by Gary Mays | Mar 3, 2014 | City of Gold Coast, Cold Water, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Kitchens Outdoors, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Maintenance, Plumbing Renovation, Whywait Plumbing
What plumbing is needed in an outdoor kitchen is a question that we are getting asked more frequently at Whywait Plumbing. To be honest an outdoor kitchen is exactly as the name says – a kitchen built in an outdoor living area so plumbing needs replicate those of inside your home.
As restaurants have increasingly focused on alfresco dining this has now flowed through to our homes. Landscaping design is now all about creating an elaborate outdoor entertaining area complete with alfresco dining where meals are served from an outdoor kitchen.
Outdoor kitchens have increasingly become more and more sophisticated to allow gourmet meals to be cooked and served so frequently include the following:
- permanent storage cupboards
- preparation and serving bench spaces
- sink and prep sink
- bar fridge
- wine cooler
- ovens and or stove top
- range-hood
- barbecue with wok burner
- dishwasher
- beer on tap
- designer lighting
- gas heating
- coffee machines
- ice machines
- pizza ovens
From a plumbing perspective many of these appliances and fixtures need to be connected to water reticulation, sewer drains and gas reticulation. Ideally your outdoor kitchen should be located with easy access to your house to enable easy connection to existing water, drainage and gas lines. Building an outdoor kitchen without easy access to these existing connections will mean that you have to install extra services lines which will blow your budget costs upwards.
In an ideal world you should plan for your outdoor kitchen when building a new home so that you can ensure that the water, drainage and gas pipes are installed before the landscaping is undertaken. It is easy to plan ahead for the possibility that you may install an outdoor kitchen in the future even if your original design doesn’t include one by installing live capped off water connections, drainage connections and gas connections outside for potential use in future. When you are building a new home the cost to install live capped off connections is usually under a $1000 compared to upwards of $10000 to install new connections at a later date.
By Gary Mays
by Gary Mays | Mar 18, 2013 | Bathrooms, City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, DIY Plumbing, Gold Coast Plumbing, Health Issues, Insurance, Plumber Brisbane, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Emergencies, Plumbing Legislation, Plumbing Maintenance, Plumbing Renovation, Queensland Government, Sustainable Plumbing, Whywait Plumbing
Cheap plumbing fixtures on-line and the desire for a bargain has created an on-line love affair to compare prices of supposedly comparable products and services.
It is a guarantee no matter how much you pay for any product or service you will always find it cheaper on-line. This has given rise to an increasing belief by many consumers that they have paid over the odds and have been ripped off because they found allegedly the same product or service on-line “cheaper”.
It is worth remembering that “cheap” has two meanings. Where plumbing products and services are concerned “cheap” is responsible for some colossally expensive problems. In fact a large amount of work undertaken by Whywait Plumbing is because of consumers who took the “cheap” option. The old adage that you get what you pay for is certainly truer today than at any other time in our history.
Plumbing products that are sold in Australia are subject to stringent testing, designed to ensure that they meet Australian Standards. Once plumbing products meet the required Australian standards they are granted a WaterMark. The product whether its a tap or a toilet or a hot water service or a urinal must display the WaterMark logo as pictured to the right on the product by law.
If you are buying plumbing products on-line from overseas or if your builder or plumber is doing this to cut costs then it is a sure bet that it will end up costing you much more than the money saved in repairs and replacement.
Always make sure you understand what you are paying for and ensure that it has a compliant Australian WaterMark approval. Using a non compliant non WaterMark approved product will null and void your insurance policy if the product is defective and causes property damage.
When you are upgrading or replacing or renovating you will comes across a lot of great looking plumbing products to select from and ones that make great claims in terms of durability and long-life. Usually they are much “cheaper” and are tempting to purchase for the price being offered. Generally where mixer taps and toilet suites are concerned the cheaper the price means corners have been cut in their production. If you cannot see the WaterMark on the product then do not purchase it.
Unfortunately in Australia it is not illegal for non compliant products to be imported and sold. It is however illegal for plumbers to install them. Listening to unqualified salesman who tell you how wonderful the cheap plumbing product is have lead many people to have expensive repairs undertaken. It is always best especially if renovating to stipulate any product supplied for your job meets or exceeds the relevant Australian Standard and or WaterMark for plumbing products.
By Gary Mays
by Gary Mays | Aug 17, 2012 | Bathrooms, Climate Change, Health Issues, Plumbing Renovation, Toilets
Are solar powered toilets the future? Well Bill Gates is betting it is and putting his money behind its development. The “Reinvent the Toilet Fair” held in Seattle this week at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s campus gave first price to Professor Michael Hoffman of the California Institute of Technology for their work on a self-contained, sun-powered toilet system that recycles water and breaks down human waste into storable energy.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has focused on developing a new type of toilet since last year as part of the push to improve health in the developing world. This is due to Bill Gates recognising that despite all the staggering medical breakthroughs and scientific advances the seemingly mundane advance of reliable sewage and reliably clean water supply was judged the greatest medical advance.
Bill Gates has constantly focused on the need for a new type of toilet as an important part of his foundation’s push to improve health in the developing world. About 2.6 billion people, or 40 percent of world’s population mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia lack access to safe sanitation and are forced to defecate in the open. Open defecation leads to sanitation problems that cause 1.5 million children under 5 to die each year, Gates said, “western style toilets are not the answer as they demand a complex sewer infrastructure and use too much water.”
As Bill Gates has realised what plumbers have always known is that fundamentally toilets have not changed since the invention of the flush toilet in 1775. For this reason Bill Gates has launched the reinvent the toilet program to inspire research into new inventions in toilet technology. “Imagine what’s possible if we continue to collaborate, stimulate new investment in this sector, and apply our ingenuity in the years ahead,” Bill Gates said at his foundation’s Seattle headquarters on Tuesday. “Many of these innovations will not only revolutionise sanitation in the developing world, but also help transform our dependence on traditional flush toilets in wealthy nations.”
Bill Gates presented prizes on Tuesday to the teams that showed the most progress on research new toilet technology. Caltech won the first prize of $100,000 for its working model of a solar powered bathroom. The Caltech model uses a solar panel to produce power for an electrochemical reactor that breaks down faecal matter and urine into hydrogen gas which can be stored in hydrogen fuel cells to provide a backup energy source for night operation or use in low sunlight conditions. The workings of the toilet are designed to be installed underground beneath a conventional looking toilet stall and urinal setup. Water recovered from the continuous process is pumped up again to provide water to flush the toilet.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is hoping many of the leading universities will work together to develop the best technologies and is aiming to get new style toilets into use in the next two to four years as they are already spending about $80 million a year on water, sanitation and hygiene issues. These are areas where it thinks it can make a marked difference in people’s lives by doing what plumbers have always provided, a hygienic toilet facility.
by Gary Mays | May 21, 2012 | bathroom renovation, bathroom renovation cost, bathroom renovation regret, Bathrooms, City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, Plumbing Renovation, Sustainable Plumbing, Whywait Plumbing
Updating a bathroom is a great way to add value to your home. A well-designed, modern bathroom can make your home more attractive to potential buyers and increase the overall value of your property. But just how much value can a bathroom renovation add to your home? According to recent studies, bathroom renovations can add more value to your home than any other type of room renovation. This is because a bathroom is one of the most essential rooms in a house, and a well-designed, modern bathroom can make a big difference in how potential buyers view your home.
Spending money to create a stylish, modern bathroom will increase the value of your home more than spending the equivalent amount of money anywhere else in your home. For example, if you want to sell your home, the $20000 spent with Whywait Plumbing to revive your bathroom will increase buyer interest and your asking price. However, if renovated correctly, you can expect to get twice as much back as you’ve invested. The increase in value is frequently two to three times that of spending comparable sums on bedrooms or lounge rooms.
When planning a bathroom renovation, it’s essential to keep in mind the latest trends and design elements that are popular in the current market. This can include features like walk-in showers, double vanities, and heated flooring.
It’s also important to consider your home’s overall style and aesthetic when planning a bathroom renovation. This can help ensure that the new bathroom fits in seamlessly with the rest of your home and adds value in a way that is consistent with the style and design of your property.
Bathroom renovations do not have to take weeks or cost tens of thousands of dollars. Frequently all that is required is new taps, a fresh coat of paint and a well-placed new mirror to open a bathroom up.
You should know that any renovation work will put your bathroom out of action for a few days requiring alternative bathroom arrangements. However, if you have some basic decorating skills, then it is something you can manage yourself, as you can save a great deal of money by undertaking your own redecorating.
Despite what the nice man at Bunnings may tell you, be aware that you are required by law to hire qualified contractors for some tasks. This is mainly for plumbing and electrical functions, as you can undertake painting and tiling yourself if you feel competent.
Updating to a completely renovated, modern, stylish bathroom is the ultimate solution. In reality, it is expensive as it requires stripping back the bathroom to bare concrete floors and stripping the wall linings. If budget is not an issue and you have a second bathroom to use while undertaking the renovations, then it is the way to proceed, as the end result is a brand-new bathroom.
But if you’re willing to learn about what is available, do the decorating yourself and how things work, you can save thousands of dollars using a few simple ideas to add depth and dimension to an existing bathroom. Four inexpensive yet straightforward ideas are:
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Upgrading the taps, spouts, and other fittings, such as towel rails in your bathroom, can significantly affect how your bathroom looks. Moving from outdated accessories to modern, sleek designs will give your bathroom as much of a facelift as replacing the bath, shower and vanity in many instants.
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Rethink your lighting, as most bathrooms only use a single light source, which radiates from the middle of the ceiling. Installing several light fittings as mood lighting in various key points will give your bathroom an entirely different feel. You can also change how the lighting works by adding mirrors to reflect the existing light at different angles, which opens up darker corners.
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Changing the colour scheme in your bathroom can turn it into a whole new bathroom. How much it costs to do so will depend on how radically you want to change things. A new shade of paint is an advantageous and relatively inexpensive way to recolour your bathroom compared with retiling. Upgrading your shower doors and adding a feature wall of tiles will work well with new colours to create a fresh feel.
Simple bathroom renovations, provided that you approach them from the right direction and manage it properly, do not need to involve any stress and can be tremendously rewarding financially and personally. The key to a stress-free bathroom renovation is to know what is required and to have a clear idea of what you want before you begin.
Overall, bathroom renovations are a great way to add value to your home and make it more attractive to potential buyers. With the right design elements and attention to detail, a bathroom renovation can be a smart investment that pays off in the long run.
by Gary Mays | Sep 30, 2011 | Bathrooms, DIY Plumbing, Plumber Brisbane, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Renovation
How hard is it to renovate my bathroom? Well if you ask the nice man at Bunnings he will tell you it is really easy and sell you everything you need and tell you how easy it is to do it yourself. The truth is renovating a bathroom is one of the hardest renovation projects to undertake.
If you like many other Australians have just finished watching “The Block” on channel 9 or are currently watching “The Renovators” on channel 10 you will receive the message that it is easy to renovate your bathroom.
Having renovated both our bathrooms at home let me assure it is not easy. It is time consuming, messy and can easily become extremely overwhelming with all of the product choices that exist from tiles to taps to showers to vanities to baths to mirrors to bidets to accessories and so it goes on.
As recently as 20 years ago every product that went into your bathroom was made in Australia so the choice was limited. But at least it was all easy to repair and locate spare parts when anything broke. You knew every product was tested and approved for use in Australia. Now we have product from all over the world. Much of it is just throwaway product as parts are unobtainable for repairs. Most frightening much of it has never been tested or certified for use in Australia leading to frightening consequences should you ever have a flood from these products and need to claim on your insurance policy.
For all of the above reasons and many more is why Whywait Plumbing Services installed a PlumberDirect showroom last year. This has ensured that we sell quality product from an Australian company that has 10 year warranties on most product along with ample spare parts if needed and is all approved for use in Australia.
Plumbing products like so many other products have become part of the worldwide fashion industry. Sadly a bathroom from 3 years ago is terribly out of date today. Luckily it can be easy to update with accessories that are available now. Our PlumberDirect showroom has a great display of affordable, quality taps, vanities and accessories.
For those who want true designer bathroom product we now have access to the Faroe Collection. Faroe is an Australian owned brand of bathroom furniture, baths and accessories that is revolutionising the Australian market. Inspired by some of the finest designs and craftsmanship that exist in bathrooms in Milan, Stockholm, Vienna and Paris, the Faroe selection has finally arrived in Queensland.
So if you are serious about doing a quality bathroom renovation come and visit the PlumberDirect showroom and let us put together a design and construct proposal that is practical and will ensure as little disruption as possible to your family routine.
by Gary Mays | Sep 20, 2011 | Bathrooms, Plumbing Renovation, Whywait Plumbing
Despite being call reality television, programmes such as The Renovators or The Block are in reality simplistic and just good for broad concept ideas. A poorly planned and constructed renovation of areas such as kitchens or bathrooms will frequently devalue a property.
Kitchens, bathrooms and the laundry are highly functional rooms built for a purpose. The critical infrastructure in these rooms is the plumbing. Unfortunately reality television shows present renovation as being a DIY concept. In reality in the real world renovation of a kitchen, bathroom or laundry requires complex designing before beginning a project coupled with planning and building approvals.
Once the project begins a project program requires formulation to co-ordinate all of the tradesman and product deliveries. This is seldom seen on reality television as it is not the entertainment that is needed. Reality television renovation is solely driven by the entertainment value where contestants and renovation are packaged into a program. Unfortunately all of the backroom side of a renovation has little entertainment value so it is not seen.
Sustainable development is now much more than a buzzword it is in fact law especially in areas of plumbing and it is not something you can choose to opt out of. Whywait Plumbing has specialised for many years on being at the forefront of sustainable renovations. Sustainability needs to be part of the initial design not an optional add on. For this reason when planning a renovation of a kitchen, bathroom or laundry it can be advantageous to spend time in our Plumber Direct showroom to ensure you get it right from the beginning.
In most instances to renovate a bathroom correctly and compliantly you need to strip the bathroom back to bare concrete and frames so
Stripped out bathroom needed before a renovation can start
that there is literally a clean canvas to start with. The installation of new drainage frequently requires cutting up of concrete which is noisy and dusty. This is when earlier shortcuts and mistakes show up. It is these unexpected issues that lead to cost blowouts as plumbers are legally obliged to ensure that all work undertaken is compliant with AS/NZS3500 through the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002. Once again unless it is something sensational this sort of issue is not seen on the reality television show.
It is generally accepted that reality television renovation programs have a positive impact on getting home owners thinking about renovation and providing ideas but sadly they do not reflect reality. After having been involved in numerous real renovations the plumbers at Whywait Plumbing Services know only too well that home owners need to take off their rose coloured glasses when watching reality renovation programs on television.
The reality is there is an enormous amount of planning, quality control, co-ordination and installation work to get from a bathroom that is stripped bare as in the picture above to the end result as in the picture on the right. Unfortunately the reality is a renovation is not a 60 minute television program that has been packaged to maximise the entertainment value.
Ultimately all we can recommend is that you spend time with the expert staff at Whywait Plumbing utilising the resources of Plumber Direct to assess your design ideas and ensure
- design compliance with appropriate council and state laws
- undertake a cost analysis to ensure there will be no unexpected cost surprises
- choose practical plumbing products that suit your design, are easy to maintain into the future and most importantly deliver on your lifestyle requirements
Above all just always remember reality DIY renovation television programmes are entertainment not reality.
