Plumbing for kitchen and bath remodels in northern Utah

In a remodel, the plumber moves and adds the pipes the new layout needs, then connects the fixtures at the end. The work comes in two parts.

Rough-in, while the walls and floors are open:

• Move or add hot and cold water lines.
• Move or add drain lines, and the vent pipes that let the drains work.
• Run a gas line to a range or another gas appliance.
• Set the shower valve and the tub or shower drain.
• Test the new piping before it is covered.

Finish, after tile, cabinets, and countertops are in:

• Set the toilets, sinks, faucets, and shower trim.
• Connect the dishwasher, the disposal, and the refrigerator water line.
• Turn the water on and check every joint.

We do the plumbing and only the plumbing. Design, demolition, framing, tile, cabinets, drywall, and finish work stay with the homeowner or the general contractor running the job.

Kitchen remodel plumbing depends on what moves. A new sink and faucet in the same spot is a small job. A new layout means new pipe.

• Moving the sink. The water lines, the drain, and the vent all follow the sink. A drain has to slope downhill to the main line, so a long move can mean opening the floor or the ceiling below.
• An island sink. An island has no wall behind it to carry a vent pipe up. The drain runs under the floor, and the vent has to be built the way the plumbing code allows for an island.
• A gas range. Changing from electric to gas, or moving the range, means a gas line sized for it.
• A pot filler. A faucet over the stove needs a cold water line in that wall.
• Dishwasher and refrigerator. Each needs a water line with a shut-off valve, and the dishwasher needs a drain connection.

Settle where the sink, range, and refrigerator go before the cabinets are ordered.

Bathroom remodel plumbing runs from new fixtures on the old pipes to a whole new layout. The drain work decides how big the job is.

• Moving a toilet. A toilet uses the largest drain in the room. Moving it means a new drain line and floor flange, and the floor joists limit where that pipe can run.
• Moving a shower or tub drain. The floor is opened, the drain and trap are moved, and the vent is checked.
• A new shower valve. The valve sits inside the wall, so the time to replace it is while the wall is open.
• Tub to shower. The drain usually moves to fit the new shower pan, and the valve and shower head are set at new heights.
• A second sink. A double vanity needs water lines for both faucets and a drain connection that serves both bowls.

Keeping the toilet and the drains where they are is the simplest plan. When the fixtures stay put, we connect the new faucets, sinks, and showers to the existing lines.

Adding a basement bathroom comes down to one question: can the drains flow downhill to the sewer line?

• The rough-in is already there. Many unfinished basements were built with drain pipes for a future bathroom, capped off in the floor. If they are in the right spots, the new bathroom connects to them and little concrete is cut.
• No rough-in, and the sewer line is below the floor. The concrete is cut, new drains are run to the main line, and the floor is patched.
• The sewer line is above the floor. Gravity will not carry the waste out. A sewage ejector pump sits in a sealed pit in the floor and pumps the waste up to the main drain.

A basement bathroom also needs water lines and venting for each fixture. In Lehi, the city's Residential Basement Finish checklist lists a floor plan and "Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical" among the items to submit for the permit (source).

The plumber comes into a remodel before the walls open, while they are open, and again after the finishes are in.

1. Planning. The plumber looks at the layout, finds the existing drains, vents, and water lines, and says what the new plan takes. A change costs the least at this point.
2. Rough-in. After demolition and framing, and before insulation and drywall, the new water, drain, vent, and gas lines go in.
3. Rough inspection. Where a permit applies, the inspector checks the piping while it can still be seen.
4. Finish. After tile, cabinets, and countertops, the fixtures are set and tested.
5. Final inspection. The inspector checks the finished work.

Inspections have to be booked ahead. Lehi City, for example, asks for 24 hours' notice for any type of inspection (source). Build that into the schedule so the drywall crew is not waiting on the plumbing.

Whether a remodel needs a plumbing permit is decided by the city or county building department for your address. Plan on one when the job moves or adds water, drain, vent, or gas lines.

The standard is statewide. Utah's State Construction Code adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, the 2024 International Plumbing Code, and the 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, with state and local amendments, as the standards for building construction, alteration, remodeling, and repair (source). Local building departments issue the permits and do the inspections.

Salt Lake City, for example, says no one may make any installation, alteration, or improvement to the plumbing system in a building without first obtaining the prescribed permits (source).

The permit is pulled before the work starts. The inspection puts a second set of eyes on drains, vents, and gas lines that no one will see again once the tile is up.

We give free estimates and do not post prices. These are the things that change the cost of remodel plumbing:

• What moves. Fixtures that stay where they are take less plumbing than fixtures that move. A toilet or a kitchen sink across the room is the bigger job.
• Access. Pipe in an open wall or an unfinished basement ceiling is easier to reach than pipe under a concrete slab.
• Concrete. A basement bathroom with no rough-in means cutting and patching the floor, or an ejector pump.
• Gas. A new gas line adds pipe, a pressure test, and an inspection.
• The old pipe. Older homes may have galvanized steel water pipe or cast iron drains in the walls. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey puts the median year built for housing at 1965 in Salt Lake City (source) and 1966 in Ogden (source). Worn pipe is easiest to replace while the walls are open.
• Permits. Each city or county sets its own fee.

We tell you the cost before we start the work.