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Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.(910) 555-0103
Gaskins PlumbingWilmington, North Carolina
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Remodel plumbing, Wilmington, North Carolina

Decide it before the tile goes up.

We plumb bathroom and kitchen remodels. Before the walls close, we sit down with you and your designer and settle twelve choices on paper, then rough them in.

See the twelve decisionsPlan a visit
A gutted room with timber and steel stud framing, exposed supply lines and conduit against a brick wall, before any tile

Rough-in decisions

Twelve choices, made before tile.

Once a wall is tiled, each of these means cutting it open. We settle them in the plan, with the fixtures in hand, while the studs are still showing.

  1. A chrome shower valve plate on dark grey tile beside a black-framed glass panel
    01

    Shower valve height and trim

    Set the valve where a hand reaches it without stepping into the spray. The trim you choose decides which valve body goes in the wall, so the trim comes first.

  2. A beige-tiled walk-in shower with black fixtures, a recessed niche and a mosaic band
    02

    Niche size and position

    A niche needs framed space between studs, on a wall with no drain behind it. We mark its height against the tile layout so no row of tile is cut around it.

  3. A white marble walk-in shower with a rain head, a hand shower and a linear drain along the back wall
    03

    Drain location and slope

    Center, wall side or linear: each changes how the floor slopes and which tile it can take. The drain is fixed before the pan is built.

  4. A round chrome rain shower head on an arm against white subway tile
    04

    Rain head and hand shower

    Each head and diverter needs its own stub at its own height. Settling the rain head's center first keeps the arm clear of the glass.

  5. A white freestanding tub and oval basin with tall arched chrome taps against textured white tile
    05

    Tub filler and drain

    A freestanding tub fills from the floor or the wall, and its drain sits where the tub's feet end up, not where the old tub stood.

  6. A wood-panelled room with a black wall-hung toilet and a black heated towel rail
    06

    Toilet: flange or wall carrier

    A wall-hung toilet needs a carrier and a wall framed to hold it. A floor-mounted one needs a flange at the right distance from the wall.

  7. A pale grey bathroom with a wall-hung double vanity, a long mirror and a built-in tub
    07

    Vanity supplies and drain

    Stops and drain come through the wall at heights set by the drawers and the spout. Move the cabinet by two inches and the stubs are wrong.

  8. New drain and supply pipes between timber studs on a brick wall, with wood blocking across the framing
    08

    Blocking behind the wall

    Solid wood goes behind every place someone might need to hold on or hang something heavy: bars, benches, rails, shelves. It costs a board now and a wall later.

  9. A marble kitchen island with an integrated stainless sink and a black tap in a modern room
    09

    Kitchen sink and island vent

    An island sink needs a drain path and a vent that stay inside the cabinet run. A farmhouse sink changes the base cabinet before it changes the plumbing.

  10. A white kitchen with a marble counter, subway tile backsplash and a range hood
    10

    Pot filler

    A pot filler is a cold line behind the range, in the same wall the hood and the backsplash want. It needs a shutoff you can reach and a height chosen with the range.

  11. An open under-sink cabinet showing waste pipes, a trap and a food waste disposal unit
    11

    Dishwasher and disposal

    The dishwasher's drain loop, the disposal and its switch, and the filter line all share one cabinet. We draw where each one goes before the cabinets are ordered.

  12. White supply pipes with a red-handled valve rising up a white wall below diagonal tile layout lines
    12

    Shutoffs and access panels

    Every valve you may need to close should be reachable after the tile is up. An access panel is cut into the plan, not into the finished wall.

Read each decision in full

A note from the owner

The wall is the cheapest place to change your mind.

Most remodel plumbing problems are not leaks. They are a valve that landed where the tile pattern wanted a seam, or a drain that the new vanity covers. They are decided late, by whoever is on site that day.

So we ask early. Bring the plan set, the fixture list and the tile you like. We bring a tape, a marker and the questions.

Yolanda Gaskins

Owner and licensed plumber

New white supply pipe stubs with a valve coming out of a freshly plastered wall, before tile

Projects

Rough-in beside the finished room.

Filter by stage. Sample photos here; replace them with your own jobs.

See all projects

Showing 6 of 6

Black drain stacks and a white trap between steel studs against a brick wall
Drain stack and trap, set before the wall closes
A chrome three-piece bath filler on the rim of a white freestanding tub beside a towel
Tub filler, deck-mounted
A bathroom with a toilet, a wooden vanity under oval mirrors and a freestanding tub by a window
Primary bath, tub under the window
Two copper pipes run down an opened-up brick wall
Copper risers in an old brick wall
A brass wall-mounted mixer valve with a slim lever on a pale yellow wall
Wall-mounted mixer in brass
A navy double vanity with brass taps, a white marble top and two round gold-framed mirrors
Double vanity with brass taps

Sample photos.

How it runs

From plan set to the last valve.

Six steps, in the order the wall is built.

The full process
  1. 01

    Step 1: Walk-through and plan review

    We walk the rooms, check the floor below and read the plan set with you and your designer or builder.

  2. 02

    Step 2: The decisions sheet

    We write down which of the twelve decisions apply and mark each on a drawing: valve heights, drain centers, niche, blocking.

  3. 03

    Step 3: Rough-in

    Once demolition is done, we run supply and drain lines to the marked heights and photograph the open wall.

  4. 04

    Step 4: Pressure test and inspection

    We test the lines under pressure and book the plumbing inspection. Tile waits until it is passed.

  5. 05

    Step 5: Tile and cover

    Your tile setter works to the stub heights on the sheet. We stay in touch with them, and the access panels go in the plan.

  6. 06

    Step 6: Trim, test and handover

    We set the fixtures, test every valve and leave a shutoff map for the house.

For designers and builders

Send the fixture schedule at framing.

We mark it up with stub heights, drain centers and blocking, and return it before the tile order goes in.

What we need from youCall (910) 555-0103

Who comes to your house

Eight of us, two vans.

Four who lead the work, all based in Wilmington.

About the firm

  • Yolanda Gaskins

    Owner and licensed plumber

    Runs the plan review on every remodel and signs the rough-in sheet before the wall is closed.

  • Reynaldo Mercado

    Rough-in lead

    Leads the crew that works while walls are open: copper, PEX, drains and blocking.

  • Ernest Huff

    Trim and fixtures lead

    Sets the fixtures once the tile is done, tests every valve and leaves the shutoff map.

  • Marlene Woods

    Project coordinator

    Takes calls from designers and builders, keeps the fixture schedule and books inspections.

From the people we work with

Notes from designers, builders and homeowners.

“I send the fixture schedule at framing and get back a marked-up sheet with stub heights. The tile order went in with the numbers on it.”

Rasa B.Interior designer

“They were on site the day the walls opened, and the inspection checklist was ready before the inspector was. My tile setter didn't have to ask about a single valve.”

Colby W.General contractor

“I wanted a pot filler and had no idea the line had to go in before the backsplash. Yolanda drew it on the wall with me, with the range pulled out.”

Landon P.Kitchen and primary bath remodel

Sample reviews.

Where we work

Wilmington and the towns around it.

Bungalows in Carolina Heights, brick ranches in Pine Valley, newer builds out toward Porters Neck.

  • New Hanover County: Wilmington, Masonboro, Monkey Junction, Myrtle Grove, Murrayville, Porters Neck, Landfall, Figure Eight Island
  • Pender County: Scotts Hill, Holly Ridge, Rocky Point
  • Brunswick County: Navassa, Winnabow, Bolivia

We don't take jobs outside New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties.

Questions

Before you call.

All questions

How do I know you are licensed?

The footer of every page lists our license class and the board's lookup page. Look us up and check that the name matches the one on your contract.

Do you work with my designer or builder?

Yes, most of our jobs start that way. Send the plan set and the fixture schedule, and we return a marked-up rough-in sheet before the tile is ordered.

What happens at the walk-through?

We look at the walls, the floor below and the plan set, measure the fixtures you have chosen, and write down which of the twelve decisions apply to your job.

Will I get a price before work starts?

Yes, in writing, with what it includes and what it does not. How pricing works explains what moves the number.

What if I change my mind after rough-in?

Tell us before the wall is closed. A change is priced in writing before we do it. After the tile is up, moving a valve means opening the wall.

Contact

Plan a visit.

Tell us what you are remodeling and where the project stands. Marlene replies within one working day.

Phone(910) 555-0103
Emailservice@gaskinsplumbingnc.com
Address1218 Castle Street Wilmington, NC 28401
Hours
Monday – FridayToday
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday and SundayToday
Closed
What are you remodeling?
Text us a photo of the plans

We reply on business days, Monday to Friday.