Bathroom fixtures
Bathroom Plumbing in Boerne, TX: Shower Pan Leaks, Valve Problems and Fixture Swaps
Shower pan and valve leaks, rough-in for a new layout, and fixture swaps. Wet-space plumbing rather than general remodelling, and we are clear about where that line sits.
Or call (833) 571-0120 and describe what you are seeing.
What we do in a bathroom, and what we do not
It is worth being clear about scope up front, because bathroom projects involve several trades and the boundaries matter when something goes wrong.
We do the plumbing: supply and waste, rough-in for a new or moved layout, shower valves and diverters, pan and waste connections, and setting fixtures. We do not do tiling, waterproofing membranes, cabinetry, electrics or the general building work. Where a problem turns out to be a sealing or tiling failure rather than a plumbing one, we will tell you that plainly rather than invoicing for a plumbing repair that does not fix it. For bathroom plumbing, Boerne remodels go most smoothly when drains and supply lines are moved while the wall is still open.
Typical bathroom jobs here
- A shower valve or diverter passing water when closed
- A leak from the shower pan or its waste connection
- Rough-in for a moved or new bathroom layout
- Replacing a bath, basin or toilet on existing connections
- A toilet that runs on its own between flushes
- Relocating supply and waste for a reconfigured room
- Second-floor bathroom leaks showing on a ceiling below
Shower pans, valves, and finding which one is leaking
Water showing on a ceiling below a bathroom, or on the wall outside it, has three usual sources and they need different trades. Working out which you have before anyone starts opening things up saves a great deal of money.
| Pattern | Usual source | Whose job |
|---|---|---|
| Leaks only while the shower runs | Pan, waste connection or failed sealing | Plumbing if it is the waste; sealing or tiling if it is the membrane |
| Leaks constantly, shower or not | Supply line or valve body | Plumbing |
| Water escapes past a closed valve into the tray | Worn cartridge or diverter | Plumbing, usually a quick fix |
| Damp at the base of the wall outside | Waste connection or pan edge | Depends; we can say which |
| Only after a long shower | Steam and ventilation rather than a leak | Neither; it is an extraction problem |
A valve or diverter fault is among the quickest repairs in the house, and it is the same category of work as any other fixture repair. A pan or membrane failure is a bigger job and usually not ours alone. Where water is tracking somewhere you cannot see at all, that becomes hidden leak detection rather than bathroom work.
Rough-in: the stage where changes still cost almost nothing
If you are moving anything, the plumbing rough-in is where the cost of the whole project is really decided, and it is the one stage that is almost impossible to revisit later. Once the walls are boarded and tiled, moving a waste by eighteen inches stops being a plumbing job and becomes a demolition job.
Boerne has been building fast, and we see a lot of work in newer houses where the existing layout is perfectly sound but does not suit how the household actually lives. That is a good reason to move things. It is a much better conversation to have over a drawing than over finished tiling.
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Agree the layout against the waste runs
Toilets are the least flexible item because of the waste diameter and the fall it needs. Everything else usually works around them.
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Confirm fall and venting
Waste needs consistent fall and proper venting. Getting this wrong produces a bathroom that gurgles and smells, and it is invisible until it is finished.
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First fix the supply and waste
Pipework run, tested under pressure and signed off before anything is boarded over.
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Wait for the other trades
Boarding, waterproofing and tiling happen without us. We come back when the surfaces are done.
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Second fix and commission
Valves, fixtures and wastes set and connected, then everything run and checked for leaks.
Fixtures, and the one thing worth spending on
Most bathroom fixtures are straightforward to fit on existing connections, and the swap itself rarely drives the cost. What does matter is the valve behind the wall, because that is the one component you cannot easily change your mind about afterwards.
An inexpensive tap can be replaced in twenty minutes in five years' time. A shower valve that has to come out means opening the wall. If there is one place in a bathroom where it is worth buying something serviceable from a brand whose parts will still exist in a decade, it is there.
The other recurring job is a toilet that runs between flushes, which is almost always the flapper or the fill valve. Both are inexpensive parts and both take minutes, and a running toilet wastes considerably more water than a dripping tap, which is worth attention in a county that sits inside the Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area.
Call at the drawing stage
Planning a bathroom? Ring before the layout is fixed. It is the one call that reliably saves money rather than costing it.
Call (833) 571-0120Bathroom questions from Boerne
What plumbing work does a bathroom update actually involve?
If fixtures stay where they are, very little: isolate, swap, reconnect and test. If anything moves, it involves rough-in, which means running new supply and waste at the correct fall with proper venting, pressure testing, and then returning after tiling for second fix. The second is a considerably bigger job than the first, and the difference is almost entirely about whether the waste has to move.
What does bathroom plumbing cost?
A fixture swap on existing connections is at the modest end of our work. Rough-in for a moved layout is priced by what has to be run and how accessible it is, and a second-floor bathroom over a finished ceiling costs more than a ground-floor one over a crawlspace. Our cost page sets out wide ranges, and for anything involving a layout change we would want to see it before quoting.
Do I need a permit for bathroom plumbing work?
A like-for-like fixture replacement generally does not. Moving supply or waste, or adding a bathroom, normally does. Boerne has adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code and the 2021 residential and building codes, and contractors must be registered with the City of Boerne to submit permit applications. The Permitting and Code Compliance office at 447 N. Main Street can confirm your specific job on (830) 248-1529, and we handle the application where one is needed.
Do you do the tiling and waterproofing as well?
No, and we would rather say so clearly than take the job and subcontract it quietly. We do the plumbing: supply, waste, rough-in, valves and fixtures. Tiling, waterproofing membranes, cabinetry and electrics are other trades. Where a leak turns out to be a membrane or sealing failure rather than a plumbing one, we will tell you what we found and what kind of contractor fixes it.
How do I check your license before letting you into the house?
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners licenses plumbers in this state and publishes a lookup anyone can search, so you can verify a license number before work starts. Boerne additionally requires contractors to be registered with the city to work inside city limits. Ask for both, from us and from every other trade on a bathroom project.
Bathroom work coming up?
The least expensive time to involve a plumber is before anything is tiled. Call while the layout is still a drawing.