QUESTION:
A client asked me a great question, "Will that be a problem if we move the kitchen sink and dishwasher? I believe the plumbing is under the slab."
ANSWER:
Generally, you can move plumbing on a slab foundation at a reasonable cost as part of your kitchen or bath remodel.
The exception is when your home sits on a pre-tensioned slab foundation. Simply put, that's when pre-tensioned cables are embedded in a concrete slab to strengthen and stabilize it. With a pre-tensioned slab foundation, a specialist comes to the jobsite and sonars the slab to locate the cables. Then, your builder cuts and builds around them. It's an expensive undertaking.
If you have a concrete slab foundation, you might be wondering, "How do I tell if it's pre-tensioned?" The easiest way to tell is to look for a stamp in the concrete in the garage. It's often near the garage door.
![Pretensioned Slab - how to tell if it's okay to move plumbing, sinks, toilets, and showers when you remodel](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0365/9949/6841/files/Pretensioned_slab_da9a8a7b-372c-43ef-92d7-468ba635ccfd_480x480.jpg?v=1707332793)
Whether or not you find a stamp, let your contractor guide you on whether or not it's safe to cut or drill your concrete slab foundation.
![Jackie Lopey, Certified Interior Designer, Kitchen and Bath Designer, Founder of Wide Canvas and Venue](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0365/9949/6841/files/Jackie_Lopey_Certified_Interior_Designer_Kitchens_Baths_Reno_Nevada_Wide_Canvas_160x160.png?v=1673995940)
She didn't know it, but Jackie Lopey's days as an advertising executive were numbered when she bought and renovated a 1950's bungalow. She soon went back to school and started her own design studio. Jackie is an award-winning, certified interior designer and the founder of Wide Canvas, a kitchen and bath design studio in Reno, Nevada.