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.
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.
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.