Updating the Kitchen Faucet

The impetus for this project was multifold.

First, we had purchased a water filter in 2017 with the plan to have it installed right away but we could not find anyone who was willing to drill the necessary hole in our counters. I reached out to everyone I could think of: plumbers, granite installers, kitchen designers, etc. No one was willing to do it. Apparently the risk of cracking the existing counters is too great and no one wanted to be liable. So the water filter sat in our closet for over four years.

Poor Painting Cleanup Led To A Broken Faucet

Then when we had our whole house painted when we thought we were moving, we found upon our return that the painters had used our kitchen faucet for cleanup but had not done a good job of protecting it. We had never had any issues with it but after the painters left, the faucet didn’t turn smoothly and the spray button was difficult to use. We tried to fix it by fully disassembling it and cleaning it thoroughly and it improved it slightly but it still wasn’t the same. Sometime shortly after that, the spray button broke off eliminating that feature and leaving a hole in the faucet head. We tried to replace the button but they didn’t sell that component separately. So we made a plan to replace the faucet.

How to Drill a Hole

We reignited our attempts to find someone to drill the hole for us and finally found someone willing to do it! He quoted us $250 and we agreed and tried to schedule. Problem was that apparently this was not a big enough project for him and he wanted to squeeze it in between something else which meant that he didn’t want commit to anything more than one day in advance. Since we had a three year old and my husband worked from home and our home really just one room, that wasn’t really going to work for us. We needed at least a day notice to coordinate my husbands meeting times and get my toddler out of the house. We tried to work with him and schedule 24 hours in advance but he just stopped responding to us. So it was back to the drawing board.

Finally we thought to ask my brother-in-law who had recently started his own plumbing company. He agreed and offered to come out and do it for us and we were thrilled. But with a busy schedule due to working to get a new company off the ground, two young daughters at home, an hour drive and Covid, it was tough to find the time. So he gave us instructions for how to do it ourselves along with a lot of much needed encouragement.

After thinking about it for a long time and putting it off, my husband finally decided that he would do it himself. He purchased a bit for our screwdriver and made a plan for the weekend. It was surprising quick and easy.

Choosing a Faucet

WaterSense Flow Rate Requirements

It was important for me to choose a faucet that was as environmentally friendly as possible. I knew about WaterSense criteria through my awareness of The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Homes program which require all fixture to meet the EPA WaterSense requirements. The WaterSense requirements state that kitchen faucets should have a flow rate of less than 2.2 GPM (gallons per minute). Bathroom faucets and shower heads have their own specific requirements.

Sized for Under Cabinets

Another constraint on the faucet we chose was that it had to fit under the existing cabinets. Many of the more modern faucets were too tall for this set up and are designed for an open space above the sink so the faucets we considered were only those that were under 18 inches with some room to spare. This requirement really limited our options.

Coordinating Style

When we had purchased our water filter, we had also purchased an upgraded faucet to go with it in a more modern finish. We wanted to find a faucet that coordinated with the style of filter faucet that we already had.

Faucets We Considered

These are the three different faucets we considered. We are located right down the street from Ferguson Building Supply so I went over to their showroom to check out the options to make sure they looked okay with the existing water filter faucet and narrowed it down to these three.