Planning checks
Cleanout placement (planning checklist)
- ☐ Plan shows 2 drain run(s) and no cleanouts placed — add cleanout locations
- ☐ Cleanout accessible at or near where the building drain leaves the structure — verify with licensed pro / AHJ
- ☐ Cleanout access not blocked by equipment pads, landscaping, or paving
- ☐ Long horizontal drain runs have intermediate cleanout access — verify with licensed pro / AHJ
- +1 more in the plan packet
Valve & access (planning checklist)
- ☐ Main shutoff valve located and accessible
- ☐ Isolation valves at equipment (heater, pump, tank) for service without full shutdown
- ☐ Valve boxes/access panels planned where valves are buried or concealed
- ☐ Water heater has required clearances, pan/drain, and relief-valve discharge path — verify with licensed pro / AHJ
Trench & sleeve (planning checklist)
- ☐ Trench depth, bedding, and cover match pipe material and local frost line — verify with licensed pro / AHJ
- ☐ Marking/tracer tape or wire planned for buried non-metallic lines
- ☐ Compaction plan for trench backfill under paving or slabs
- ☐ Sleeves sized to pass the carrier pipe with couplings (typically 2 pipe sizes up) — verify with licensed pro / AHJ
- +2 more in the plan packet
Crew checklist
- ☐ Call 811 / utility locate completed before any trenching
- ☐ Trench depth and bedding match pipe material and local frost line — verify with licensed pro / AHJ
- ☐ Sleeves placed where lines cross footings, slabs, or driveways
- ☐ Pressure test / leak test planned before backfill or close-in — verify with licensed pro / AHJ
- +2 more in the plan packet
Planning aid only. Verify against local plumbing code, AHJ, permit authority, field conditions, and qualified professional review before real-world use.
What you're looking at
A sample 10×8 bathroom plan with the fixtures placed and rough drain/supply routes sketched. One drain is missing its slope decision on purpose — that little warning above is the kind of thing that becomes a change order if nobody asks early.
Questions to ask your plumber/contractor
- • Where is the main water shutoff, and does it actually close?
- • Are we moving any fixture, or keeping everything in place? (Moving drains is the expensive part.)
- • What's under the floor — slab or wood framing? It changes the whole drain plan.
- • Will this need a permit and inspection in our city?
- • What slope will the new drain runs have, and where do they tie in?
- • Is the existing vent stack staying? Does the new layout still vent correctly?
- • What exactly is included in the quote — demo, rough-in, fixtures, tile, haul-away?
- • How long will the water be off, and which days?
Missing info before work starts
- • A real measured floor plan (this demo uses a sample — measure yours)
- • Photos of the existing shutoff, water heater, and under-sink plumbing
- • Fixture choices (exact toilet/vanity/shower models change rough-in dimensions)
- • Permit requirements for your address
- • Whether the contractor or you supplies fixtures
Planning preview only. FieldForge doesn't replace licensed professionals, permits, local code review, or checking the actual conditions in your walls and floor.