Renovata connects clients in Ghent with plumbers from their own region. Describe your job — from an urgent leak to renewing a complete bathroom installation — and hear from tradespeople who know the ins and outs of Ghent terraced houses and townhouses.
Ghent consists largely of terraced houses and townhouses in the densely built city centre, with neighbourhoods such as Sint-Amandsberg, Ledeberg, Gentbrugge and Wondelgem around it, where 19th-century workers' houses and interwar homes are the norm. Many buildings stand wall to wall, with narrow facades, small courtyards at the back and old vaulted cellars.
A large share of these homes is owned by landlords and lived in by students or young households. You notice this in the state of the installations: electrics and pipes are often decades old, and work has been kept to a minimum in the past. When a house is sold or re-let, that backlog suddenly comes to light.
In the protected townscape inside the R40 ring road, extra rules apply to facades, dormer windows and windows. Work on the outside often requires an environmental permit or advice from the heritage department.
Townhouses and terraced houses from before 1970 often still have their original pipes, running tightly under plaster and behind wooden floors. Finding a leak and partly replacing the pipe is a puzzle; fully re-laying the pipes in copper or plastic is best done during a larger renovation.
The small courtyards behind Ghent terraced houses drain through narrow, often sharply bent pipes that run to the sewer pit. Falling leaves, grease and limescale cause recurring blockages. Clearing with a spring or high pressure is usually enough, but if it keeps happening, there is a structural problem.
In narrow Ghent houses the bathroom is often in a middle room or under the roof, without an outside window. Without mechanical ventilation this leads to condensation, mould and damage to the joints. A plumber assesses whether adding a fan is enough or whether the whole installation needs work.
New condensing boilers need different connections (condensate drain, air supply) than the old installations. There is not always room for this in a Ghent kitchen or storage room, and moving the boiler to the attic or outside is sometimes the only option.
When a home in the city changes hands, prospective buyers or new tenants usually look at the plumbing too. A plumber can often fix small non-conformities (drain, non-return valve, kitchen connection) in half a day.
Open jobs on Renovata for plumber in and around Gent. This list is updated with the latest jobs when the page opens in your browser.
Post a job yourselfThe amounts below are guide prices based on common rates in East Flanders. Every job is different; the tradesperson makes a specific quote after an inspection.
Call-out fee + hourly rate depending on day/night and urgency |
€60 – €90/hour |
Clearing a standard drain |
€90 – €180 |
Replacing a tap or mixer tap excluding materials |
€80 – €160 |
Installing a new condensing boiler incl. materials, excl. gas inspection |
€1,800 – €3,500 |
Full bathroom plumbing renovation plumbing only; excl. tiles and finishing |
€2,500 – €6,000 |
Yes. Work on indoor installations (pipes, sanitary ware, boiler) falls outside the heritage rules. Only visible work on the facade — for example a new flue on the street side — requires advice or a permit.
Small repairs such as a replaced seal or a blockage from daily use are for the tenant. Structural problems — old pipes, the boiler, the water supply — are for the owner. Always report it to the landlord in writing first before you contact a tradesperson yourself.
For an urgent leak, a response within 24 hours is normal. For non-urgent work (new tap, boiler replacement) it is best to plan 1 to 3 weeks ahead. In Renovata you tick 'urgent job'; tradespeople see this straight away in their lead list.
Not always. Often the new plastic pipe is run along an existing duct or under the skirting board, without opening walls. In townhouses with ceiling mouldings this is often preferred, to avoid damaging them.
Post your job for free and normally hear from several tradespeople in East Flanders within 24 hours.
Post your job