Same fault, same pipe section? Match the proposed start and end points to the inspection findings. Ask what defects remain outside the repair and why the proposed method is suitable.
• Preparation and access included? Check inspection, cleaning, root removal, access pits and any excavation. Ask how branch connections will be handled.
• Who makes good the surface? Check removal of spoil and reinstatement of paving, driveway or garden, including work you must arrange separately.
• Comparable total? Confirm whether GST is included and identify provisional allowances, exclusions and separately charged work. Ask what could change those allowances.
• Changes approved first? Ask how unexpected conditions will be documented, priced and approved by you before additional work proceeds.
• Use of your home explained? Request a job-specific programme, including when affected toilets, sinks or other fixtures cannot be used and any access restrictions.
• Completion evidence and terms supplied? Ask what final checks, footage or report you receive, plus the written product and installation warranty terms, exclusions and responsible provider.

Compare lining with the real alternative

A lower installation price does not necessarily mean a lower total cost. An excavation quote might include replacement pipe but exclude driveway reinstatement; a lining quote might exclude the access pit. Compare quotes that address the same fault and make their exclusions clear.

Replacement can be the better option where the pipe is collapsed, badly displaced or needs its fall corrected. Read our guide to relining versus excavation for the suitability questions to ask.

See the Khandallah access-work example: the photograph shows local excavation around exposed pipework. It is not a price benchmark or proof of another drain's suitability. Use it to ask where access is needed and who will reinstate the surface.

Before you call

Have your suburb, the symptoms, any history of repeat blockages and any existing camera report ready. Note whether the pipe appears to run beneath a building, driveway, path or garden. You do not need to diagnose the fault yourself.