Which suburbs does this page cover?

Mount Lawley, Inglewood and Highgate. Bayswater and Maylands have their own page, and so do Mirrabooka and Dianella, Morley, and North Perth and Leederville. If you’re not sure, call (08) 6187 3999 with the street.

Our Federation bathroom still has the original waste. Can you work with that?

Often yes. We inspect what’s actually there, keep what’s sound, and only replace the section that has failed. If the drain under the floor is clay and cracked, we’ll show you and talk through options before cutting anything.

Why do Mount Lawley drains block so often?

Age and trees. Early sewer lines under big street and garden trees are a classic root risk. We clear the blockage and tell you where it was, so you can decide whether that section needs a lasting repair.

Do you work on Highgate flats and townhouses?

Yes — leaks, blocked stacks, hot water and gas where we’re licensed to. Tell us about parking, access and whether it’s strata when you book.

How far is Mount Lawley from your base?

It’s a run south-west from Ellenbrook into the inner north. The ETA depends on traffic and where we are when you ring; we’ll give you a real time.

Inner north · Vincent / Stirling / Bayswater

Plumber in Mount Lawley, Inglewood and Highgate

Mount Lawley was named for Sir Arthur Lawley, Governor of Western Australia from May 1901 to August 1902, and its first big estates were sold from the 1890s into the early 1900s. Inglewood’s streets filled in two waves — 1904 to 1920, then again around 1935 to 1940 — with Federation and Californian bungalows that the City of Stirling now protects inside a Heritage Protection Area. Highgate, only 0.4 square kilometres, still mixes turn-of-the-century workers’ cottages with later flats.

The short answer

Yes, McDermott Plumbing covers Mount Lawley, Inglewood and Highgate for licensed plumbing and gas: blocked drains and sewers, hot water repairs and replacements, burst pipes and leaks, leak detection, gas fitting, and bathroom work in character homes. Call (08) 6187 3999 or text 0406 882 648. It’s a run south-west from our Ellenbrook base into the inner north, and we’ll give you a real ETA when you ring.

Mount Lawley and the heritage streets

Subdivision of Mount Lawley began in 1892, and John Robinson and Samuel Copley’s Mount Lawley Estate pushed north from Walcott Street after 1900. The City of Stirling describes the suburb as largely Federation and Colonial brick-and-tile houses, with Art Deco and Californian bungalow examples mixed in, and most of Menora, Mount Lawley and Inglewood sit inside the City’s Heritage Protection Area. Character Retention Guidelines apply, and traditional homes built before 1960 have demolition protections — which is why so many original bathrooms and external pipe runs are still in service.

The suburb crosses three local government areas (Stirling, Vincent and Bayswater), so a single street can change council rules without changing the age of the pipework under it.

Inglewood and Highgate

Inglewood was pushed by Gold Estates of Australia in the mid-1890s; E.W. Hammer named part of it the Inglewood Estate in 1895. Wikipedia’s suburb history records two clear building booms — single houses for working families between 1904 and 1920, then another burst around the Second World War between 1935 and 1940 — which is why Federation and Californian bungalows dominate, with later apartments and modern units tucked between them. Mount Lawley Society notes the Mount Lawley, Inglewood and Menora Heritage Protection Area was created in 2008 to stop that garden-suburb character being lost.

Highgate is Perth’s smallest suburb by area. Vincent’s precinct policy describes everything from tiny early-1900s workers’ cottages to 1960s flat towers and newer townhouses. The Lincoln Street sewerage vent, an Art Deco structure finished in 1935 to a Russell Dumas design, is a reminder that this pocket was sewered early — and that the underground network is as old as the houses.

What we see in Mount Lawley and Inglewood

Character homes wear out in predictable ways:

Early-1900s clay (and in places cast-iron) property drains under mature street trees. Water Corporation warns that homes over 15 years old are less likely to have PVC sewer pipe and more at risk from roots; these houses are a century past that. Slow wastes, gurgling toilets and a wet overflow relief gully are the warnings.
Heritage bathrooms and laundries: original cast or ceramic fixtures joined to decades of patch repairs. We work around retained finishes where we can, and tell you honestly when a section of drain or supply pipe has to come out.
Galvanised or ageing copper supply pipe: low pressure at one end of the house, discoloured water after street works, and pinhole leaks that only show on the meter.
Subdivided blocks and rear cottages sharing older sewer branches — a blockage at one dwelling can show up at the neighbour’s gully.
Hot water units squeezed into narrow side setbacks or older laundries, often on a second or third replacement in unrenovated homes.

Jobs we do around Mount Lawley and Inglewood

Blocked drains, sewers, toilets and gullies
Hot water repairs and replacements (gas, electric, solar and continuous flow)
24/7 burst pipe and leak call-outs
Leak detection, water pressure and high water bill checks
Gas fitting and gas leak checks
Bathroom renovation plumbing in character and heritage homes

Common questions

Which suburbs does this page cover?: Mount Lawley, Inglewood and Highgate. Bayswater and Maylands have their own page, and so do Mirrabooka and Dianella, Morley, and North Perth and Leederville. If you’re not sure, call (08) 6187 3999 with the street.
Our Federation bathroom still has the original waste. Can you work with that?: Often yes. We inspect what’s actually there, keep what’s sound, and only replace the section that has failed. If the drain under the floor is clay and cracked, we’ll show you and talk through options before cutting anything.
Why do Mount Lawley drains block so often?: Age and trees. Early sewer lines under big street and garden trees are a classic root risk. We clear the blockage and tell you where it was, so you can decide whether that section needs a lasting repair.
Do you work on Highgate flats and townhouses?: Yes — leaks, blocked stacks, hot water and gas where we’re licensed to. Tell us about parking, access and whether it’s strata when you book.
How far is Mount Lawley from your base?: It’s a run south-west from Ellenbrook into the inner north. The ETA depends on traffic and where we are when you ring; we’ll give you a real time.

Nearby

Northern suburbs next to this one.

The jobs we get called for most here.

Official sources

Last updated 9 October 2026. General information only. Every property is different, so call us to talk about yours.

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