Cost of Outside Tap Installation

Want to find out how much an outside tap costs?

An outdoor tap installation can cost between £80 and £150, but this does depend on which tap you choose and where you install it.

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If you want to discover everything you need to know about installing outside taps, check out this cost guide.

How Much to Fit an Outside Tap?

Having an outside tap can have many benefits as an outside water source means that you can easily water your garden, plus, you can attach a hose or pressure washer as needed.

If you have a water supply quite close to an outside wall, installing an outside tap can be a relatively simple job.

The cost of an outdoor tap alone is usually, on average, between £6 and £10. Provided you are within a metre distance from your main water supply, then the cost for materials is usually around £14 to £20.

The cost for a plumber to fit the outside tap is usually an average of between £80 and £150. This price will usually include the cost of the tap and materials.

Outside Tap Installation Prices

Outside Hot Water Tap Costs

It is possible to install an outside tap that supplies warm or hot water, but this is much less common than a standard cold water tap and will increase the overall installation cost by around £150 to £300+.

An outdoor hot water tap requires additional pipework, usually extending from your hot water system or boiler, as well as extra insulation to prevent heat loss.

For most homeowners, a standard cold outside tap is sufficient. Heating water separately is usually more cost-effective unless there is a specific need for warm water outdoors, such as washing dogs in the garden.

An outside mixer tap can also be installed to provide both hot and cold water at the same fixture, although this will also cost more as it still requires a hot water inlet.

Outside Tap Fitting Labour Costs and Timescales

As with any project with external contractors, you should get at least 3 quotes and view their past work if possible. Make sure you communicate your design ideas clearly, but do listen to the contractor’s ideas too, as their experience will help to make your vision practical.

Depending on where you are in the UK, the labour costs for hiring a plumber to install an outside tap can vary. However, plumbers usually charge somewhere between £150 and £270 per day.

The cost you can expect to pay for labour will depend a lot on the type of job you are looking for. The harder the job, the more you can expect to pay in labour, as the job will likely take much longer.

Some more difficult jobs may also need more than one labourer to complete the job, so again, this would result in higher overall labour costs.

Your location in the UK can also affect the cost of labour. To hire a plumber in London may cost you around £20 to £60 more per day than if you were to hire a plumber in the north of the UK.

For example, straightforward installation of a new outdoor garden tap in Birmingham should cost around £80, but fitting an outside tap in a flat in Hove will cost closer to £150.

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Outdoor Tap Installation Costs (Supply Only)

The cost of an outdoor tap alone is usually, on average, between £6 and £10.

Provided you are within a metre distance from your main water supply, then the cost for materials is usually around £14 to £20.

You can also purchase outside tap kits. An outdoor tap kit comes complete with a tap plus everything you need to install it. These garden tap kits usually cost, on average, around £20 to £30.

The cost of the supplies is only a fraction of the cost of the entire job. You will see from the prices above that the majority of the cost of installing an outside tap lies in the costs of the labour to install it.

Additional Costs

There are a number of additional costs that you may need to consider when it comes to having an outside tap installed. These costs can include the following:

• Outside Tap Isolate Valve – £20 to £50
• Garden Waste Removal – £100 to £200
• Exterior Rendering – £3,000 to £5,000
• Artificial Grass Installation – £3,500 to £5,500
• Garden Shed – £200 to £500
• Hose Pipe – £30 to £80
• Pressure Washer – £60 to £300

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Cost Factors of Installing an Outside Tap

Why do outdoor tap fitting quotes vary so much?

There are several cost factors that can increase or decrease quote you're given for outside tap fitting. Below is a list of things that may affect your outside tap cost:

Location of Tap

Where you want the tap to be installed is the biggest factor in determining the cost because it determines how far the pipework needs to run. Installing the tap on the wall where the main water pipe runs through costs considerably less than having it installed somewhere else, as there is much less work involved, and fewer pipework materials needed.

On average:

• Same-wall installation — £80 to £150
• Adjacent wall installation — £180 to £250
• Long pipe run or garden installation — £300+

Installing a tap on the front of the house is generally less expensive than installing it on the side or back, if the internal pipework is already located nearby.

The further the tap is from the existing main water supply, the higher both the labour and material costs.

Location of Property

Your location within the UK can affect the cost of your outside tap installation. Labour costs in London are considerably more than in the north of the UK, with plumbers typically charing higher hourly rates and minimum call-out fees.

With this in mind, the labour costs can bump up the overall price of an outside tap installation for those living in London.

This means that two identical installations in different locations can have significantly different costs.

Minimum Call-out Fees

Call-out charges are another often underestimated cost factor for a small job such as installing a garden tap. Many plumbers charge a minimum call-out fee, which can be quite high for small jobs.

This is why the quote for a small job can be surprisingly high.

Extensive Plumbing Work

If there is extensive plumbing work needed to install the outdoor tap, this will end up costing more as the job will take longer.

What counts as extensive plumbing work?

• Running pipework through internal walls
• Installing new water mains connections
• Working in tight or difficult-to-access spaces
• Lifting floorboards
• Long external pipe runs
• Routing the pipework through extensions or conservatories

Accessibility of Existing Plumbing

If the existing plumbing is difficult to access, this can increase the time and complexity of the installation, leading to higher costs. For example:

• Easy access under the sink is usually cheaper
• Pipes hidden behind units or walls lead to longer labour times
• Older properties may have outdated or hard-to-reach plumbing

Ensuring good access to the existing plumbing can help to keep costs down.

Groundworks Required

If you need to:

• Dig trenches for pipework
• Lay pipe below the ground
• Make surfaces good afterwards (reinstate a driveway, patio, or turf)

... you can expect costs to be higher than an average, straightforward installation.

Extensive groundworks are one of the main reasons why some outside tap installations can cost £300+.

Drain/Gulley Requirements

Outdoor taps may also need a drain or gulley to dispose of any water that may accumulate around the tap, especially in areas where water runoff may be an issue such as patios or paved areas.

Standard installation may include a simple drain connection, but more complex setups might require a dedicated gulley system and increase costs.

What's Involved in Installing an Outside Tap?

Below is a guide on everything that is involved in fitting an outside tap.

Requirements

You need to be aware of a few requirements before installing an outdoor tap. The installation needs to comply with certain regulations that specify the following:

• The tap needs to be capable of being isolated using an in-line shut-off valve. This can be done by installing a stopcock or an in-line service valve.
• A device needs to be installed in the pipework to stop the water from being drawn back into the household water supply if a negative water pressure happens to be created. The usual device that’s fitted to sort this problem out is a double-check valve, which works by incorporating two spring-loaded non-return valves. Sometimes, the outside tap itself will have this type of valve within it already.

I’m just installing a soaker hose system and don’t know if my existing outdoor tap (fitted in 2014) has a double check/no return valve?

"A BS1010-2 does not come as standard with a check valve. You would require a BS1057 Standard, this is the requirement for outside taps. Easy way to check is does your tap have a small hexagonal nut at the beginning of the tap outlet"

IntaTherm (Cardiff) Ltd
• Provisions must be made to drain the water away from the pipework during the winter months when the tap won’t be in use.
• The external pipework must be fitted with thermal insulation materials as necessary.
• The pipework and tap must be electrically earthed. This ensures that the tap can’t become electrically dangerous.

Installing the Pipework for an Outside Tap

The following steps need to be taken to install the pipework for an outdoor tap:

Step One

Decide on where you want to place the outside tap. It should ideally be close to the internal cold-water mains supply to reduce the amount of plumbing required to make the tap work. Usually, the outside wall adjacent to the kitchen sink is the ideal location, as the tap can be positioned above an open drain.

Step Two

Mark the outside wall with the height of the tap, ensuring that it’s high enough above ground level for a watering can or bucket to be held underneath it.

Step Three

Identify suitable positions inside the house to take the plumbing through the outside wall and to make the connection to the cold-water pipe. Ideally, this should be directly underneath the tap position on the outside wall to keep the pipe running as simply as possible.

Step Four

From the inside of the house, drill a hole right through to the outside of the house at the appropriate position using a long masonry drill. Once you have a full hole right through to the outside, open it up to 22mm using a 22mm masonry drill-bit via a hammer action drill.

Step Five

Measure the thickness of the wall and cut a piece of 22mm copper pipe to the correct length so that it can be inserted right through the wall as a protective sleeve for the actual water pipe.

Step Six

Turn off the water supply and cut into the cold-water supply pipe. It is normal for some water to come out at this point. A coupling will be fitted to connect the new pipe to this. Along the pipe run to the hole through the wall, fit an in-line shut-off valve, a double-check valve, and a drain cock.

Step Seven

Run the pipe through the wall through the copper pipe and route it to a back-plate elbow. Secure this elbow to the wall using some wall plugs and screws after the pipework has been cut to length and the couplings have been tightened.

Step Eight

Screw your outside tap into the back-plate elbow by using some plumber’s compound on the thread.

Step Nine

Before you turn your water supply back on, be sure to check the tightness of all of the compression joints and close the drain cock, the outdoor tap, and the in-line shut-off valve.

Step Ten

Turn your water supply back on and check the pipes for leaks. Open up the in-line shut–off valve and check again for leaks. Open the outside tap and check the flow of water. Then, close the outside tap and check it again for leaks.

Step Eleven

Apply some mastic sealant to the gap that is between the sleeving and the pipe, and also between the masonry and the sleeving.

Step Twelve

Finally, protect your pipework from freezing by fitting it with some insulation materials.

Can I Install an Outside Tap Myself?

Installing an outside tap is a job that can be done as a DIY project, but only if the location of the outside tap is close to the main water pipe.

However, for the best job possible and to ensure that there aren’t going to be any unexpected leaks, it is always recommended to hire a professional to complete the job for you.

For taps that are located further away from the mains water pipe, some extensive plumbing may need to be completed, in which case you will need an experienced plumber to complete the job of fitting an outside tap for you.

If you were to complete the installation of an outside tap yourself, you may be able to save yourself around £150 to £270 per day in labour charges. However, if you don’t complete the job correctly, you may end up with some plumbing malfunctions or leaks, which could end up costing a lot more in the long run.

Therefore, we would always recommend you choose an experienced plumber to complete your outdoor tap installation.

Types of Outdoor Tap

There are a few different types of garden taps that you can choose from. While the common garden tap is the most popular option due to its availability and ability to adapt to a number of fittings, there are some other options should you wish to choose something a bit different.

Below are the different types of outdoor tap to choose from:

Common Garden Tap

The common garden tap is a great all-round tap as it is adaptable to your needs through different attachments. You can easily fit a hose or pressure washer to a common garden tap, or you can simply run it as a regular tap if you would like to fill up a watering can.

Common garden taps usually cost on average around £6 to £10.

Old Style Vintage Tap

An old-style vintage tap doesn’t tend to have any grooves in it that allow for hose attachments, so this type of tap can usually only be used simply as a tap. This type of outdoor tap is perfect if you are looking for a more traditional garden theme.

These vintage styles of taps usually cost on average around £25 to £35. They most often come in pairs, so you can have a cold water tap and a hot water tap if you wish.

Lever Tap

A lever tap is similar to a common garden tap where it allows for different attachments such as a hose or pressure washer attachment. However, the top of this tap is slightly different as it features a lever rather than a turn tap.

A lever tap can be seen as being a bit more convenient as it is quicker to turn on and off. A lever tap usually costs around £18 to £25.

Benefits of an Outside Tap

There are many benefits to having an outdoor tap.

Below is a list of some of the main benefits of having an outside tap installed:

• You can easily wash your car using a hose or power washer attachment.
• You can fill a paddling pool during the summer months.
• It gives builders access to a water source outside without having to run a water line from inside the house. This is useful if you have work to do at home or in the garden.
• You can easily clean bikes, scooters, and other outdoor items that may get dirty over time.
• You can wash down your pets after a muddy walk.
• You can easily water your flowers and plants with a hose attachment instead of having to re-fill a watering can over and over.
• You can clean bins and other things that may become grimy over time.
• You can clean items that you don’t want to clean inside the house.

Where Can I Put an Outside Tap?

You may be wondering where you can fit an outside tap. You have a number of different options depending on the design of your home and what you want to use your tap for.

An outdoor tap can be fitted to any wall on the outside of your house. It is much easier to fit an outside tap on a wall that has direct access to the main water pipe, such as the kitchen sink wall.

If you wanted to install your garden tap on a different wall of the house, this would involve some very extensive plumbing work, which could increase the cost of the job by £1000+, depending on the extent of plumbing work needed.

The closer you can get the tap to the water mains pipe, the better water pressure you’re going to get from the tap.

You can also have a tap installed anywhere within your garden as a standalone feature. This, however, would involve some plumbing work in order to allow the water to flow to the tap correctly.

To avoid freezing in the winter, the water pipes running to your standalone tap would need to be installed below ground level.

Alternatives to an Outdoor Tap

If having an outdoor tap installed at your home isn’t an option, or if you would prefer to go down an alternative route, there are some other options that may work for you.

Below are some of the most popular alternatives to an outdoor tap:

Water Butt

A water butt is a large container that collects natural rainwater. This can be collected from the guttering around the house or can simply be left open to collect rainwater itself.

Once the water has collected in the butt, it can be used for things such as watering plants or filling up a bucket.

Many water butts will come with an on/off tap attached near the bottom of it so that you can easily fill up buckets and watering cans from it.

The average cost for a water butt is usually somewhere between £30 and £200, depending on the size of water butt that you’re looking for.

If you have an open water butt, you can simply lay a sheet over it when it becomes full to prevent overflowing.

Watering Can

A watering can is a cheap, simple and easy solution for when you just have a few plants to water in the garden.

It can easily be filled up from the kitchen sink, and provided you don’t have an extra-large garden or a particularly huge amount of plants to water, it should only take a few trips to the kitchen sink to fill up the watering can and get the job done.

A watering can isn’t a huge expense, and they usually cost on average around £5 to £15. Prices can vary depending on the size of the watering can and the material that the watering can is made from, with plastic watering usually being the most budget-friendly option.

What Is the Cost to Replace Outside Taps?

Outdoor taps can eventually fail and break for a number of reasons. Being outside, they're subjected to harsh elements from wind, rain, and freezing or boiling temperatures, making the tap components prone to seizing up and eventually not working as they once did.

When the time comes to replace your outdoor tap, you'll be looking at costs of £80 to £150 for a simple like-for-like outdoor tap replacement using the existing pipework and wall connection (no new pipe runs required). This price includes a plumber's minimum call-out fee of around £60 to £80 depending on your area.

If you're doing this job yourself, you will only need to pay the supply costs of a new tap, which is between £10 and £40.

Costs for outdoor tap replacement will rise if the existing pipework is unusable or corroded, bumping the price to between £200 to £400 in some more complex replacements.

Keeping on top of any problems as they arise with your outdoor tap can be a good way of avoiding having to replace it, such as ensuring it has frost protection in-built if you live in a particularly cold climate, and taking care of any leaks or potential seizing of taps as and when they happen.

What Is the Cost to Remove Outside Taps?

In some instances, such as house extensions, you may want to remove an outside tap entirely.

Depending on the type of tap removal you want, your costs will differ. For a simple tap removal and cap-off, you can expect costs of £60 to £120 - this presumes there is easy access to the existing pipework.

Costs start to creep up as soon as the existing pipework gets harder to reach, or if it needs some adjustments following the removal. The cost of removing an outdoor tap with a buried supply pipe can cost in the region of £400 to £600 if extensive digging, rerouting of pipework, and reinstatement of surfaces is required.

Generally speaking, the further the outdoor tap is from the main water supply, the higher your costs will be in both labour and materials as the complexity of the job increases.

Checklist: Hiring an Outside Tap Installer in the UK

There are a number of things that you should consider before hiring someone to come out and fit an outside tap for you.

Below is a checklist of things that you should consider before hiring a plumber to carry out this work for you.

• How much experience does the plumber have with fitting outdoor taps?
• Is more than one plumber required to carry out the work?
• What options does the plumber offer in terms of style and placement of the tap?
• Be sure to ask for a breakdown of costs so that you know exactly what you’re paying for.
• Get at least three quotes to ensure that you’re getting a good price for the work needed.
• Does the plumber offer any guarantees with their work?
• Does the plumber offer to fix or replace any parts that may become faulty?
• Will the plumber remove any materials or waste as necessary?

FAQs

Sources

https://www.practicaldiy.com/plumbing/outside-tap/fitting-outside-tap.php
https://www.emergencyplumbingmanchester.co.uk/benefits-of-an-outside-tap