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The toilet flange anchors to the subfloor, usually with wood screws or cement screws, but most of it should sit above floor level at full height. When a flange is flush with the subfloor or below it, it can lead to the creation of leak paths.

There are several ways to save money on a bathroom remodel through proper planning and savvy design strategies. To reduce costs, consider the following:

• Purchase your own materials: Buy your own bathroom fixtures, hardware, and other materials to avoid contractor upcharges and delivery fees.

• Shop smart for big-ticket items: Save on pricey items like tiles and tubs by shopping sales and at discount stores.

• Avoid major layout changes: Keep plumbing in its current location. Opt to replace fixtures rather than moving them to avoid significant renovation work.

• Focus on high-impact, low-cost updates: Make affordable but impactful smaller changes, such as upgrading hardware, installing new lighting, and adding stylish but economical accessories.

• DIY where possible: Handle easier parts of the remodel yourself, like painting or installing light fixtures, to save on labor costs.

• Time your remodel strategically: Consider remodeling in the spring, which tends to be a lower-demand time of year and may result in lower costs.

The Thanksgiving holiday period is one of the busiest times of the year for plumbers. Both Thanksgiving Day and the day after, often called Black Friday or "Brown Friday" by plumbing professionals, see a significant increase in service requests. This is because a house full of guests, large holiday meals, and unfamiliarity with the home's plumbing can lead to clogged drains, garbage disposal issues, and sewer line backups. Outside of the holidays, the busiest weekdays for plumbers are typically Monday and Tuesday, as many people discover plumbing problems over the weekend but wait to call for service. Despite the holiday, you can rest assured that many plumbers work on Thanksgiving and Black Friday to handle the surge in emergency calls.

If you experience the telltale sign of wax ring failure, which is leaking water, replacing the faulty ring takes one to three hours, depending on accessibility. This is an exacting and time-consuming job, as several components must be removed for the plumber to access the ring. Once replaced, however, wax rings require little to no maintenance and last 30 years or longer.