The walls guide
What we open in your walls
Three places we cut, in the order we try them. Before any of them, we look for a way to do it from the basement or crawl space.
Most housesThe wall behind the tub or shower
The old riser and the valves are here, so most houses get one opening. We cut from the closet or hall side when we can, and from the tub side when we have to.
Tile is cut only if that's the one way in
The opening is photographed before it's closed
Many housesThe wall between two rooms
In a story-and-a-half bungalow a line often has to cross to the floor above. That is a narrow opening, cut square, with new pipe run between the studs.
Cut square so the patch lies flat
New pipe is insulated on the cold-wall side
RarelyA whole room
Rare. If a steel pipe is buried where nothing else reaches it, the plan says so before the price, and says what the room needs afterward.
You see this in the plan, never after
Already open
What we open in every house
The basement ceiling or crawl space
Main lines run between the joists. We work from below, so the rooms above stay closed.
Under each sink
The cabinet floor, not the wall. We lay down a cover first and put your things back after.
The water heater closet
New shutoffs and the manifold go here, in an opening that's already there.
The meter and the main
We replace the shutoff on your side of the meter. We don't touch the city's.
Before we close a wall
What happens at every opening
The new lines are tested
Under pressure, with the wall still open, so a bad joint shows up before it's hidden.
We take a photo
One picture of each opening with the pipe in it, kept with your work order.
We patch with drywall
Taped and sanded, ready for your paint. Matching old plaster or lath is a separate line in the plan.
Paint is yours
We don't paint or hang wallpaper. We tell you where each patch is so your painter can find it.
Want to know which walls yours are?
The first visit ends with a marked plan. Book a pressure check and we'll walk the house with you.