Remodeling
Kitchens and baths designed around hard water and a private well.
Limestone-aquifer water runs 15 to 25 grains per gallon hard. That number decides your fixtures, your water heater, your glass, and how the room looks in five years — long before anyone picks a tile.
15–25Grains per gallon typical
MeasuredWell flow before design
NamedAllowance amounts
OnePoint of contact
How does hard well water change a kitchen or bath remodel?
Hill Country groundwater moves through limestone and typically tests 15–25 grains per gallon — very hard. Scale attacks the components you cannot see: cartridge valves seize, tankless heat exchangers foul, thermostatic shower valves drift, and etching permanently clouds frameless glass and polished stone. The right response is a softener loop planned into the rough-in, scale-tolerant valve bodies, and finish selections that tolerate mineral contact — not a water-treatment retrofit after the room is finished.
Water treatment belongs in the rough-in
The most common regret we see in Hill Country baths is a beautiful frameless glass enclosure that is permanently etched two years in, and a shower valve that no longer holds temperature. Both are hard-water outcomes, and both were preventable at rough-in for a fraction of the repair.
We plan the softener loop location and drain before plumbing rough-in, specify valve bodies and cartridges that tolerate scale, and select glass coatings and stone finishes accordingly. If a tankless water heater is in the scope, we account for the descaling service ports it will need — a tankless unit on untreated 20-grain water without isolation valves is a maintenance problem you inherit.
Fixture selection inside your well's real capacity
Municipal water gives you effectively unlimited simultaneous flow. A well does not. Before we finalize a fixture package we measure your delivered flow and pressure, then size to it.
A rain head plus body sprays plus a filling tub can exceed what your pump and pressure tank supply, and the failure mode is not dramatic — it is a shower that goes cold when the dishwasher runs. Either the fixture package fits your system or the proposal includes the pump, tank, or storage work that makes it fit. We will not sell you a shower your well cannot run.
What is in scope
Kitchen and bath work touches more trades per square foot than anything else in a house. Our scopes are itemized so you can see where the money goes and where an allowance is carrying risk.
Specification
| Item | What we install |
|---|---|
| Water | Hardness tested; softener loop located at rough-in |
| Valves | Scale-tolerant pressure-balance or thermostatic bodies |
| Well systems | Flow and pressure measured before fixture selection |
| Waterproofing | Full membrane at wet walls and pans, not just backer board |
| Ventilation | Bath exhaust ducted to exterior — never into the attic |
| Electrical | Circuits verified and brought to current code in the work area |
| Selections | Named allowance amounts, itemized in the contract |
Talk about your kitchen & bath remodeling project
Tell us the property and the scope. We start with site and systems discovery, not a sales pitch.
Bid comparison
Where the cheap bid is actually cheaper.
Two proposals for the same job usually differ on these lines, not on brand. Ask any bidder to put their answer in writing.
| Common low-bid approach | The A1 specification |
|---|---|
| Fixtures picked before flow is measured | Well flow and pressure measured first |
| Bath fan vented into the attic | Ducted to exterior with a proper cap |
| Backer board treated as waterproofing | Full membrane at pans and wet walls |
| Water treatment as an afterthought | Softener loop planned into the rough-in |
Kitchen & Bath Remodeling questions
Answered plainly.
Do I need a water softener for a new bathroom?
On most Hill Country wells, yes — or at minimum the loop and drain roughed in so one can be added without opening walls. At 15–25 grains per gallon, scale shortens the life of every valve and heat exchanger in the room and permanently etches glass and polished stone.
Can I put a tankless water heater on well water?
Yes, with treatment and planned maintenance. Untreated hard water fouls the heat exchanger and voids most manufacturer warranties. We install isolation and service valves so descaling is a routine service call rather than a disassembly.
How long will my kitchen be unusable?
It depends on scope and on permit and lead times, and we give you a written schedule with the specific gating items rather than a guess. We also set up a temporary kitchen — fridge, microwave, and a working sink where plumbing allows — as part of the sequencing.
Do you handle design or do I need a designer?
We work either way. If you have a designer we build to their drawings and handle the county side. If you do not, we scope and select with you against your well capacity, water hardness, and budget.
Also in Remodeling
Related scopes.