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

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With two bathrooms in the addition, Tommy Strong says, it would have been difficult to use conventional plumbing. PEX piping preserved the integrity of the original design. Cost: 5 percent less "In most of our jobs, we automatically include home-run plumbing in the cost, and it's listed in the appendices of our proposals, but we don't usually pitch it to clients as an option," Michael says. "That being said, if we have a particularly large job and a tight budget, we don't always specify home-run plumbing. In those cases — like in the Cypress addition — we had not determined what type of plumbing system we were going to use. We were going to go with what we could budget. "Since it wasn't included in the original design, and we had a fixed plumbing budget internally, we told the plumber we were going to pay this amount for the plumbing, but that's it. So we told the plumber to be creative. Then the plumber said, 'Hey, we are doing PEX on your smaller remodels. Let me do it on this project, and I'll meet your price objective.' It cost about 5 percent less than what was in the original budget. "That is unusual. One problem we are struggling with is that our plumbers are not giving us the price break for the plumbing installation, when we know the labor is a fraction of normal costs. However, there are still not enough plumbers out there doing it, so there's not enough pressure on pricing to make it more cost-effective. That's a shame, because it's a great system with a huge number of benefits." "In this case, our plumber showed a willingness to partner with us, probably because over several projects, we've had a good relationship," Tommy says. With PEX piping, small-diameter tubing can be used in parallel installations, like this one for a sink, to limit water consumption while waiting for delivery of the heated water. Easy maintenance, happy customers "The big impact that clients are going to see over the long term is the flexibility in maintenance and repair," Michael says. "You can shut off any individual water source conveniently. This is a huge advantage. It's easier for the homeowner, and it's easier for the remodeler. So if we go back to a house and remodel the bathroom in five years, we just shut off the water to that bathroom. We are not looking for the main in the street, and we are not shutting off the water to the rest of the house. If the homeowners want us switch out the water heater, all we do is shut off that water supply. That means way less hassle for us, and less cost for the client. We try to build value into our projects that way. We are planting these little seeds of satisfaction that will blossom in the years ahead." Technology Highlights This project included the following PATH-profiled technologies: Fiber-cement siding Plumbing manifold Radiant barriers Windows with high-performance glazing This article is presented courtesy of PATH. PREVIOUS  1 | 2