
During construction, sub-trades come and go at different phases. Plumbers and electricians would come at least 2-3 times on the same project. In the framing stage, the carpenter must take into account the location of plumbing and electrical fixtures in order to accommodate their requirements. For example, moving the location of floor joists might be necessary in order to make room for drain/sewer pipes, otherwise, the location of the toilet might end up off center in the second floor bathroom. Additional blocks may have to be put in so that the junction box of a vanity light will have something solid to be anchored to when its location is between two studs.
When all the interior partitions have been framed, plumbers must come in to do their rough in. This means running drain and water pipes to all the fixtures in the house such as kitchen and vanity sinks, tubs/showers, and toilets and connecting them to the main drain/sewer pipe and the main water lines. That being said, the plumbers should have done their pre-slab rough in prior to pouring foundations and slabs. These drain pipes must also be connected to a venting pipe that will be sticking out of the finish roof. This venting pipe is important in order to have proper air flow to push the water out of the house creating effective draining. Besides having proper draining, every fixture must have P-traps. These are U or “P” shaped pipes that you see under your sink. This P-trap traps water in therefore preventing any sewer smell from coming into the house. Now will also be the time to let the plumbers know if there’s any “special” fixture you might want such as a bidet in the second floor toilet, or a 6-head body spray in the shower.
After the plumber, comes in the electrician. Electricians will have to know the type of heating to be used and their locations for example baseboard heaters or heat pumps. They need to know the amount and locations of light fixtures you want installed, and the type of light fixture, such as pot lights. They also need to know if you’re using any propane kitchen appliances as they will require their own plugs. They will also need to know if you’re on a well as they will have to wire for a pump and pressure tank. Now will also be the time to let the electricians know of anything out of the typical that you might want such as LED lighting under the upper kitchen cabinets or a generator panel to run the fridge in the house in case of power outage. With the rise of electric cars, electricians these days will install a 200 Amp service in order to accommodate a possible charger in the future. I can’t speak any more in depth about plumbing or electrical as that is beyond my knowledge, so please make sure you work with a Red Seal plumber and electrician who knows the code. There’s nothing worse than setting your house on fire because a plug didn’t get wired correctly, or a pipe that freezes and bursts because they were installed on an exterior wall. Don’t mess with structural, electrical and mechanical if you haven’t got a clue. These things can have very detrimental effects if done incorrectly.