Home-run Plumbing: A Fast Hit with Builders and Homeowners PATH Case Study

Click here to visit the PATH website. The Builders: Michael and Tommy Strong Brothers Strong Residential Design and Build Houston, Texas Brothers Strong started in 1984 when Michael and Tommy Strong (both CGR and CAPS) worked for homebuilders and remodelers during college. Incorporated in 1990, Brothers Strong has evolved from a painting contractor to a full-scale home remodeling company, with a projected $2.2 million in business in 2006. The Strong brothers' first new home is certified under the new LEED for Homes pilot program. They anticipate $1.75 million in new-construction sales this year. Builder Type: Remodeler/small builder The Technology: Home-run plumbing with cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) piping and a plumbing manifold Manifold plumbing systems are control centers for hot and cold water that feed flexible cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) supply lines to individual fixtures. PEX tubing, which ranges in size from 1/4 to 2 inches, is lightweight and flexible, bending around corners and obstructions. PEX piping doesn't corrode or develop pinhole leaks, is chlorine and scale-resistant, and can use fewer fittings than rigid plastic or metallic pipe. Together with the plastic piping, manifolds offer installation-related cost advantages over conventional rigid pipe plumbing systems. Manifolds use separate chambers for hot and cold water. The cold water manifold is fed from the main water supply line, and the hot water manifold is fed from the water heater. A water line dedicated to each fixture emanates from a port in the manifold, where each fixture can be turned off individually. In larger homes or apartment buildings, mini-manifolds can service remote fixture groups. Manifold systems can accept all common supply-line sizes, down to 3/8 inch. Typically, a parallel supply line layout or a hybrid version of this will be used with a manifold, so fewer fittings are required and there is less pressure drop in the lines. Read the Tech Spec. The Project: The owner of a Cypress, Texas, home hired Brothers Strong to expand his one-car garage to a three-car garage with a living space, including two full bathrooms, on the second floor. The 1,200-square-foot addition cost more than $100,000. Why they use home-run plumbing: Since 2004, Brothers Strong has used PEX plumbing and a central plumbing manifold to cut the time plumbing contractors need to install piping. Home-run plumbing makes plumbing system upgrades and maintenance much easier. "While the entire project took six months of construction time, they piped it in a day," says Michael Strong. Brothers Strong's story "We began using home-run plumbing in 2004," says Tommy Strong, project manager. "We were looking for the design flexibility it gives you in a remodeling project. Often you are in a situation where you strip the walls, and you are limited in where you can put the things you want. The existing structure can be very restricting, and copper takes up a lot of space and is difficult to work with in small spaces. There can be a real fire hazard working with copper on site too. "Above all, flexible piping is ideal in retrofits or additions where you are working with the existing piping," Tommy says. "It greatly reduces the time needed for piping." PEX piping, which ranges from 1/4 inch to 2 inches in diameter, is lightweight and flexible, allowing Brothers Strong to easily work the hot and cold supply lines through insulation to reach a shower valve like this one. "Installation is way easy; speed of construction is way fast," says Michael Strong, vice president. "While the entire project took six months of construction time, they piped it in a day." "With the two bathrooms, it would've been much more challenging using conventional piping," says Tommy. "There were several tight spots, as we were trying to get from old areas to new areas. We probably would've had to make some design compromises if we used a conventional system, like building out some chases or lowering the cathedral ceilings." "On the sales side of things, I would say the primary reason for using home-run plumbing is the opportunity to differentiate ourselves from the competition. It is in accordance with our evolution toward cost-effective construction and green building," says Michael. "PEX piping and a manifold just make so much sense for so many reasons. It gives us another arrow in our quiver when we talk about high-performance remodeling or new construction."   1 | 2  NEXT