Bathroom remodel plumbing in Knoxville, from rough-in to trim

Moving a Drain

Moving a shower, tub or toilet drain means re-running the pipe under the floor to the stack with enough fall. Over a crawlspace, that is mostly work from below. Over a slab, the concrete is cut and trenched, the new drain laid and inspected, and the slab patched. Joists in the way of a toilet drain may need a different route or a header, which is a carpentry question as much as a plumbing one. We map the route before demolition, so nobody discovers the problem with the floor already open.

Rough-In for a Second Bathroom

Adding a bathroom in a basement, an attic or a converted room starts with where it can drain and vent. Above the main drain, gravity does the work. Below it, as in many basements, the fixtures drain to an ejector basin that pumps up to the main, covered under sewer ejector pumps. The new bathroom also needs hot and cold supply from the main lines, a vent tied into the system or an air admittance valve where allowed, and room for the shower valve.

Fixture Relocation

Moving a vanity to another wall, swapping a tub for a walk-in shower, or turning a single sink into a double all change the rough-in. Each fixture has a height and spacing for its drain and supply stub-outs, set by the model you choose, so it helps to pick fixtures before rough-in. Shower valves are roughed in at a height that suits the people using them, with trim ordered to match the valve body. Everything is set to the fixtures' specifications so the trim fits once the tile is done.