"You are building a new home; what an exciting time! You’ve probably spent hours figuring out the design of this building, whether it’s a home that you’re going to live in yourself or one that you’re building for a client. You’ve worked out the landscaping and the layout of the rooms, discussed where amenities could be added in and even figured out how to make the place more energy-efficient for saving costs down the line. But have you thought about the plumbing?

A house can be beautiful and decorative but if the plumbing doesn’t function efficiently, you’ve got some problems on your hands. Here is a ten-step guide to making sure that you’ve laid the groundwork for good plumbing in your new construction home:

1. Hire a plumber. Even if you’re doing all of the rest of the work yourself, you want to get a professional in to help you make decisions. If you want to be hands-on, he can be just a consultant to guide you through your options.

2. Create a plan on paper. Make your mistakes on paper, not on your plumbing.

3. Consider all of the plumbing in the home as a package deal. The dishwasher and kitchen sink go hand-in-hand, so do the tub and bathroom sink, but don’t just think piece-meal. You want to create plumbing that fits together as a whole system. Remember things like the water heater and the outside faucets.

4. Be a square. Literally. As you connect everything, you’re going to one to think in ninety degree angles. So you won’t necessarily run a pipe directly from one place to another but rather up and then over.

5. Get your hands on a copy of the builder’s plumbing code. You don’t want to do something that’s going to fail building inspections so make sure you double-check this book before actually installing any plan.

6. Comparison shop on supplies. You want to get stuff that’s going to last a long time so don’t be stingy. However, go with quality rather than the most expensive thing on the shelf. Start with a good product and you’ll have good plumbing.

7. Think twice about the materials that you are using. Not only do you want to make sure that you’re choosing the right product supplier but you want to make sure that you’re selecting materials that make sense for this home. Take into consideration the weather around the home, the amount of plumbing use that will go into the home and the occupant’s concerns about using natural materials.

8. Piece it all together before it even goes in place. You want to take your time to really do this thing right. Lay out the pipes and see what it looks like before you start actually putting things where they’re going to go. On paper, then on the ground, then into the home; this three-step process will save you hassles down the line.

9. Install your plumbing. If you’ve done all of your planning and prep work, this part is going to be as difficult as it might have seemed at first.

10. Test it out. With your plumbing consultant on hand in case anything goes wrong, make sure that what you’ve installed is actually functional!"