Bathroom and Kitchen Plumbing Remodel in Lake Stevens, WA

Lake Stevens has a lot of 1990s-era bathrooms and kitchens that work fine but look tired — and a lot of homeowners deciding whether to refresh or gut. Either way, the plumbing decisions get made early and get lived with for decades. Eby Plumbing does the plumbing for remodels across Lake Stevens: rough-in, drain moves, valve replacements, fixture sets, and gas work, with permits handled and inspections scheduled.

What plumbing work does a remodel usually include?

It depends on how far the layout moves, but a typical bathroom or kitchen remodel touches most of this list:

• Rough-in for new fixture locations. Water lines, drain lines, and vents run to where the new fixtures will sit — before drywall, not after.
• Shower and tub valve replacement. Old two-handle and three-handle valves get replaced with modern pressure-balance or thermostatic valves. If the tile is staying, we can often swap the valve from the access side.
• Drain relocation. Moving a toilet, shower, or sink means rerouting drains with proper slope and re-venting. This is the skilled, expensive part — and the part that fails inspections when done wrong.
• Fixture installation and trim-out. Toilets, faucets, shower trim, supply lines, and shutoff valves set after tile and paint.
• Gas lines. New stub-outs for ranges, cooktops, and dryers moved to new locations.
• Water heater and shutoff upgrades. Remodels are the right time to replace a 15-year-old water heater or add accessible shutoffs.

A shower valve set at the right depth during rough-in — before tile — is what makes the trim fit cleanly years later.

Do I need a permit for a bathroom or kitchen remodel in Lake Stevens?

The rule of thumb: if pipes move, you need a permit. Moving drains, changing venting, or altering water or gas lines requires a plumbing or mechanical permit from the City of Lake Stevens, with an inspection before walls close. A like-for-like fixture swap — new toilet where the old toilet was, no pipe changes — generally does not.

Permits protect you at resale. Unpermitted plumbing discovered during a buyer's inspection can delay or kill a sale, and the November 2026 septic-inspection mandate has buyers in Snohomish County looking harder at everything. Our plumbing permits guide walks through exactly what Lake Stevens requires. For every remodel we plumb, we pull the permit and meet the inspector on site.

Should I move the toilet or keep the existing layout?

This is the single biggest cost decision in a bathroom remodel. Keeping fixtures where the drains already are avoids cutting the slab or opening the floor below, rerouting 3-inch drain with proper slope, and re-venting — avoiding major added cost and real schedule risk.

That said, do not let pipe locations design a bad bathroom. If moving the toilet or shower genuinely fixes the layout, do it — just make the decision with the cost in front of you, before tile is ordered. A good sequence: finalize the layout, get the plumbing quote for that layout, then commit. Changing the layout after rough-in is where remodel budgets go to die.

Toilet set and sealed on a new flange — the finish work that follows a proper rough-in and inspection.

What fixtures should I pick for a remodel?

Buy for the next 20 years, not for the showroom:

• Shower valves: standard rough-ins from major brands. Pressure-balance or thermostatic valves with replaceable cartridges. In ten years you will be able to buy parts — that is not true of every off-brand valve.
• Faucets: solid brass bodies. They outlast plastic-bodied faucets by a wide margin and feel like it every day.
• Toilets: match the rough-in. Measure from the finished wall to the flange bolts — 12 inches is standard, 10 or 14 inches needs a matching toilet. A wrong rough-in means a return trip.
• Buy valves before rough-in day. The plumber needs the actual valve bodies to set depths and spacing. Ordering fixtures after the walls are open causes delays.

A kitchen faucet set with new supply lines and shutoffs — the visible end of water lines run right during the remodel.

How much does remodel plumbing cost in Lake Stevens, WA?

How do remodels stay on schedule?

Plumbing has two visits: rough-in before drywall, and trim-out after tile and paint. The schedule breaks when rough-in is late (tile crew waits) or when fixtures are not on site (valve bodies needed to set depths). Our process: we review your fixture list before rough-in day, confirm valve depths against the tile plan, and schedule the inspection so the drywall crew is never standing around. If you are working with a general contractor, we coordinate directly with them — one less thing for you to manage.

Last updated: October 2026