Chasing water pipes into the wall - opinion

[confused30000]

I apologise in advance that this might not make sense or be full of silly/obvious questions, but I am a novice at all this!

We have recently knocked through from our kitchen to a new extension to create an opening. Various things have been moved from the wall that was knocked through, including the fuse board and electricity meter. The walls have then just been plastered over last week.

One thing that remains though, is water pipes. This is my first time dealing with this so apologies if this is wrong - we have two pipes that come from the bathroom upstairs, directly above the kitchen, down the kitchen wall and then make their way to the sink behind the kitchen units. During the knockthrough and to make room for the plastering, the builders have put a right angle pipe in and replaced the old copper (I assume copper) pipe with plastic pipe. They are currently away from the wall as the plaster dries.

I think these two pipes are hot and cold water - they are 15mm piping going from the label on them so too narrow for one to be waste I assume? Photo attached of the current set up to hopefully help (please excuse the mess!)

I thought that these pipes were going to be in the wall (we were away during the plastering phase) but is there a reason they couldn't be? I haven't yet had chance to speak to the builder about it. I believe it isn't common practice to chase waste pipes into walls, is the same true of hot/cold water?

We are having a new kitchen fitted - the fitters are coming for a final survey and said they could probably bring the pipes straight down vertically alongside the edge of the new opening, box them in with plywood that could then be painted the same colour as the wall.

Was just looking for opinions really - would you do that or explore the idea of chasing them into the wall, even though it would mean disturbing the newly plastered wall?

If it helps, it's plasterboard onto the brick of the external wall (I'm not sure if it's D&B, sorry!) which then has insulation and the outer brick.

Again, sorry if that is all confused word soup, any help gratefully received!

 

[exedon2]

If that wall is dot and dab would have been a easy job before plastering.
Not so easy now I would go for a neat boxing .

 

[king of pipes]

This may look a little neater it's abit late now for sinking them in the wall now. Kop

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Sounds like the builders problem you want them in the wall hidden

 

[Roy_66]

Sounds like dot and dab, if you tap it you should be able to find the dabs (they sound solid not hollow, and your knuckles will feel). Dab can be chipped off.

So it depends if you can handle more disruption, mess, and delay to put them behind the plasterboard. . . Is it really worth it?

Dumb question: if you had a cupboard there you could hide most of it, and shallow box in below the cupboard. Run the pipes behind the cupboard. Above the cupboard just make a screen out of painted MDF offcuts (you won't look up much and unlikely to see). Also all will be lower risk this way. Make sure any plastic plumbing is all securely clipped to the wall at regular intervals.

Just a personal view - if you do put the pipes in the wall I'd want proper professional soldered for any fittings, but what have you done in that respect in the rest of the house? (Your team may not have anyone that can do that these days - can be tricky to ask without causing upset. )

Good luck with the project.

Cheers,

Roy (amateur)

 

[gpbeck]

There is hopefully a lintel above that new opening so unlikely that you could chase vertically down without hitting it.