Water where it should not be? The emergency line is answered by a person, 24 hours a day, every day of the year — and we will talk you to your shutoff before anybody gets in a van. Call 000-000-0000
We do the plumbing half of a renovation: the rough-in while the walls are open, the drain and vent work, the permit and the inspection, and then the finish stage when the fixtures go on. Whether you are running the project yourself or your contractor is, we work to the schedule.
The advice we give most often at the start of a remodel is to spend a little of the budget on things nobody will ever see. New supply lines to the room, a proper vent, accessible shutoffs, and a drain that is actually sized and sloped for what you are installing. It is a small fraction of a bathroom budget and it is the part that decides whether the room gives trouble.
What we do at rough-in
The stage that decides everything, and the stage that gets inspected.
Supply lines to every fixture
New pipe to the room rather than extending whatever was there. This is the moment, and it will not come again.
Drain, waste and vent
Correctly sized, correctly sloped, properly vented. A badly vented bathroom gurgles, drains slowly and smells, and no amount of tile fixes it.
Fixture relocation
Moving a toilet, a sink or a tub means moving drainage, which means slope and venting. Entirely doable — it just needs to be designed rather than improvised.
Valve bodies and rough-in dimensions
Shower and tub valves set at the right height and depth for the finished wall thickness. Getting this wrong is discovered at the finish stage, after the tile.
Blocking and support
Backing for grab rails, wall-hung basins and wall-hung toilets, set now while there is a stud to fix it to.
Pressure test and inspection
The system is tested and the permit inspection passed before anything closes. Nobody covers our work until it has been signed off.
Things worth deciding early
Every one of these is free to change now and expensive to change later.
Where the fixtures actually go
Sooner than the tile selection. Drainage geometry, not aesthetics, sets the real constraints.
Wall-hung or floor-mounted
A wall-hung toilet or basin needs a carrier and framing depth decided at rough-in.
Shower system
A single head, a thermostatic valve with a hand shower, or multiple outlets all place very different demands on supply sizing.
Freestanding tub
Beautiful, and the filler location and floor penetration have to be exact before the floor goes down.
Kitchen island sink
Needs a vent solution, and the options depend on the code and the layout. Design it, do not discover it.
Access to shutoffs
An access panel in the right place is worth a great deal in ten years and costs almost nothing now.
Working with your other trades
We are one of several trades in your house, and behaving like it is part of the job.
A schedule, and sticking to it
Rough-in has to land between framing and drywall, and the finish stage after tile. We give you dates and we hold them.
Coordination with the tiler
Rough-in depths and valve positions agreed against the actual tile and backer thickness, in advance, in writing.
Coordination with the electrician
Especially where a heated floor, a pump or an under-sink appliance is involved.
Working to a designer's drawings
Or producing the plumbing drawings if there are none, including a riser diagram for the permit.
One point of contact
The same person from the survey through to the final walkthrough, so nothing is explained twice.
Questions
Remodel Plumbing — the questions we are asked most
How much does the plumbing cost in a bathroom remodel?
Rough-in with fixtures staying where they are starts at $3,400, and from $5,200 if fixtures move and the drainage and venting have to be redesigned. The finish stage, setting and connecting everything, starts at $1,650. Permit filing and drawings are from $850. Fixtures are usually supplied by you.
Can I move my toilet or sink to a different wall?
Usually yes. Moving a fixture means moving drainage, which means the slope and the venting have to work — that is a design question rather than an obstacle. It is far easier while the floor is open, so decide it before demolition rather than after.
Do I need a permit for bathroom plumbing work?
For new or relocated fixtures and for alterations to drain and vent piping, yes. It is filed by a licensed master plumber and closed out with an inspection. Like-for-like fixture replacement generally does not need one, and we will tell you honestly which category your job falls into.
When does the plumber need to be on site during a remodel?
Twice. Rough-in comes after framing and before drywall and tile, and it has to pass inspection before anything is closed. The finish stage comes after tile, when the fixtures are set and connected. We coordinate both dates with your contractor.
Should I replace the pipes while the bathroom is open?
Almost always, yes, and it is the single best piece of advice we give. New supply lines to the room while the wall is open cost a fraction of what the same work costs afterwards, and old galvanised or early copper feeding a brand new bathroom is a leak waiting for your new tile.
Can you work from my designer's drawings?
Yes, and we will flag anything on them that will not build — a fixture position that cannot be drained or vented, or a valve depth that does not suit the specified tile. If there are no plumbing drawings we will produce them, including the riser diagram the permit needs.
Related
Often needed alongside this
Pipes & Fixtures
Leak Detection & Repair
Hidden leaks found with acoustic and thermal equipment before anybody opens a wall — then repaired and the wall closed.
Read more
Pipes & Fixtures
Repiping & Water Lines
Failing galvanised and pinholed copper replaced with copper or PEX — planned, phased and done without gutting the house.
Read more
Pipes & Fixtures
Faucets, Sinks & Toilets
Fixtures repaired or replaced properly — including the seized shutoff behind them that nobody quotes for.
Read moreSame-day service in most cases
Book a plumber, or call the 24-hour line
Tell us what the water is doing and we will tell you honestly whether it needs somebody tonight or whether it will keep until the morning. Diagnostics are $89 and credited in full against any repair you approve.