Q. We’re building a second-floor addition, completely open underneath, including our master bathroom. Our neighbors did this and had big problems this winter. First, their faucets froze up, and then there was leaking, and the two-sink vanity was ruined. The contractor blamed the plumber and architect, who blamed the contractor. Nobody is taking responsibility, but in the meantime, the vanity was replaced by another company, which used another plumber. We don’t want the same thing to happen to us, so who’s responsible, and how can we avoid this?
A. I shiver at the thought of freezing pipes. Let’s hope the replacement vanity was installed only after the real problem was solved — namely, protecting the pipes. Even if there was no mention of the correct method of installation in the plans, the architect isn’t responsible for workmanship.
There’s a mantra-like phrase used by many contractors when this happens. They often first reply, “It’s not in the plans.” But it really is, by virtue of the fact that the law, in the form of building codes, specifically requires that piping be protected from freezing, and building plans will state that the contractor shall follow all state and local codes.
Following the law (a.k.a. building code) is part of the problem. I wish more people had paid attention in science class, and especially the part when we all learned that water expands when it freezes. Frozen pipes, not being flexible, yield to a much more consistent law, the law of nature, which is often referred to as “common sense.” Over the years, as a practicing licensed architect who makes house calls just like a country doctor, I’ve learned that common sense isn’t really all that common.