Plumbing Nightmare - see picture- ? Let him keep going or get someone else?

Users who are viewing this thread

Eric Wininger

New Member
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Jersey
Hired plumber to reroute pipes that froze and burst this past winter. He moved the pipes to the ceiling on an adjacent room and has them hanging from straps (not flush with ceiling). He then created a soffit but it is un-level and looks terrible.

Granted, he is not finished with the soffit. I paid him for the completed plumbing but not yet the soffit which he is still working on.

It was his idea to do the soffit rather than hire a carpenter. I guess work is slow.

Is there a way to fix this? Is a level soffit an expectation of a soffit installation?

Finally, are pipes hanging from pipe straps code compliant? They are far from level but no one can see them as they are behind the unlevel soffit.
 

Attachments

  • unlevel.jpg
    unlevel.jpg
    19 KB · Views: 367

Terry

The Plumbing Wizard
Staff member
Messages
29,946
Reaction score
3,460
Points
113
Location
Bothell, Washington
Website
terrylove.com
If these are water lines being hung by straps, it doesn't matter how they are run as far as level goes. Those are under pressure. You can run them in circles and the water would still get there.

I can't comment on the unfinished soffit work.
 

Chefwong

Member
Messages
949
Reaction score
11
Points
18
Location
District of Columbia
What's your definition of unlevel ?

Is the framing/sheetrock, level and 90 degree plane.

What type of corner bead did he use. Note, there are some corners beads that have less of a crown installed before ~mud~.
Mud, also needs to be feathered out, depending on your ~expectations~ of how much or how little of a crown you accept to see on the corner bead. It takes time, the right corner bead, if not more time, to feather, and feather out a corner bead.

As long as the framing/sheetrock is level on both planes, then technically, the soffit is ~level~
 

Cacher_Chick

Test, Don't Guess!
Messages
5,458
Reaction score
213
Points
63
Location
Land of Cheese
The guy you hired is probably not a plumber, as if he was he would not be trying to do framing and taping drywall on a customer pay job.
 

Eric Wininger

New Member
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Jersey
What's your definition of unlevel ?

Is the framing/sheetrock, level and 90 degree plane.

Sheet rock is NOT level. It is approximately 5 degrees off of level. You can tell this somewhat from the picture. The framing is covered with sheetrock so I can not tell if it is level.

As long as the framing/sheetrock is level on both planes, then technically, the soffit is ~level~

It is NOT level in both planes. Both the horizontal sheetrock and the vertical sheetrock are about 5 degrees off.

What should I do? Call a carpenter and have him rip it out and start over?
 

Cacher_Chick

Test, Don't Guess!
Messages
5,458
Reaction score
213
Points
63
Location
Land of Cheese
If it is your home, you can make the choice that is right for you. Assuming that the rest of the room is plumb, square, and level, I would think that you would want the new soffit to be also.
 

Chefwong

Member
Messages
949
Reaction score
11
Points
18
Location
District of Columbia
Eric -

Are you basing your measures off ???
I think you are possibly making a moutain out of a molehill
Is your level ONLY on the clean face of the sheetrock when you measure
As per the original reply, you have a slight crown on your inside and outside corners. You need to account for this...and mud and feather to your ~standards~. Standards being how golden your eyes is.

If we talking the same thing, either let the guy finish and see how it looks *without the level as your benchmark on whether he gets paid or not* , and or you hire someone who does rock/mudding.
 
Last edited:

Eric Wininger

New Member
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Jersey
Eric -

Are you basing your measures off ???
I think you are possibly making a moutain out of a molehill
Is your level ONLY on the clean face of the sheetrock when you measure
As per the original reply, you have a slight crown on your inside and outside corners. You need to account for this...and mud and feather to your ~standards~. Standards being how golden your eyes is.

If we talking the same thing, either let the guy finish and see how it looks *without the level as your benchmark on whether he gets paid or not* , and or you hire someone who does rock/mudding.

I've posted a new picture to explain. The paper underneath the soffit is level. There is a quarter on the right side for reference. You can see it is approximately the width of a quarter (1 inch) off of level. The entire soffit is six inches. Hence I would estimate the entire soffit is 1/6 = 16% off level which is about 15 degrees.

I have no experience in carpentry and that is why I am posting.

Is this normal? Is this acceptable? I have no idea. It just doesn't look right.

Should I tell the plumber don't come back?
 

Attachments

  • level1.jpg
    level1.jpg
    17.3 KB · Views: 356

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,600
Reaction score
1,037
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
It is NOT normal, but whether it is acceptable is something you have to decide. It looks like an awfully big soffit to enclose a couple of water lines.
 

Eric Wininger

New Member
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Jersey
It is NOT normal, but whether it is acceptable is something you have to decide. It looks like an awfully big soffit to enclose a couple of water lines.

It looks terrible and it is NOT acceptable to me.

What is the proper protocol for this? Don't let him come back to finish? Am I over-reacting?
 

Craigpump

In the Trades
Messages
2,436
Reaction score
158
Points
63
Location
Connecticut
You wouldn't hire a carpenter to do your plumbing would you?

Pay him for the plumbing, but get someone who knows carpentry to finish the job
 

DaveHo

Member
Messages
85
Reaction score
4
Points
8
Location
SE PA
No, that work is terrible. What is above the original ceiling? Attic space or another story of house? Why was it necessary to create a soffit in the first place?
 

Eric Wininger

New Member
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Jersey
No, that work is terrible. What is above the original ceiling? Attic space or another story of house? Why was it necessary to create a soffit in the first place?

I'm not a carpenter, but I believe I could have done better myself with the proper equipment. In addition, he dripped spackle onto the hardwood floor. Any ideas how to get that out?

This soffit is on the ceiling of the 1st floor of the house. It was elected to not put the pipes between the first and second floor because it is directly adjacent to an unheated garage.

I called a local carpenter I found on Angie's list and left a message. We'll see if he calls back.

Any recommendations for a SKILLED carpenter in central NJ who came make a LEVEL soffit without any nightmares?
 

DaveHo

Member
Messages
85
Reaction score
4
Points
8
Location
SE PA
You don't need a carpenter, you need a competent plumber. Adding proper insulation & keeping the pipes on the warm side of said insulation would keep the pipes from freezing even if the joist cavity is adjacent to an unheated garage. There's no need for the soffit.
 

Eric Wininger

New Member
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Jersey
You don't need a carpenter, you need a competent plumber. Adding proper insulation & keeping the pipes on the warm side of said insulation would keep the pipes from freezing even if the joist cavity is adjacent to an unheated garage. There's no need for the soffit.

Too late now...

In fairness to the plumber, both the hot and cold pipes already froze & burst above the unheated garage. I doubt I would have signed off on just moving them from above to adjacent to the garage even with an obscene amount of insulation.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks