Plenty of people buy their own fixtures — for choice, for price, or because they found the exact thing they wanted. That is entirely reasonable and we install customer-supplied fixtures regularly.
There is a short list of things worth verifying before the box arrives, because every item on it has delayed somebody's project.
Is everything in the box?
Fixtures often ship as multiple components, and the parts that are missing are rarely obvious until installation day.
Shower valves are the classic. The valve body and the trim are frequently sold separately, and buying the trim without the body — or a trim that does not match the body you have — is the most common single problem we encounter. If you are replacing a shower valve, the body and trim must be a matched set from the same manufacturer.
Toilets may or may not include the seat, the supply line, or the wax ring and bolts.
Faucets may not include a drain assembly or a pop-up.
Tubs and shower bases often need a waste and overflow kit purchased separately.
Open the boxes when they arrive rather than on installation day. A missing part discovered a week early is an inconvenience; discovered on the day, it is a wasted visit.
Will it fit the space?
Toilets have a rough-in dimension — the distance from the wall to the centre of the drain. Toilets are made for different rough-ins and they are not interchangeable. Measure before you buy.
Vanities have to accommodate the drain and supply positions, and a vanity with a full-height back panel may need cutting for the existing plumbing.
Tubs have to physically fit and, more importantly, have to fit through the doorways and around the corners between the front door and the bathroom. This has stopped more projects than it should.
Wall-hung fixtures need structural support in the wall behind them, which has to be in place before the wall is closed.
Is it compatible with what you have?
Water pressure. Some fixtures, particularly certain shower systems and body-jet arrangements, need more flow than an older home's plumbing delivers. A magnificent shower system on inadequate supply is a disappointment that no installation can fix.
Drain sizes and positions.
Gas type, for gas appliances, and whether a conversion kit is needed.
Electrical requirements, for anything with a heated seat, a bidet function, a light or a fan.
Where did you buy it?
Fixtures bought from overseas or from marketplace sellers are sometimes made to different standards, with different thread types or connection sizes than are standard here. They may also lack the certification markings that inspected work requires.
That is worth checking before purchase rather than after. A beautiful faucet that cannot be connected to standard supply lines, or that cannot pass inspection, is not a bargain.
Warranty, and who owns the problem
This is the honest part of the customer-supplied conversation.
When we supply a fixture, we stand behind it — if it is faulty, that is ours to sort out. When you supply it, the warranty is between you and the seller, and if it fails or arrives damaged, resolving that is yours.
That is not a reason not to supply your own. It is a reason to buy from somewhere with a real returns process, and to open the boxes early.
We will also tell you honestly what we think of a fixture while we install it. If something is likely to give trouble, you would rather hear it than not.
The one that matters most
If you take one thing from this: for a shower, buy the valve body and the trim together, from the same manufacturer, as a matched system. More projects are delayed by this than by everything else on this list combined.
If you are not sure
Send us the model numbers before you buy. Checking compatibility takes a few minutes and it is free, and it is much cheaper than a return.
Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster. 604-865-7979.
Related: Fixture supply and installation · Why cheap faucets fail · Behind the shower wall
