Plumbing work on the new house has moved to the supply lines with all of the drain and vent work now completed. I could not be happier with the workmanship. The main and guest bedrooms will have digitally controlled valves. These are the two black boxes on the right. A console in each shower area will control the valves allowing for selection between a rain head and a shower head, precise temperature control, user presets, and integration with our home automation system. “Hey Siri, start Carl’s shower.” My preset temperature and shower head combination will be selected and when the water reaches the set temperature the shower will pause until I enter. This feature is a little bit decadent but there are few things that I covet more than the relaxation derived from my morning shower. It is where I do my best thinking and relieve the aches and pains that seem to be the new normal as my age advances.

The manifold on the left includes hot (red) and cold (blue) supply line shutoffs for different sections of the house. The valve on the far left is for the outside water bibs and includes a purge valve for winterization.