Ah, spring…the weather is warm and the days are beautiful. There is something about spring that makes us want to clean, organize, and renovate. And if you are thinking about embarking on a home renovation, most projects will involve plumbing work. There are some plumbing tips you should be aware of before starting your home renovation .
- First, not all contractors have a professional plumber on staff. Larger companies often have plumbers qualified to work on renovations but smaller companies often do not. That doesn’t always stop the smaller companies from claiming to be a “one-stop-shop” where they think they can do something while quoting it. You might get cheap but not necessarily the best workmanship. So you will want to ask about the plumbing qualifications and policies.
- Get a professional plumber’s advice during the planning phase. If something comes up that requires professional plumbing, you don’t want to have to bring a plumber in after you have started your renovations. Having the advice of a professional plumber at the onset of planning renovations not only can help avoid a plumbing problem you didn’t anticipate, it can also help you more accurately estimate your renovation budget. And a plumber will have the best tools to do a job that involves plumbing.
- A plumbing renovation is a good time to tackle other projects that involve plumbing. By bringing in a professional plumber you might find out you have a hidden problem that is best taken care of simultaneously with the renovation. This might include fixing a leak, replacing grey or blue poly pipes that are susceptible to cracks, replacing fixtures to make them more conservative, installing basement waterproofing or installing flood prevention.
- Before your renovation you will want to know what walls already have access to plumbing. This is especially important in bathroom, kitchen and laundry room renovations. Moving a sink or toilet along a different wall may not be as easy as you think. A plumber will let you know if you will have to install new plumbing to an area compared to keeping fixtures in an existing area. If you are considering tearing out a wall, you will also want to know if it has plumbing going through it. Some walls might not have the obvious plumbing fixture, yet be a wall where pipes are flowing to and from fixtures.
- Understand what your requirements are in budgeting your renovation compared to splurges. When a project budget gets out of hand your splurges like a high quality tile, a rain shower or under floor heating may need to be adjusted. Make room for the “must have” renovations first and then purchase your splurges once you know your project is moving along. That way your adjustments will be made on your splurges and not on your requirements.
- Do research on the various materials and fixtures for plumbing before you buy. There are a lot of options and you will want to know the differences for maintenance, energy and conservation, besides various features available. In addition, if you are selecting pieces you want to confirm that all fittings and fixtures will be available when the renovation begins.
- When selecting paint or installing subflooring, make sure you are getting adequate materials to handle moisture. Some areas, like bathrooms will need better moisture resistant materials to reduce the possibility of mold.
- Renovations can cause dust and dirt, so take precautions to put up protection along your doorways and openings so that the dust and dirt does not spread to other areas of your home.
Before your next home renovation, get advice from a qualified plumber. The advice can go a long way in providing peace of mind that your plans will go smoothly and you’ll have the beautiful new kitchen, bathroom or other room you dream of in your home.