A bathroom remodeling project is a huge undertaking due to the huge financial investment involved. Before the project kicks off, it is paramount that you talk to a plumber about your designs. The reason is that for these kinds of renovations, a lot of work is often hidden beneath the walls and under floors. A plumber will highlight what designs are feasible and will enable you to create your resort-style bathroom. Below are six facts that could mean the difference between a successful and a failed bathroom remodel.
1. Pipe Types
A majority of the old houses have plumbing pipes made of galvanized metal or cast iron. These old pipe models don’t fit well with the latest toilet fixtures, such as the low-flow toilet. Also, you lose up to 17,000 gallons of water per year using the old model water setups. For this reason, you need an experienced plumber from teamemergencyplumber.com to replace them with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipe types so that they fit the new fixtures. The beauty of using these kinds of pipes is that they are affordable and easy to install.
Importantly, you need to figure out whether you want your plumbing exposed or hidden when shopping for a toilet, tub, or sink. The hidden plumbing will give your home a more minimalist and neater look compared to the traditional exposed plumbing. Lastly, consider insulating your pipes to reduce the risk of bursting and heat loss during extreme cold.
2. Desired Layout
Normally, drain lines in your bathroom dictate how your fixtures will be staged during your bathroom remodeling project. When you decide to move your lines, it will come at a cost but there are instances when it is not possible to do so. This will require you to rethink your whole layout. Therefore, when you buy a large fixture that requires you to connect a pipe, you need to sit down with your plumbing contractor and have a conversation about your desired plan and whether it is feasible.
3. Keep an eye on water pressure
The National Pipe Thread in the United States ensures that there is a standard size fitting for pipes that connect to the showerheads. Therefore, most shower head fixtures fit perfectly with the respective existing pipes. The shortcoming is that the new shower head will not match the existing water pressure. A majority of the new showerheads are designed to reduce the flow of water by less than 2.5 gallons per minute. Thus, if your shower initially had low water pressure, the flow of water will be restricted significantly. This means you will need to adjust your water pressure when you install the new fixture.
4. Assess your water heater
When remodeling, you should not forget to replace your water heating system. Normally, water heaters have a lifespan of about 10 years. Old water heaters should, therefore, be replaced when they’re past their recommended life span. Otherwise, you will begin to incur a high energy cost. For a bathroom renovation, it is advisable that you take down the traditional hot water tank and replace it with on-demand-type water heaters. The latter comes in a smaller size and only delivers warm water when you need it. This advantage saves on energy. It, however, costs up to three times more to install compared to the traditional water heater.
5. Consider floor heating
Renovating involves ripping off your floors and walls. When you think about it, it’s important to consider updating your underfloor heating. Among the things that you could do is install a hydronic heated towel rack. You could also consider putting up a radiant heater that uses hot water and tubing to warm up the floors.
6. Shut off your water first
When you begin swapping your shower, toilet, or sink, you should shut off your water to avoid creating a mess. You can get shower valves on the wall of the bathroom, sink valves under the sink, and the toilet valve at the section where the plumbing meets the wall.
Conclusion
Bathroom remodels and bathtub replacements are best executed by professional plumbers. The fact is that these specialists can handle just anything unexpected that comes up during the project, including rerouting drain lines. Therefore, if you are thinking about remodeling, you need to get in touch with these experts ASAP!
