Best of Melbourne 2020: city’s top 10 plumbers revealed
They can get you out of all sorts of hot water — except perhaps running out of loo paper. Top spot is sealed and it’s time to meet Melbourne’s top 10 plumbers, as voted by you. SEE ALL THE WINNERS AND FINALISTS
The Best of Melbourne
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It’s time to hose down the speculation and find out who’s awash with glory — yes, we’re ready to reveal Melbourne’s favourite plumbers.
It was a draining task working through your nominations, with hundreds of worthy winners.
And, thousands of votes later, we’re in the clear.
Plumbing is, without a doubt, dirty work, and you were bursting to give your trusted and talented tradies a plug.
From pulling toys and sandwiches out of loos to working on reality TV shows, these guys have seen it all.
And, in the current climate, it’s more important than ever that we support them and help keep them afloat.
Without further mucking around, here they are: Melbourne’s favourite plumbers.
You can also see all the finalists at the bottom of the story.
Also, check out our other Best of Melbourne polls HERE, including where to find our top pizza places, butchers and florists.
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10. MARK LEONARD PLUMBING, MITCHAM
9876 6789
Respect for customers flows smoothly at every job Mark Leonard Plumbing staff undertake.
The small, Mitcham-based business employs a team of tradies and office personnel.
And their clients clearly don’t flush that respect down the drain, giving the team a big shout out in Leader’s search for Melbourne’s favourite plumbers.
“It’s a real reward for hard work for all the boys, they all pride themselves on being good plumbers,” business owner Mark Leonard said.
“When they go into clients’ homes they treat them like their mates, their parents or their grandparents, depending on the category.”
The business, which employs nine people, has been servicing the eastern suburbs since 1992.
It started as a family business and has grown to cover all areas of domestic and commercial plumbing.
Mr Leonard said the team’s positive vibe and ‘can-do’ attitude resonated with customers.
“We’ve got a good little culture at our company, which passes on to our clients,” he said.
Mr Leonard said no problem was too small or obscure for his team to tackle.
One of his most memorable jobs was being able to retrieve engagement and wedding rings which had fallen down an elderly Kew lady’s sink.
“She was beside herself … we confidently know the outcome but she thought it was lost in Never Never and was somewhere in Werribee,” he said.
“How can you not get a kick out of hearing from someone who has a cold shower and you can get around to them in an hour and fix it and get them back to where they are before?
“It’s helping restore the essentials of life, and that’s why plumbing is such good trade.”
~Andrew Rogers and Kiel Egging
More: mlplumbing.com.au/
9. UNIFY PLUMBING SOLUTIONS, ROXBURGH PARK
0412 278 819
For Unify Plumbing Solutions’ Matthew Benstead it’s their amicable approach and keeping their business small that differentiates their service from other plumbers.
“Keeping our business small allows us to focus on our customers and delivering on what they really need,” he said.
“Our services can range from fixing a leaky tap to unblocking a septic tank at midnight to keep a 50th birthday party going.
“This is how we develop our long term relationships with our clients. We have always endeavoured to ace customer service and attention to detail.”
The Roxburgh Park business operates mostly around the inner city and northern suburbs of Melbourne, but they have travelled to jobs as far as Geelong and Gippsland.
Mr Benstead said this year was his tenth in the industry and he thought getting a trade was the best career path as he loved being outdoors.
“The complexity and diversity of the trade is what really sparked my interest,” he said.
He has been running Unify Plumbing Solutions with the help of his family for the past two years.
~Jack Paynter
More: facebook.com/unifyplumbing/
8. PLUMBARR PLUMBING, CHELTENHAM
0431 522 622
Plumber Cameron Barr was quick to lend a helping hand after the devastating Corryong bushfires.
The 26-year-old saw the destruction on the news and decided to use his trade skills to benefit bushfire victims.
Mr Barr signed up to Tradies for Fire Affected Communities and travelled to the fire ravaged farming town in northern Victoria to help rebuild in February.
Together with a team of volunteer tradies, Mr Barr helped an elderly couple who had lost their shed, cars and farming equipment in the blaze.
“Dot and Ron lost a lifetime of memories,” Mr Barr said.
“We helped reroof and clad the shed, and a few other bits and pieces to help them get back on their feet.”
He said the few days of unpaid work was “well worth it for a fresh start for them”.
“Seeing them cry with happiness was pretty special,” Mr Barr said.
The tradie with a big heart has a history of volunteering, also taking part in Free Trade Day in August last year.
Together with fellow volunteer chippies and sparkies, Mr Barr helped make an old house more accessible and wheelchair-friendly for its occupant.
The Dingley Village-based tradie said he was determined to get the job done.
Mr Barr was installing a hot water unit on a house recently when he was swarmed by angry bees.
“I ended up going to hospital because of all the bites,” Mr Barr said.
“One quick trip to a bee keeping store and I was back the next day with the appropriate gear and finished the upgrade.”
~Bianca Carmona
More: plumbarrplumbing.com.au/
facebook.com/plumbarrplumbingbrighton/
instagram.com/plumbarrplumbingmelb/
7. TITAN PLUMBING SERVICES, WILLIAMSTOWN
1300 450 460
Family values and being a flexible one-stop shop is behind the success of Titan Plumbing Services, run by husband-and-wife duo Matthew and Charlotte Wilson.
The Williamstown-based business grew from just the pair in 2014 to now almost 30 staff.
Mr Wilson said the company offers general plumbing and maintenance including below-ground services, and roof work.
“We do anything we can to help anyone who needs us,” he said.
“But we are a really easy, one-contact point for your plumbing needs.”
The business now has two factories in Williamstown and Cheltenham, and is looking to branch out into Melbourne’s southeast.
“We’re trying to broaden our reach and offer great customer-driven service,” Mr Wilson said.
Mr Wilson said he dropped out of school at 15 and went into plumbing.
“Dad said it was school or work,” he said.
“Whatever I chose to do, I wanted to do well.”
The couple has two daughters, aged three and seven, and Mr Wilson said family values was really important to the company.
~Laura Armitage
More: titanplumbingservices.com.au/
facebook.com/titanplumbingservices/
instagram.com/titanplumbingservices/
6. PURE PLUMBING, RICHMOND
0439 755 614
He can fix your hot water and leaking taps – and Joolz Sutherland can also pluck out the toys which have blocked your toilet.
The Richmond plumber has been working in the trade for a decade and founded his business Pure Plumbing two and a half years ago.
But one of his most memorable jobs was when he discovered a smelly Smurf in a Shepparton home while completing his apprenticeship.
“We couldn’t work out why it was blocked and the drain was clear,” he said.
“We pulled it out and looked underneath the toilet and the Smurf was there.”
Despite the rescue, the toy was quickly discarded by its young owner.
“It was pretty gross … he (the child) had thrown it down the toilet so he clearly didn’t want it.”
Mr Sutherland said he was excited to be recognised as one of Melbourne’s favourite plumbers.
He said he enjoyed helping people out through his work and he was a keen wakeboarder away from his day job.
“I like the start early, finish early and having the weekends off,” he said.
“All the guys I knew who were plumbers drove utes, rode motorcycles and had boats, and I like that lifestyle.”
~Kiel Egging
More: www.pureplumbingaus.com/
instagram.com/pureplumbingaus/
5. BORZA PLUMBING, BERWICK
0431 140 988
Apples, small toys and even sandwiches wrapped in plastic are just some of the items Steve Borthwick finds in blocked pipes.
“I work at a few schools and often find some pretty bizarre things kids have flushed down the toilet,” Mr Borthwick said.
The Berwick tradie said he got into plumbing after being inspired by his father who was a builder.
“I grew up on building sites,” he said.
“My grandfather was a sheet metal worker originally and went on to become a successful businessman in various industries.”
Mr Borthwick, who runs Borza Plumbing, can still remember the first time he picked up the tools.
“My very first job as an apprentice was probably like everyone else,” he said.
“Digging, digging and more digging.”
Even after two decades of being a plumber, Mr Borthwick is still passionate about his job.
“The best part of being a plumber would be building relationships with people from all different walks of life,” Mr Borthwick said.
“You get to interact with all sorts of people.”
But his time on the job has had a few challenges.
“I once fell off a roof and broke my arm, I think I was off for about four weeks,” he said.
When he’s not fixing dripping taps, leaking pipes and blocked drains, Mr Borthwick can be found watching sport.
“I’m a lifetime, long suffering diehard St Kilda supporter still dreaming of winning their second premiership.”
~Bianca Carmona
More: facebook.com/borzaplumbing/
4. KING & SONS PLUMBING, GLENROY
9993 7122
For King & Sons Plumbing, business has always been a family affair.
Father and “King” Hayden Omar runs the show with his three sons Terry, Billy and Abs in Glenroy, and has been in business for more than 25 years.
Co-owner and son Terry Omar said he was so privileged to have earnt fourth spot.
“It’s humbling, it’s an honour – hard work pays off I guess when you try to do the right thing by everyone,” he said.
The plumber said what kept customers coming back was the quality of work and their exceptional customer service.
“Our number one priority is customer service, it’s one step ahead from everyone else,” Mr Omar said.
“We bend over backwards and go above and beyond for them.”
He said he couldn’t thank his customers enough for all their loyal support.
“At the end of the day we’re plumbers who are trying to do our best and be fair, and we want to thank every single person for going out of their way to vote for us,” Mr Omar said.
“When things like this happen, it makes it all worthwhile.”
~Emilie Baxter
More: kingandsonsplumbing.com.au/
facebook.com/King-Sons-Plumbing-Melbourne-107551483977320/
instagram.com/kingandsonsplumbing/
3. RDH PLUMBING, MILL PARK
0412 752 684
Mill Park based Rabi Hojok said he was born a “natural handyman” and a career in plumbing was a “no-brainer”.
The 33-year-old trialled university, but it was his first job as an apprentice tradie his neighbour gave him that convinced him of his future.
Mr Hojok has operated his own plumbing business RDH Plumbing for the past three years.
He was in the trade before that for about 12 years.
“I love what I do and can’t see myself doing anything else,” he said.
“I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people and you get that every day in this trade.”
Mal Dabab has used Mr Hojok for five years and likes his “no BS quoting”.
“Absolute gentleman, always on time and is a super clean worker. Very professional finishes to his work,” he said.
Danial Gyftakis says: “Rabi goes above and beyond when it comes to plumbing work. He is also reasonably priced.”
More: rdhplumbing.com.au/
2. DAVID MCCARTHY PLUMBING, LAVERTON NORTH
9931 0905 or 0477 035 473
Plumber David McCarthy may have worked on hit TV series The Block, but it’s the jobs closer to home that he finds most rewarding.
Mr McCarthy had just returned from his honeymoon when he was asked to work on season 9 of the ratings hit reno show.
“It was a baptism of fire, it was a great experience,” Mr McCarthy said.
He and his team of plumbers worked on bathrooms, an outdoor shower and a winning powder room.
While the bright lights of television were exciting, it’s the community of Laverton North and his employees that Mr McCarthy is most passionate about.
The David McCarthy Plumbing team is made up of 14 local employees.
Mr McCarthy said he and wife Cat took a community-minded approach to the business.
The company has taken part in community awareness campaigns including donating $10 from every carbon monoxide test carried out in winter 2019 to the Chase and Tyler Foundation.
“We were trying to drum up more awareness about carbon dioxide, we’ve got small kids so it really hits home, we don’t want it to happen to someone else,” he said.
Mr McCarthy also donated to the recent bushfire affected communities.
“We really felt for those affected by the Australian Bushfires, especially with close friends in Mallacoota and Corryong,” he said.
Mr McCarthy donated $5 from every job in January to the Australian Red Cross, Mallacoota Wildlife Shelter, Thowgla Valley Fire Truck Fund and the Sanctuary Lakes Cricket Club Bushfire match.
“The fires were horrendous but the spirit of local and small businesses working together all across Australia was heartwarming.”
Mr McCarthy said after 20 years, he still loved the job because of the variety and challenges involved.
The team has worked on everything from luxury homes with nine bathrooms to food trucks and even a world class indoor horse sales auditorium.
They also worked on a heritage rebuild of the Middle Park Tram Stop and cafe after it was gutted by fire.
“We don’t want to be pigeonholed in one area of plumbing, we like to take on projects that are a little bit different from the norm,” Mr McCarthy said.
~Bianca Carmona
More: davidmccarthyplumbing.com.au/
facebook.com/davidmccarthyplumbingvictoria/
instagram.com/davidmccarthyplumbing
1. SMART PLUMBING, RAVENHALL
9361 1827 or 0421 418 121
According to Khalil ‘Ills’ Assaad, owner of Smart Plumbing, keeping up with a changing world is the key to achieving excellence in the business.
“We’re a young team, but with a lot of experience”, Mr Assaad said.
“We’re always evolving with the times and with modern society.
“We’re trying to work with the times and we’re trying to not be your stereotypical plumber. “We’re trying to keep things a little bit fresh … working with the clients at the design phase and being a bit more responsive and easier to communicate with.”
The Ravenhall business's out-of-the-box thinking resonates with clients, who have voted them Melbourne's best plumber.
Happy customers hail them “prompt and good value” and “super efficient and friendly”.
“Hands down the best plumbers in Victoria. They are professional, provide unbeatable service and the work they do is quality,” customer Jasmine Koulax said.
Dan Bruggink said the company’s “great staff” were “well respected on all large commercial jobs and small residential jobs”.
And Bass Elali said: “The company doesn’t treat you like a number.”
Mr Assaad started Smart Plumbing on his own 10 years ago.
“I’ve actually been plumbing now for 18 years,” he said.
“I started when I was 16 and I haven’t looked back since.”
Despite starting on his own, Assaad is quick to give credit to “the boys” on his team.
“I’m actually very proud. It’s a very humbling moment, to be honest,” he said.
“To know that clients respect what we do as a company and our vision, it’s a very proud moment to be honest.
“I lot of credit goes out to my team, to the boys. They are the face of the company and I don’t say that lightly.”
~Ashleigh Hastings
More: smartplumbing.net.au/