Plumbing question

chris snell · Jun 6, 2016

My wife and I are buying an in-progress spec home build and customizing it to suit our needs. Unfortunately, the builder is forcing us to use his vendors for most everything. One of the problems we're running into is fixtures. This guy is insisting on us picking Delta brand faucets. I hate Delta and want Kohler but this guy is saying that the plumbing that has been installed is incompatible with Kohler. This sounds like bullshit to me, but I have no experience and can't say for sure. We're considering just spec'ing builder-grade faucets everywhere and buying the high-end Kohler that we want and having a plumber (or DIY) do the install. Do any of you guys have experience in this area? Is there really such a thing as vendor-specific sink faucet connections?

Buddy · Jun 7, 2016

chris snell said:
Is there really such a thing as vendor-specific sink faucet connections?

I've replaced the faucets in pretty much every place I've ever owned and used to do quite a bit of bathroom and kitchen fix up odd jobs and I have never run into any compatibility issues. I'd call bullshit on this guy.

Buddy · Jun 7, 2016

Oh to add to the above, you may need to replace some lines etc. But typically the fittings on the shutoff valves are standard and you just need to get right size and length hose to make it work.

On the rare occasion in some older homes I've had to replace the the shutoff valves. But any halfway competent DIY plumber should be able to do that.

kk88rrc · Jun 7, 2016

Buddy said:
I've replaced the faucets in pretty much every place I've ever owned and used to do quite a bit of bathroom and kitchen fix up odd jobs and I have never run into any compatibility issues. I'd call bullshit on this guy.

x2
The only place that may be an issue is your bath or shower control if it's walled in already.... everything else is just a wrench and possibly a screwdriver to change.

emmodg · Jun 7, 2016

Your plumber is full of shit.

Unless there are some mixing valves already behind wallboard you can put anything you want in there. I built 3 spec homes - my own home has a mix of Delta, Kohler and Waterworks. Delta is more of a "contractor's" brand. They're cheap and home stores and building suppliers always have a lot in stock. I'm guessing your plumber doesn't want to have to order some , to him, "fancy" Kohler part.

stu454 · Jun 7, 2016

emmodg said:
Your plumber is full of shit....

D Chapman · Jun 7, 2016

Bullshit. There is a standard. The only possible slight difference is the supply lines but that has nothing to do with plumbing and the supply lines are like $5ea.

chris snell · Jun 7, 2016

Yeah, I wish I had taken photos when I was on the property yesterday. The lines came up through the floor as that red- and blue-colored semi-rigid tubing and was basically hanging there. I was totally surprised by their insistence on Delta but this is a brand-new house and I've never lived in a new home so I wasn't sure if this was some new thing that they're doing.

What about countertop holes? Are those standardized size-wise?

chris snell · Jun 7, 2016

emmodg said:
Delta is more of a "contractor's" brand. They're cheap and home stores and building suppliers always have a lot in stock. I'm guessing your plumber doesn't want to have to order some , to him, "fancy" Kohler part.

I think it's more on the builder/GC than the plumber. There aren't a lot of high-end builds out here in rural Kansas and it's been a huge pain to get this guy to budge from the way he's been building homes for the last twenty years. You should have seen the epic weeks-long battle over getting a Nest thermostat installed. The HVAC guy had never heard of them. On the plus side, the builder is respected locally for high quality so I think we'll end up with something nice if we can push them away from the traditional Kansas old people house-building style.

stu454 · Jun 7, 2016

(shoves hands in pockets and kicks dirt clod) "Damned city-slickers and their newfangled ther-mo-stats and fancy-pants faucets."

Ed Cheung · Jun 7, 2016

They just want to make you buy their stuff. My understand is there are standard size to the fittings.

Buddy · Jun 7, 2016

chris snell said:
What about countertop holes? Are those standardized size-wise?

They are standard but there are different standards as to what you want. 1 hole, 3 hold etc. There is also 4 and 5 hole versions. Most likely they will use a 3 hole style. So unless you're going to try and install a fancy 1 hole faucet you should be ok.

D Chapman · Jun 7, 2016

chris snell said:
You should have seen the epic weeks-long battle over getting a Nest thermostat installed. The HVAC guy had never heard of them.

I went through this, however my install and equipment were more to blame. If you're going with a zoned system it does get a little tricky because Nest sucks unless it's a standard system.

kk88rrc · Jun 7, 2016

Buddy said:
They are standard but there are different standards as to what you want. 1 hole, 3 hold etc. There is also 4 and 5 hole versions. Most likely they will use a 3 hole style. So unless you're going to try and install a fancy 1 hole faucet you should be ok.

Exactly. The hole spacings are standard. Unless you're doing an undermount sink you will not have to worry about holes in the counter.... you'll have to make sure you're sink of choice has the same amount holes needed to accommodate your faucet + accessories of choice.

chris snell · Jun 7, 2016

We are using undermount sinks with three-hole faucets in the bathrooms. Kitchen has a 1-hole setup.

Va_Disco · Jun 7, 2016

Chris,

I own a restoration business and have built houses and additions including lots of plumbing work and repair, and this builder your dealing with just wants to sell you his cheap parts that he probably already has. the fitting and holes all are going to meet a standard spec and they all have to meet the local building code so there is no difference in what make faucet you get as far as mounting it or plumbing it to the plumbing that has been installed.

If he has done something that makes his plumbing only work with a product he has (not sure how he would do that) but I would question its ability to meet the plumbing codes in your area.

chris snell · Jun 7, 2016

Sounds like it's straightforward to switch it out. I think we'll order the shitty builder-grade Delta stuff because the contract mandates that and just switch it out to the nice Kohler stuff when it closes. So wasteful and stupid.

fishEH · Jun 7, 2016

Can you tell him to keep his Delta stuff and save some cash?

kk88rrc · Jun 7, 2016

chris snell said:
Sounds like it's straightforward to switch it out. I think we'll order the shitty builder-grade Delta stuff because the contract mandates that and just switch it out to the nice Kohler stuff when it closes. So wasteful and stupid.

If you go that route & pull it.... http://www.habitat.org/restores Great place to donate building supplies.

Mike_Rupp · Jun 7, 2016

fishEH said:
Can you tell him to keep his Delta stuff and save some cash?

I think that's the point. The builder is making more money by supplying the Delta stuff. He's surely not going to willingly delete something off of the contract.

Chris, changing out the faucets should be pretty easy. Shower valves & bathtub faucets, on the other hand, aren't very simple once everything's in.

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