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Rough-in decisions

The twelve decisions, one at a time.

What each one is, what it depends on and what to bring to the walk-through. Not every job has all twelve.

  1. Chrome lever shower valves on white subway tile below a wire shower caddy
    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.

    • Bring: the trim or fixture spec sheet

    • Depends on: the tile layout and who showers

  2. A travertine walk-in shower with a ceiling shower head, a lit niche and a bench
    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.

    • Bring: the tile layout drawing

    • Depends on: stud spacing and the wall behind

  3. A travertine walk-in shower with a black ceiling shower head, a bench and a lit linear drain
    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.

    • Bring: the pan or tile choice

    • Depends on: the framing below and the floor height

  4. A chrome hand shower on a rail spraying water against white 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.

    • Bring: the shower set's spec sheet

    • Depends on: the glass and the ceiling height

  5. A freestanding white bathtub on black and white octagon floor 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.

    • Bring: the tub's spec sheet

    • Depends on: the floor structure and the window

  6. A white wall-hung bidet and toilet against dark tile
    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.

    • Bring: the toilet's rough-in sheet

    • Depends on: the wall's depth and the door swing

  7. A wooden double vanity with white vessel basins under round mirrors beside a walk-in shower
    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.

    • Bring: the cabinet drawings and the tap's sheet

    • Depends on: the drawers and the spout reach

  8. A gutted room with new supply and drain pipes in the wall between timber studs and exposed brick
    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.

    • Bring: any bars, benches or rails you want

    • Depends on: the studs and what hangs where

  9. A white kitchen island with a stainless farmhouse sink and a pull-down tap, open to a living 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.

    • Bring: the cabinet plan and the sink's sheet

    • Depends on: the island depth and the run to the vent

  10. A stainless spring pull-down tap on a white counter in front of a gas range
    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.

    • Bring: the range model and the hood height

    • Depends on: the backsplash material

  11. A white kitchen with a gas range, a stainless dishwasher and cabinets under a window
    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.

    • Bring: the dishwasher and disposal models

    • Depends on: the cabinet width and the outlet

  12. Brass balancing valves with white handles on a table
    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.

    • Bring: the tile layout and the cabinet plan

    • Depends on: where a panel can sit unseen

Bring the plan set. We bring the tape.

A walk-through takes a morning at most. You leave with the decisions that apply to your job, marked on a sheet.