Dave Heron started First Call Plumbing Services in 1998 out of Brunstane and never moved on. No franchise, no rotating subcontractors, no answering service in another city — when you ring 0131 669 1007, you get Dave or one of the trusted hands he's worked beside for years.
That continuity is why First Call ended up on the approved-contractor lists for the NHS, the Law Society of Scotland, VisitScotland and the Scottish Prison Service. Institutions don't hand work to plumbers who might not be there next year. Dave's been there since Tony Blair's first term.
Edinburgh-based since 1998.
Sole trader. EH15 3SE. Always answers his own phone.
A snapshot of recent jobs across Edinburgh, Lothians and Fife — domestic call-outs, bathroom refits and institutional contract work.
Dave came out at 11pm on a Sunday with the upstairs flat leaking through our ceiling. He was on the road inside 40 minutes, traced the joint, fixed it and didn't charge a call-out. Twenty-seven years experience — you can tell.
We use First Call across a property portfolio for the legal sector. Honest pricing, full paperwork, never a no-show. That's why he's still on our approved list after eight years.
Full bathroom rip-out and refit in our Joppa flat. Dave handled the lot himself — plumbing, tiling, the joinery for the vanity. Came in slightly under quote and on the day he promised. Rare.
Boiler died on the coldest night of the year. Phoned at 6:15am, Dave was here by 7:30am, diagnosed and back with the part by lunchtime. Fair price, no fuss, talked us through it.
Used Dave on multiple properties for our facilities team. He's the only plumber I trust to walk into a sensitive site, sort the job and leave it cleaner than he found it. Disclosure-checked, professional, on time.
Built one customer at a time since 1998.
There is no call-out charge — ever. You pay for the labour and parts on the job itself. Hourly rates and any after-hours premium are agreed clearly on the phone before Dave leaves the van.
For genuine emergencies inside Edinburgh we aim to be on-site within 1 hour, day or night. For Lothians and Fife allow up to 90 minutes. Honest answer on the phone — Dave won't promise an hour if traffic or another job means it'll be ninety.
Anything from a leaking tap to a full bathroom refit, central heating install, mains replacement or commercial estates work. We also handle the joinery, tiling, plastering and bathroom electrics so the whole project stays under one trader.
Yes. The 24/7 emergency line runs every day of the year — including weekends, Christmas Day and the New Year holiday. Bookable non-emergency work runs Monday to Saturday by arrangement.
Yes — that's the whole point of a 27-year-old multi-trade business. Dave handles plumbing and heating personally, and works with the same trusted joiners, tilers and electricians on every bathroom or refit so the finish is one consistent standard.
Bank transfer, card or cash for domestic jobs. 30-day invoice terms for established commercial and public-sector accounts. No deposits taken on small jobs — you settle once you've seen the work.
First Call Plumbing Services is based at 130 Vexhim Park, Edinburgh, EH15 3SE — Brunstane / Portobello side. From there we cover the whole city, all of the surrounding Lothians and over the bridge into Fife.
If your postcode isn't in the list below, ring anyway. After 27 years on the road, Dave knows every road in this map.
EH15 3SE
Brunstane / Portobello
~30 mi radius
Lothians & Fife included
Not in the list? Ring it through — Dave will tell you straight if it's covered.
Call to check