Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
Pro Tool Reviews was introduced to a rather large and complex residential construction project that was just down the road from us. As the supervisor took me around the job site, I was given a tour of this project. The client, who spends half the year in Italy, was restoring this Spanish-style home in Central Florida. They wanted to preserve as much of the history and original building materials as possible. That, combined with lots of international travel, eventually resulted in using Italian plumbing fixtures with USA pipes. To do this successfully, you need to watch out for more than a few potential snags!
As with many jobsite stories, this one got interesting, so we interviewed Rob Ripley, a local plumber working for Verplanck Plumbing. He told us about some of the challenges he encountered while working on this home. For starters, what happens when a client wants to use Italian plumbing fixtures that don’t match up with pipes and plumbing connections in the USA?
You improvise, adapt, and overcome.
Rob Ripley started in plumbing 20 years ago as an apprentice for Mr. Verplanck. He’s been with the same company ever since. There was a period of time when, for medical reasons, he had to step up and take the reigns of the company right smack in the middle of the housing boom of 2005-2006.
The company was extremely busy, but Rob was able to jump in and learn to manage all of the stack outs and trim outs they were doing at the time. As the economy dropped off around 2008, remodel and service work became more significant and prominent in the company’s day-to-day operations.
When this project started, this early 1920’s home had a giant hole on the property. Eventually, an addition the client would locate an addition there. At first, that only required some basic plumbing work. Later, however, the client added a basement bathroom that was below grade. That meant a grinder tank needed to be added to the job.
This house was really old, so Verplanck Plumbing knew they really needed to replace the old galvanized & copper supply lines along with the cast iron waste piping. More bathroom remodels followed and then a kitchen remodel. The project basically grew and grew as it went on, and the client had additional ideas about what he wanted.
Rob and Verplank were originally brought in to look at the restoration project to move a sewer line. Then they got to see the blueprints that were drawn up. As the plan expanded, so did Rob’s role. The client hadn’t yet selected or specified fixtures. As it turns out, the client was living in Italy at the time. He had already had the idea to use European Kohler toilets and bidets.
While that sounds simple on the surface, it opened up lots of challenges.
Toilets typically have a 10-inch, 12-inch or 14-inch rough-in. Bidets, however, rough-in differently because they use exposed plumbing. Rob roughed-in to the median which would work with Kohler products.
All of this was done at the client’s request in order to keep the job moving forward on schedule, but they could never seem to nail down the specifics of the fixtures.
Of course, when the Italian plumbing fixtures came rolling in, they were…well, from Italy. They were also completely different! There went all those rough-in standards! At this point, the installers had already laid tile and wood on the floor. All of the sheet rock had also been installed.
The project was full steam ahead.
The only practical alternative included going with American Kohler products. To give an example of why this was necessary, one of his Italian toilets actually required the tank to be installed in the wall cavity. That’s a “slightly” different rough-in!
Of course, much of this took place on the second floor. You can start to understand that compromise was on the menu! They did end up working everything out by going with the client’s fixtures for the most part. They dropped in American Kohler toilets, however, to save on the major issues. In the end, the client was satisfied.
In addition to the bidets, the faucets also came from Italy. They used attached braided hoses which looked like standard 3/8-inch. After purchasing the shut-off valves, however, they quickly realized the threads didn’t quite match up.
Three days of research later led to a U.S. company in California that manufactures these faucets in the United States. They require an adapter that goes from American Standard threads to metric. With that first hurdle overcome, Verplank realized they also needed a 1-1/4 in. flange tail piece for the drain.
Rob managed to find one in stock from a local company but needed 8 total. Of course, the one he found was surplus overstock, and the store had no idea where it came from or how to get more. Salesmen who’d been selling plumbing fixtures for decades said they didn’t think they made those adapters—even though Rob actually had one!
You can only bill so much time as research, so Verplank ended up going with a PVC female adapter for those. Since they were going to a cabinet-located PVC drain, that wasn’t a huge deal. In the end, it ended up looking pretty good.
This job really validated the importance of knowing the fixtures you want to install prior to the rough-in stage. In this case, Verplank Plumbing followed the client’s lead, but it ended up costing them (the client) a lot of money.
Having a client with a tendency to change things at a moment’s notice definitely helps you learn to work in a way that’s accommodating.
When working on a large plumbing project that might shift focus, ask yourself questions like: “What if the client wants a water softener?” or “What if they swap out the fixture here?” That can help you to do things in a way that gives you space to go back and change things if and when it’s needed.
When he's not remodeling part of his house or playing with the latest power tool, Clint enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader. He has a degree in recording engineering and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.
Clint’s career has covered nearly the entire realm of audio and video production. After graduating at the top of his class with an Associates Degree in Recording Engineering, he began working for the famed Soundelux studios in 1994, one of the largest post-production companies specializing in audio for feature films & television. Working on a myriad of feature films, Clint honed his skills as a dialogue editor, foley editor, and sound designer. Years later, he moved into the expanding area of video editing, where he served as the company’s senior AVID video editor for three years.
Working for such clients as Universal Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, NASA, Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, SEGA, NASCAR, and others, Clint dealt extensively with client management as well as film & video editing, color correction, and digital video & MPEG compression. He also carries several THX certifications (Technician I and II, THX Video), and is ISF Level II Certified.
After founding the CD Media, Inc. publishing company in 1996, he went on to help start or grow several successful online publications, including Audioholics (as Editor-in-Chief for 12 years), Audiogurus, and AV Gadgets. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. He also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.
Crediting his excellent staff for the success of what is now the largest power tool review publication in the industry, Clint DeBoer hopes to see continued growth for the company as it rapidly expands its reach. Pro Tool Reviews critically reviews hundreds of hand tools, power tools, and accessories each year to help inform users about the best and newest products in the industry. Reaching everyone from the construction industry professional and tradesman to the serious DIYer, Pro Tool Reviews helps tool consumers shop better, work smarter, and stay aware of what tools and products can help put them at the top of their game.
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros