Building a Custom Home in Ramona
Hey everyone, this is Brandon with Freeman’s Construction. I’m here in Ramona, California, at this custom home that we’re building. I want to show you the freestanding tub filler, what we’re putting in here, and share the details that go into putting one of those in. So let’s take a look.
Freestanding Tub Filler Installation
We are looking at where this tub filler floor mount will go. Tub fillers are becoming more and more popular. They look beautiful and function nicely, but they are time-consuming. So there are a lot of different steps to making this function right and stable, so I want to show you what goes into putting these in the ground and making them work.
This is our rough-in valve that will get anchored to the floor. This is a slab-on-grade home so the installation will differ from a subfloor. The tub faucet valve is much easier to put in the latter because you can get access underneath them.
How We Install A Tub Filler Freestanding
One of the installation recommendations for slab-on-grade homes is encasing all those pipes and the rough-in valve in concrete. Anytime we cover copper or PEX in concrete, it’s always nerve-wracking, so we do it slightly differently in a non-traffic area.
1. Decide Where The Tub Filler Should Sit
You see, this particular tub filler faucet is in a corner. It means no one is ever going to be stepping on this area.
2. Excavate A Spot On The Floor
We’ve already excavated the concrete for the filler, but we’re not going to pour concrete into it. So the tile going on here will span that, so we don’t need to bury those pipes in concrete. So it’s just less risk, and if it ever needs maintenance later on, there’s a lot less jackhammering and chipping that you need to do.
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3. Mark The Rough-In Valve
The tub filler valve indicates a finished floor minimum and a finished floor max. Depending on what you’re working with for tub faucet height, the tub’s height, and the buildup of your finished floor, those are the things to pay attention to.
You can see a couple of Sharpie marks on the rough-in valve — that’s where we’re going to shoot right in the middle. We can be within about an inch and a half of the finished floor, and this fixture will still work. It gives you a lot of breathing room to make the installation right.
4. Chip Away At The Excavated Floor
So we cut the area nice and straight where the fixture will mount to the floor and where the pipes will travel. We didn’t just go at it with a jackhammer — we used a saw cut for that. Then, we chip it about an inch over our depth because concrete never chips flat.
5. Level The Excavated Flooring
Then, we mix up a rapid set grout or concrete mix, so it’ll self-level and harden up when we pour it in. It’s not perfectly flat, but it’s close enough to the point where we can mount this rough-in valve and then shim it up with some composite, so it doesn’t rot over time.
6. Install The Rough-In Valve
After that, we’ll drill down on each of these four holes, put some concrete anchors in it, and can run our copper or PEX — whichever one you’re using — to your water supplies. Once the tile installer comes, he’ll put his tile straight up to the valve, and then the rest of the plastic above that gets cut off. So you put the fixture right on top of that, put in some set screws, and then it’s done.
The Key Is In The Details
As I said, all the work is in the rough, but that’s what makes the difference between this looking just good or looking great. So we pay a lot of attention to how that is installed and ensure it’s plumbed and flat.
All right, that’s the general overview of the installation for this tub filler for the freestanding tub. We meet with our clients on this selection point because this is a big deal. They’re spending a fair amount of money on this lovely fixture, and we want it to be where they want it. So we meet with them, get the tub in here, and say, “Do you want it like this? Or do you want it like this?” Doing so ensures that the tub filler sits in the perfect spot. So we’re getting ready to put this all together, and I think it will come out nice.
Wrapping Up
Well, thanks for watching. I hope you learned something new about these best tub fillers. Although tub faucet installation is a lot of work, it will look outstanding on the finish when it’s done right.
If you want more information on building a custom home, contact us, and we’ll see you next time.
