Ask a plumber what their biggest job was last year and you will get a great answer. Ask them to show you, and most will scroll through their phone for a blurry photo of a trench.
That is the strange thing about plumbing. Some of the most technical, coordinated work on a build happens inside walls, under slabs and between floors. By handover it is all covered up. The builder’s sign comes down, the owners move in, and there is nothing left that says who did the work.
For a trade business trying to win bigger jobs, work with better builders and hire good people, that is a problem worth fixing.
- On most builds the builder gets the credit. Trades need their own record of the work they deliver.
- The best time to capture plumbing work is during rough-in, before walls and ceilings close up.
- Film the scale, the team, the branding and the builders you work with, not just the finished result.
- One well planned shoot can feed your website, tenders, recruitment and social media for months.
The builder gets the sign. The trades get forgotten.
Walk past any big residential build in Melbourne and you will see one name on the hoarding: the builder’s. That makes sense, since they run the job. But behind that sign are plumbers, electricians, concreters and carpenters doing a huge share of the work.
When the project is photographed at the end, it is photographed as a finished building. That content belongs to the builder and the developer. The plumbing contractor who coordinated services across three levels and a basement usually has nothing to show for it except the invoice.
If you are a trade business, the people you want to impress are builders, developers and future staff. All of them want to see the same thing: proof that you can handle big, complex work and that your team is the real deal.
A real example: Holmes Plumbing in Prahran
We recently worked with Holmes Plumbing Company on a multi-residential development in Prahran, delivered alongside Fabric Build.
The project is 15 three-storey townhouses built over a combined basement. Each home has a double garage, a lift, a laundry and a wine cellar. That means a lot of services running across a lot of levels, and a lot of coordination with other trades along the way.
It is exactly the kind of job that proves what a plumbing business can do. It is also exactly the kind of job where, without content, all of that would vanish behind plasterboard.
Our coverage focused on three things: the scale of the development from the air, the Holmes team on site, and the work being delivered during the build. The result is content Holmes can use for years, not a one-off post.
You can’t film the pipework after the plasterboard goes on.
What trades should actually capture
1. The scale
A single drone shot does more than a page of text. It shows a builder or developer in one second that you are working on real projects, not just fixing leaking taps. For multi-level or multi-dwelling jobs, it is the most important shot you can have.
2. The team
People hire people. Good photos of your crew on site make your business look established and trustworthy, and they are the first thing a potential apprentice or tradesperson looks for when deciding where to work.
3. The work itself
Plumbers take pride in neat, well planned work. Capture it while it is visible. A clean run of pipework in a frame, a plant room, a basement set up. These are the shots other trades and builders notice.
4. The builders you work with
Being on site with a respected builder is a signal on its own. Where the builder is happy for you to, show the project and credit them. It tells the next builder that you already work at their level.
Where the content actually gets used
One day of filming on a good job should keep paying off long after the job is finished. For a trade business, the main places it earns its keep are:
- Your website. Real project photos instead of stock images make you look like the business you actually are.
- Pitching to builders and tenders. A short project video or a set of strong photos says more than a capability statement full of claims.
- Recruitment. Good people want to work on good jobs. Show them the jobs.
- Google Business Profile. Fresh, real photos help your listing look active and trustworthy to local customers.
- Social media. Progress, people and scale outperform generic posts, and every job gives you new material.
When to film a plumbing job
Timing matters more for trades than for almost anyone else, because so much of the work gets hidden.
For plumbing, the key window is rough-in, when pipework is installed in the frame and before walls and ceilings are lined. On larger jobs it is also worth capturing the early stages, like basement and in-ground work, and one visit near completion for the finished, branded shots of the team.
If you only book one shoot, book it during rough-in. That is when the work, the scale and the coordination are all visible at once. Our guide on filming site progress covers timing across a whole build in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is video worth it for a plumbing business?
If you want better builder relationships, bigger commercial or multi-residential work, or better staff, yes. Most plumbing businesses have no footage of their best jobs, so even a small amount of good content puts you ahead of competitors who only have a logo and a phone number.
When is the best time to film a plumbing job?
During rough-in, before the walls and ceilings are closed up. That is when the pipework, the coordination between levels and the size of the job are actually visible. Once plasterboard goes on, that part of the story is gone.
Do I need the builder's permission to film on site?
Usually yes. Check with the builder or site manager first, follow the site induction and safety rules, and keep other people's branding and faces in mind. Most builders are happy to help, because good content of their site reflects well on them too.
What should a plumber post on social media?
Real jobs, real people and real progress. The team on site, the scale of a development, a tidy piece of work before it gets covered, and short updates across a build. It does not need to be polished every time, but it does need to be yours.
Does Strum Media work with trade businesses?
Yes. We create video, photo and drone content for plumbers, electricians, builders and other trades across Melbourne and Victoria, like our work for Holmes Plumbing Company in Prahran. Get in touch to talk through what you need.
The builder’s name comes down with the hoarding. Your content stays.
Final thought
Trade businesses do some of the hardest, most skilled work on any build, and almost none of it is visible once the job is done. The businesses that capture it build a real record of what they can do, and that record wins the next builder, the next big job and the next great hire.
If you have a job coming up that is worth showing off, we would love to help you capture it before it disappears behind the walls.
