One shortcoming is … there is no utility sink in the garage. Jacquela does NOT want Steven washing out paint brushes in the kitchen.

Steven proposed a utility sink during the design and build process, but it would have required a ridiculously expensive change order — and busting up more concrete.

Fortunately, when we shifted the sink in the mudroom bathroom, it wound up on the wall that is shared with the garage. This puts the water supply and drain lines into that shared wall. Which means we can open up the wall from the garage to tie in hot and cold water supplies, and connect the drain line from the utility sink to the drain line inside the wall that connects to the mudroom sink.

It just requires imagination, a budget, and a plumber.

Mike Rodriguez and his team from Elite Plumbing arrived 21 October to cut open the wall — photo above — and connect the pex lines — photo below.

Steven’s job is to install a backer board to attach the sink to, re-insulate the wall with foam, replace the drywall, patch the drywall, then glue a plastic sheet against the drywall to serve as backsplash. Here’s what that looks like when Steven is done:

Now Mike can return to the scene of the crime to hook up the sink and water lines.