With the arrival of spring comes the urge to remodel, and if you’ve caught the remodeling bug, then you may be surprised to find out that your plumber can help. The plumbing professional is a quintessential part of the team if you’re remodeling the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room in your Costa Mesa, CA, home, and their help is also necessary if you’re installing a new bathroom or converting a spare room into an additional bath. Remodeling the basement? Your plumber can be of assistance with the plumbing there too.
Considering DIY?
Thinking about DIYing it all the way? You’re certainly not alone. The DIY craze is bigger now than ever before, and there is definitely something to be said about doing your own remodel. With the ease of access to tutorials online these days and the ready availability of instruction and self-help manuals, anything seems possible. And sure, there are many plumbing tutorials as well–some of them better than others–that can help you figure out things like fixing a toilet leak or changing out a showerhead. But if you’re renovating your bathroom or other area of the home, chances are good that you’ll need more than just a short YouTube video to get the job done right the first time.
The truth is that one little mistake can lead to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in damage. It isn’t worth the risk for most homeowners, and besides, hiring a plumbing service to help means that you get the job done faster and you can have confidence that your project goes off without a hitch. That’s not to mention that you will likely need special tools (some of them quite expensive) that your plumbing professional already owns and knows how to use.
How Your Plumbing Service Can Help
Don’t underestimate the role that a plumbing professional can play in your renovation or addition. A plumber is specially trained to help you:
- Move drain lines and pipes.
- Install kitchen sinks, toilets, garbage disposals, and more.
- Install the plumbing lines to your sink, toilet, so on.
- Add a water softener or filtration system to your home.
- Install fixtures and fittings.
Code Compliant Renovations
If your Costa Mesa, CA, renovation or project requires a permit, your plumber is the top choice to help you get one. Whether you need a permit or not depends on local codes, of which your plumbing professional stays abreast. You’d be amazed at the things that require a permit when you get started remodeling. For instance, if you’re putting in a new water heater, then you’ll need a permit for that. And if you’re doing anything that involves your sewer lines, you’ll likely need a permit first. This isn’t just for your own safety and that of your family, but also for any other homes that are serviced by the same sewer nearby. It goes without saying that any time you build an addition to your home, you will need one or more permits before it can happen. A permit might also be required if you are moving a sink, since this requires running new drain and plumbing supply lines.
Keeping Costs Low
Plumbers are professionals much like electricians; they attend trade school, they serve apprenticeships for many years, and they must submit to local and state requirements for licensing. For this reason, plumbing work is not inexpensive. And while hiring a plumbing professional for your renovation or remodeling project is an additional expense you must factor in, there are a few ways to keep your costs low.
Reduce the bill you’ll receive from your plumber by:
- Scheduling your plumbing professional for plumbing work only. Is there drywall that must be removed to get to your pipes? Make sure it’s removed prior to scheduling your plumbing service call. Move things out of the way to make their work easier, and provide adequate lighting for them to see by. Make sure that your plumbing pro only has to do plumbing and you’ll reduce the number of hours spent on your project.
- Making conditions comfortable. Help the plumber do his job most efficiently by ensuring the temperature in the area is comfortable, if possible. Remove distractions such as children and pets, and point out where the plumbing specialist can use the bathroom if the need arises.
- Keeping things simple. If possible, change the plumbing footprint and the layout of your room as little as possible. This will keep costs lower. When you move drain pipes and supply lines around, particularly when it comes to things like vent stacks or sewage pipes, the job is more difficult, longer, and therefore, more costly. In the kitchen, keep your sink and dishwasher where they are, if possible, and do the same for the toilet, sink, shower, and tub in the bathroom.
- Going for cheaper materials. When selecting materials for your plumbing project, you can also reduce the cost of your plumbing by going for PEX pipe in lieu of copper pipes. The latter can cost 60 percent more than the former. This one move can save you hundreds of dollars overall on the cost of your project if you have a lot of new pipes going in. Also, check with your plumbing pro about the couplings your project needs. Going for push-fit couplings can really add up, since they are up to ten times as costly as crimp-style couplings, but they serve essentially the same job.
Remember, there are plenty of opportunities around the home to flex your DIY brawn and enjoy bragging rights among your buddies. Plumbing, however, is best left for the professional plumber.
Call bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of Costa Mesa, CA, for all your plumbing needs during your renovation or remodel. Our plumbers leap at the chance to serve you and can hop on over and get your project done in a jiffy.
Photo By skhoward at istock