You’re ready to do it again. You’ve got another home improvement project and you are hoping to get it done with plenty of time left before the holidays. That might seem like you have a lot of time, however, the holidays are fast approaching and this project involves plumbing. Are you sure you can figure it out on your own and get it done on time?
There are a number of potential problems with home improvement projects when there is plumbing involved. They can take a lot more time than you initially expected. They can have numerous little things go wrong that add up and cause you to become overwhelmed. And when things go wrong, you might wonder why you didn’t leave it to the experts.
Hiring the Plumber for Home Improvement
Your plumbing is one area that is often better left to the experts. Here are three situations when you are best calling the plumber:
Relocating water or sewer lines
Renovation projects that are plumbing-related can be specifically challenging. Renovating differs from remodelling because it usually includes tearing down or opening up walls. Before you do that you want to have a good idea of what is inside that wall. It’s bad enough to find a water line in a wall that you weren’t expecting. But even if you already plan to relocate a line or extend your plumbing, you could be getting in over your head. Doing your homework can help a little, but you have no idea what issues you could come across when you start opening a wall.
Experts understand how water and sewer lines are typically laid out in a home. Â They also have experience and the tools to deal with repairing or relocating lines.
Revising the layout
It’s important to understand that if you replace an existing appliance with a larger one or add in a second fixture, you are probably going to have to revise something in your layout. At High Priority Plumbing, we have come to many homes where tubs, toilets, showers, sinks and other fixtures were not installed properly or caused damage because they didn’t fit properly. In some of these cases, the homeowner upgraded to a larger appliance or added a double fixture where there was a single one. In other circumstances, they revised the layout to position a walk-in shower next to a tub.
The truth is that taking measurements is not enough. There are little nuances that experts know about when measuring and sizing appliances. Sometimes a quarter of an inch can make a big difference. The orientation and relation to doors, countertops and cabinets can also mess up a new layout.
Handling plumbing installations
There are many factors that can affect how well a new installation goes. The larger and more complex an installation, the more things can go wrong. You want to understand how to get that fixture to space and installed. There may be stairs, doors and other obstacles to maneuver around. And recognize that you will often be working in a very tight space. Face it, those big tubs aren’t light. Neither are the glass showers that have become so popular. Add to that a tight working area and you can risk causing damage to your home or breaking a new appliance.
Another problem is that the bigger and more complex a project, the more likely it is that you will need specialized tools. These can be costly and hard to find. Many times we find homeowners improperly install pipes and appliances because they try to take shortcuts around getting the specialized tools. Without the proper installations, you could have issues with poor connections, improper sloping and lack of waterproofing.
An experienced plumber such as High Priority Plumbing will take responsibility for planning out the plumbing portion of a renovation, taking measurements and sizing/selecting appliances, providing proper installations and more. They will verify everything fits and can be maneuvered around for installation.
High Priority Plumbing is available to consult with you about your home improvement project. We are fully insured and have master plumbers to handle every type of plumbing-related project. For more information, call us at 770.860.8110 in Atlanta.