Renovating soon and I keep forgetting the plumbing side of things, where do I even start?
Quote from josestanton on November 5, 2026, 10:21 amWe're finally doing the kitchen and one of the bathrooms this year, and I've spent weeks obsessing over tiles, cabinets and lighting while completely ignoring the stuff behind the walls. It hit me last night that if the plumbing layout is wrong, all the pretty finishes won't save us. Our current kitchen has the sink in an awkward spot and the bathroom has zero storage because of where the pipes run, and I'd really like to fix that properly rather than just tiling over the same mistakes. I don't want to overcomplicate it either since the budget is already tight. Someone suggested I look into Expert smart plumbing planning for kitchen and bath remodels before finalising any layout, which makes sense, but I'm curious how early in the process people usually bring this up. Do you sort the plumbing first and design around it, or design first and make the plumbing fit? Worried I've got the order backwards.
We're finally doing the kitchen and one of the bathrooms this year, and I've spent weeks obsessing over tiles, cabinets and lighting while completely ignoring the stuff behind the walls. It hit me last night that if the plumbing layout is wrong, all the pretty finishes won't save us. Our current kitchen has the sink in an awkward spot and the bathroom has zero storage because of where the pipes run, and I'd really like to fix that properly rather than just tiling over the same mistakes. I don't want to overcomplicate it either since the budget is already tight. Someone suggested I look into Expert smart plumbing planning for kitchen and bath remodels before finalising any layout, which makes sense, but I'm curious how early in the process people usually bring this up. Do you sort the plumbing first and design around it, or design first and make the plumbing fit? Worried I've got the order backwards.