Pipes in the Cabinet?! (Long w/pics)

15 years ago

I will probably also post this in the plumbing forum but hoping maybe someone here can answer a question for me.

My kitchen dates from 1950. The plumbing has been somewhat updated but some is still original, including the waste pipe that leads from beneath the sink. Forgive me if my terminology isn't quite right here, I'm no plumbing expert. But,the waste pipe runs THROUGH the base cabinets then into a drain pipe in the wall, which is where the stack is also located. This means that on that side of the kitchen, for the run from my sink to the wall at about 2' above the floor level, through the middle of the base cabinets there is a pipe. The original carpenters simply cut holes in the side of the sink base(!) and then the pipe runs under a shelf inside the cabinets to the point at which it enters the wall(!!).

I can't imagine that everyone who redoes a kitchen of this vintage simply hacks up their brand new cabinets and lives with pipes running through the middle of them. This also means of course if that is done, on that run there can be no drawers. No dishwasher. No pullout trash, etc etc.

Yesterday my husband insisted that the only 'right' way to change this is to open up the wall to move the stack which would also entail cutting a new hole in the roof, and also to dig up the floor under our dining room as well as under both our bathrooms and move and replace all the drain pipes.

Now, my husband knows his vintage 1950 construction, having been brought up by a Miami builder. However he is also very good at dodging work by insisting that it is basically impossible to do something he doesn't want to do because the right way is simply too difficult :).

OTOH I have discovered after 20+ years with him that there often is a not-quite-perfect-but-quite-adequate solution to some of these can't be done situations. He did finally reluctantly admit that one could just move the waste pipe against the wall without tearing everything else out, but that it would then mean having 2 elbows and that would be "worse than what you have now".

So, anyone who has remodeled an old house, what are the options? I maintain, in my blissful ignorance of construction techniques, that nobody leaves pipes running through new cabinets and simply chops the cabinets to adjust. I also maintain there is no way I'm tearing apart the entire back half of our house if we don't have to. I just wish I had a non-partisan opinion of what needs to be done!

Here are pictures of the pipes running through the cabinet. First up, beneath the sink-you can see how the cabinet on the right just has a hole cut for the pipe:

Here is a picture of the adjacent cabinet, with the pipe running beneath the shelf. And yes this is the way I've lived with my pots/pans stored for 20 years:

Thanks for any suggestions.

Ann

Ann

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

ci_lantro
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Don't know where the stack is but possibly you could run the drain behind the cabinets and bump the cabs out from the wall, space permitting?

Even with a couple of bends, new PVC drain is going to be an improvement over that old steel line, IMO.
Circus Peanut
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ha! I love the description of domestic bliss. :) I'm no expert at all, but is there a reason you can't run the pipe inside the wall behind the cabinets? Drilling through whatever studs are in there? Is your drainage so bad right now in the current situation that another elbow would be a bad thing?
Related Discussions
Most of the paneling is painted (pics) w/question...(long)
Q
Comments (14)
Thank you again for the compliments. The stairs (behind the fireplace) were the really hard part because of how the ladders had to be angled. My dh was a big help in moving them around and holding them still (one tended to be wobbly). I did hang the curtain the same height as the other one and it looks good. I need to take another pictures because we flipped the chairs around. The two wing backs are on the tv side of the room and the over sized chair and ottoman are on the newly painted side. Valinsv, I hadn't thought about hanging the cowhide on the wall! I've been wondering what I am going to do with all that space up there. Of course getting it hung may be a challenge?!?! Then I could have some coordinating wool rugs on the floor? I kept trying to put a wool rug in there along with the cowhide and it just wasn't working. That's one thing I love about this forum is all the fresh eyes. I still haven't hung anything on the walls. We keep moving the chairs around trying to find the best fit and figure out what we need to fill in the blanks. Thank you again!!
...See More
Pipes *In* Kitchen Cabinet? (Long w/pics)
Q
Comments (2)
Just in case you weren't aware, there is a "Husbands' Code" that most of us respect. It calls for never correcting a husband who has been creative with the reasons to get out of doing something. I'm afraid your husband is absolutely right. Okay, really, there's a lot of details missing here. Do you have a crawl space or basement under the kitchen? How many windows/Doors on that wall? My initial thoughts are getting the drain over to the stack under the floor. Plan B might be to frame out the wall 2x6 so that it's deep enough to put the horizontal run in the wall (and, you could fix the venting issue for the sink also without resorting to a quick vent). If there isn't an accessible crawl space, you might end up needing to tear up part of the floor. That's a lot of work, but you would probably be putting down a new finish floor anyway. If you build out the wall, that will be some work also, particularly if there are openings, such as windows, in the wall. I usually deal with homes that are older than this. You need to look at this not as an opportunity to fix the cabinets, but as an opportunity to fix a lot of the mechanical issues as well (such as not enough outlets) Both approaches offer the opportunity to pull new electrical and plumbing and bring things up to code.
...See More
Please help me match purples! Long, w/pics
Q
Comments (16)
I wish I had a loveseat in MY craft room, I could use it as a fainting couch when I'm overcome with bits of thread and complicated instructions on a project! And I love the bold colors of it, even though I lean more towards blue based purples. Boy, this is hard. Personally, I think the 2 colors of purple don't work that well together. For me, it would be bothersome, but I like things to be pretty matchy-matchy. The only way I see it working is if you find some fabric that has your 2 colors in it and use it for pillows, drapes, etc. Or paint the room a more neutral color, even an aqua blue would work, in my mind. Maybe if you had a color wheel in front of you, you could pick some complimentary colors more easily. Even a sage green would be lovely. All that said- it's your room! Your dream sewing room and it should be what you want and you shouldn't have to settle for anything less. Why don't you paint it what you want and sew yourself some simple off-white canvas slipcovers for the cushions and use lengths of it to cover the back and sides, the finished cushions will make it look very classy! Then it is neutral and you can dress it up and down.
...See More
OT: reach-in closets w/ bifold doors or custom wardrobe cabinets
Q
Comments (4)
I just built option 3, not completely finished. I think wardrobes are typical in Europe but not in US so from the perspective of resale the traditional closet is best. So far we are happy with our choice as we had been considering sliding doors which at the length and height of our closet were priced at about what I paid for the unit. The room is small so it is difficult to get a good picture. We have triple and double height hanging and pullouts for ties/belts/shoes. A not finished piece is a vanity desk and shelves above. This post was edited by 5yearslater on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 18:28
...See More
mal22
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh my God, that's exactly how my kitchen is, LOL! I always thought I'd just have to bite the bullet and go with custom built cabinets to accomodate the pipe. Also my wall cabinet where the stack is located is actually built around the stack. I'll certainly keep my eye on this thread. Thank you so much for starting it.
jejvtr
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Running
Are you doing a total kitchen reno?
I would ask your GC or better yet, a good plumber for options before doing the kit plan

Good luck
sombreuil_mongrel
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It would be so much better to replace the drains. If you saw what kind of gook was inside, you'd puke. I removed similar (1947) galvanized drains from an apartment kitchen, it was 50% blocked with indescribable crud. If you are adding a DW, or disposal, you'll definitely need proper DWV.
Casey
heimert
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
That pipe is too big to run through studs horizontally, FWIW, but no reason it couldn't at least be moved to back of cabinet.
PoorOwner
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I don't know if you have slab or raised foundation.
If it is raised it would be easy to have it go into the wall behind the sink cab and fix all the connection from underneath.

It maybe someone moved the sink in a previous remodel. But I would take the opportunity to fix it while you can. Otherwise, if I don't want to spend the money, I would not hesistate to cut out a 1.5" hole in the new cabs. You do what you have to.. I wonder if it's sharing a stack with other drains by any chance?
caryscott
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Not a plumber but couldn't it run behind the toe kick? It wouldn't help you with a dishwasher but it would allow for full use of the cabinets. Accomodating it would then involve just notching the gables or some cabinetry lines use legs now so no customization would be required.
overlyoptimistic
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Some codes have quite specific requirements on how the vent (part of the stack) is situated relative to the drain. There are also code requirements for how much stud you can cut, and the combo would force the plumber to put the pipes in the cabinets. A couple options here. If permitted in your area, an air admittance valve might be a help. You might also consider making a pony wall -- a short wall that will be behind your cabinets. The pony wall can house the plumbing and you can make it short enough to have an extra deep countertop. The downside of the pony wall is that you'll lose about 4" of kitchen space and you might need to do some tailoring of the cabinets to make it look right. For some kitchens, 4" is a lot, however. Best of luck.

Pipes in the Cabinet?! (Long w/pics)

Comments (9)

ci_lantro

Circus Peanut

Related Discussions

mal22

jejvtr

sombreuil_mongrel

heimert

PoorOwner

caryscott

overlyoptimistic

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Pipes *in* the Cabinet?! (Long w/pics)

Comments (9)

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Pipes in the Cabinet?! (Long w/pics)