01Move
DNA dimensions
Jobs/day per engineer, avg ticket (£148–£3,400), Gas Safe + MCS engineer count, boiler-install share, heat-pump share (post-2026 boiler ban context), service-plan members, contract revenue %.
All playbooksServices
Plumbing service playbook.
A UK independent plumbing + heating firm running domestic + small-commercial work — boiler installs + servicing, bathroom installs, emergency call-outs and gas-safe work. The 2026 win is balancing high-margin boiler installs (heat-pump-ready) with a recurring service plan book and a 24/7 emergency line.
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Reference fit-out · Plumbing service
Overview
A UK indie plumbing + heating firm in 2026 runs four engines: boiler installs (£2,400–£4,400 combi, £4,400–£8,400 system + heat-pump £8,400–£18,000 minus BUS grant, 28–42% gross margin after parts + labour, 4–8/week per engineer with mate), service + repair (£148–£420 ticket, 56–68% margin, 12–18/week, plus annual service plans), bathroom installs (£3,400–£18,000, 22–32% margin after subbie trades, 1–2 month-long jobs per crew), and emergency call-outs (£180–£480, 64–74% margin, premium evening/weekend tariff). Maths for 3-engineer crew: 18 installs × £3,400 = £61k + 60 services × £180 = £11k + 2 bathrooms × £9k = £18k + £8k emergency = ~£98k/month gross. Net 18–24%. The 2026 strategy is heat-pump certification + BUS grant fluency — government-backed £7,500 grants are driving 38–48% YoY growth in heat-pump installs, and certified MCS installers are scarce.
5.2
Jobs/day/engineer
£480
Avg ticket
£84k/year
Service-plan recurring
What you'll need
Equipment list with real 2026 UK prices.
Sized for a 2–4 chair shop. Buy mid-range on chairs and clippers; cheap kit fails inside 12 months and walks away with your barbers.
01
Van + livery (per engineer)
Vauxhall Vivaro / Ford Transit Custom (sign-written)
£18,000–£32,000 used
Bott / Sortimo van racking + tool boxes
£3,400–£6,400
Personal tool kit (Rothenberger pipe + threading)
£3,400–£8,400
Press fitting tool (Rothenberger ROMAX 4000)
£2,400–£4,400
Combustion analyser (Kane 458s)
£640–£900
Flue gas analyser + manometer + leak detector
£480
Drain camera + jetter (specialist van)
£3,400–£8,400
Heat pump install tools (MCS-compliant)
£3,400 for MCS-certified kit
02
Office + dispatch
Commusoft / Tradify / ServiceM8 management
£90–£280/month
Cloud-routed phone + 24/7 answering
£280–£640/month
Office unit (8–15 m² workshop / parts store)
£900–£2,400/month rent
Parts van stock (cylinders, flues, pumps)
£6,400–£14,000 opening
03
Compliance + accreditation
Gas Safe Register (per engineer)
£195 + £41/year per engineer
MCS air-source heat pump certification
£1,400 + £900/year audit
WaterSafe + APHC + BiKBBI memberships
£280–£900/year
Boiler accreditation (Worcester Bosch + Vaillant)
Free (technical exams)
Public liability + tools-in-transit + indemnity
£900–£2,400/year per engineer
Where to set up
Location is half the business.
Service area
15-mile radius from base
Travel time eats margin — 30-min cap to job.
Parts store + van parking
≥3 van bays + 30 m² parts store
Daily van loading + parts holding.
Catchment
≥30,000 households + 2,000 commercial premises
Mixed install + service + emergency demand.
Wholesale proximity
Within 10 min of Plumbase / City Plumbing / Wolseley
Trade-counter parts runs happen daily.
Industrial unit Class B8 / E
Light industrial OK
No retail footfall needed — yard + parts store priority.
Area tier
Rent / month
Notes
London + SE
£1,800–£6,400 base + premium ticket
High install tickets, congestion charge offsets margin.
Regional city + suburbs
£900–£2,400
Sweet spot. Mixed install + service + emergency.
Market town + county base
£420–£1,400
Lower overhead, rural heat-pump opportunity.
Licences & registrations
Get the paperwork done before you sign a lease.
UK figures for 2026. Lead times assume you submit complete applications — councils will pause the clock if you miss documents.
Requirement
Who issues
Cost
Lead time
ReqCompanies House Ltd
Companies House
£100
Usually 24 hours
ReqGas Safe Register (firm + engineers)
Gas Safe Register
£365 firm + £195 per engineer + £41/yr
8 weeks (assessment)
OptMCS certification (heat pump)
MCS via NICEIC / Elmhurst / BBA
£1,400 + £900/year
12 weeks (audit)
OptWaterSafe registration
WaterSafe
£140/year
4 weeks
OptAPHC / CIPHE membership
APHC / CIPHE
£280–£640/year
4 weeks
OptBiKBBI (bathroom installer)
BiKBBI
£280/year
4 weeks
ReqPublic + product + professional indemnity
Tradesman Saver / Hiscox
£900–£2,400/year
1 week
ReqEmployer's liability
Broker
£280/year
1 day
ReqVehicle (commercial + tools-in-transit)
AXA / NIG
£900–£2,400 per van
1 day
ReqWaste carrier registration
Environment Agency
£154/3 years
2 weeks
ReqICO data protection
ICO
£40–£60/year
1 day
Build-out timeline
From decision to open in 12 weeks.
01
Phase 0 — Setup + Gas Safe
Weeks 1–8- Companies House + Gas Safe Register application
- Van + livery + racking purchase
- MCS audit booked
02
Phase 1 — Base + tooling
Weeks 6–12- Office + parts store lease
- Trade accounts (Plumbase / Wolseley / Worcester Bosch)
- Commusoft + cloud phone go-live
03
Phase 2 — Accreditation + insurance
Weeks 10–14- MCS + WaterSafe + APHC + BiKBBI applications
- Worcester Bosch + Vaillant accredited installer
- Insurance + DBS + waste carrier
04
Phase 3 — Soft launch
Weeks 13–16- Friends + family + landlord first jobs
- B2B outreach to letting agents
- GBP + 40 reviews + Checkatrade + MyBuilder profiles
05
Phase 4 — Open
Week 16+- 24/7 emergency line live
- Service plan launched (target 240 members in y1)
- MCS heat-pump installs begin + BUS grant submissions
Budget
Realistic startup and monthly cost ranges.
One-off · Startup
Setting up the shop
Office + parts store lease + deposit
£2,400 → £8,400
Fit-out + racking + parts store
£3,400 → £8,400
Vans + livery (×2)
£28,000 → £64,000
Tool kits + press tools + analysers
£8,400 → £18,000
Opening parts stock
£8,400 → £18,000
Software + cloud phone + IT
£900 → £2,400
Branding + Gas Safe + MCS + licences + insurance
£3,400 → £8,400
Pre-launch marketing + Checkatrade + leads
£1,400 → £4,400
Working capital (3 months)
£14,000 → £32,000
Typical total
£70.3k–£164k
Recurring · Monthly
Keeping the lights on
Office + parts store rent
£900 → £2,400
Vehicle (lease + fuel + insurance × 2 vans)
£1,400 → £3,400
Utilities
£180 → £420
Parts COGS (38–48% install / 14% service)
£14,000 → £42,000
Wages (3 engineers + 1 apprentice + office)
£14,000 → £32,000
Software + accreditation + insurance
£640 → £1,800
Marketing + Checkatrade + leads
£640 → £2,400
Typical total
£31.8k–£84.4k
Numbers that compound
How a plumbing service actually looks on a chart.
Illustrative planning ranges, not measured customer data. Toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.
12-month revenue ramp
Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)
High Low
Illustrative example for planning, not measured customer data.
First 90 days
Dates that actually matter after opening.
01Day 1
Soft open: 4 service jobs, 1 emergency, 1 boiler quote, £1.4k revenue.
02Day 7
First week: 32 jobs, 2 boiler installs (£6.8k), 6 emergency, £14k revenue.
03Day 30
Steady: 180 jobs, 12 installs (£42k), £62k revenue, 24 service-plan members signed.
04Day 90
Full ramp: £88k/month, 6 letting-agent contracts, MCS audit passed.
05Day 180
Mature: £108k/month, 180 service-plan members (£25k/yr recurring locked in), first 3 BUS-grant heat-pump installs delivered.
What's inside
DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a plumbing service.
02Move
Suggested route
Gas Safe + MCS air-source heat pump certification, partner with 2 boiler brands (Worcester Bosch + Vaillant) as accredited installer, launch annual boiler service plan (£140/yr × 600 members = £84k recurring), sign letting-agent + estate-agent emergency contracts, register for Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant access.
03Move
Automations
Engineer dispatch by geo + skill, ETA SMS with live van tracking, parts-ordered notification, service-due reminders (12-month + landlord gas safety certs CP12), digital invoices on completion.
04Move
Integrations
Tradify / ServiceM8 / Commusoft job management, Stripe, Klaviyo, GBP, Gas Safe Register API, Xero, BiKBBI bathroom installer body.
05Move
Benchmarks
Jobs/day per engineer, install vs service mix, MCS heat-pump share and recurring revenue vs Federation of Master Builders / APHC indie plumber cohort.
06Move
Advisors
Encore advisors from Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC), CIPHE, ex-Worcester Bosch / Vaillant accredited installer trainers.
Stack
Modules used in this playbook.
01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore
Related playbooks
Owners of a plumbing service often run — or cross-sell with — these adjacent operations.
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