When you’re building a new home from scratch, there are a lot of details you have to think about. From finding the right plot of land to build on to choosing interior paint colors – and everything in between – you’ll have the final say on almost every decision. With all that on your mind, the last thing you’ll want to worry about plumbing considerations for you new home.
Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about most of those details. We’re not going to bore you with the things plumbers consider while installing plumbing in a new home, like excavation for sewer lines.
Instead, we’ll help you focus on the plumbing details you can control. We’ll talk about how your floor plan can affect plumbing costs, how fixtures can save you money over time, and more.
Think about the floor plan
Your floor plan is going to have a tremendous impact on how plumbing is installed. Think about how you’re going to use spaces, and the most effective path to get from place to place.
The kitchen triangle is a classic example of the intersection between plumbing and floor plans. You want your sink to be placed at one point of a triangle, with your fridge and your stove being the other points. Where can you place the sink so that foot traffic flows optimally through the kitchen?
These considerations carry over to other large appliances. You don’t want to pass through a high traffic area every time you need to wash clothes. And a water heater in the middle of your laundry room, while efficient for plumbing, may make it difficult to get to your appliances.
Wet wall sharing
Wet wall sharing is a key consideration when it comes to plumbing and custom home design floor plans. The basic idea is this: you want as many plumbing fixtures as possible to share a wall. That way, fewer pipes need to be laid, and you limit your expenses.
That means your sink, shower, and toilet should, ideally, all share a wall. If that doesn’t suit your aesthetics, don’t feel bound by this rule – just know that the more plumbing you install, the higher the costs will be.
In the same vein, your bathroom should share a wall with your kitchen. If you’re building a multi-story home with several bathrooms, the bathrooms should still all share a wall – in many cases, the best layout is to have all bathrooms above each other.
Fixate on fixtures
The fixtures you choose can influence your floor plan, your utility costs, and your lifestyle.
They’re worth thinking about when planning plumbing considerations for your new home.
Take a double sink, for example. They can be incredibly useful, but they can also take up a lot of space. If your double sink takes up too much space, your other fixtures may not be able to share a wet wall, leading to higher plumbing costs.
That can be well worth it – double sinks can be tremendous time savers. But it’s something you want to keep in mind.
Generally, going for low-flow fixtures is a good way to save money. You can find low-flow toilets and many sinks come with low-flow faucets pre-installed. You can also get low-flow showers.
On that note, you’ll have to choose between a shower and bath for each bathroom. Walk-in showers generally take up less room, so they can be handy when space is at a premium.
Take care of your new pipes
With newly installed pipes, you don’t have to worry so much about leaks, clogs, and other problems, right?
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. While new pipes will usually get clogged less frequently than old pipes, you still want to watch what you flush down the toilet, how you dispose of grease, and more.
If you’re attached to your city’s sewer line, sewer line preventative maintenance can help keep your plumbing working like new, for longer. In the same vein, regularly maintaining and emptying your septic tank can help if you’re not connected to the city’s line.
We could keep going with tips and tricks for plumbing considerations for your new home – there are a lot of things to consider when you’re starting a project – but these are some of the most important. We’ll leave it here for now. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!
