Kensington began as a Victorian railroad suburb and it still looks like one. The historic district holds an unusual concentration of nineteenth-century houses with genuine period detail, wrapped in later development from the pre-war and post-war decades.
For a plumber that means the old-house discipline we practise daily in Catonsville and Oella: limited chase space, plaster-and-lath walls, drainage installed before modern venting standards, and non-standard fixture roughs. Careful work rather than fast work.
These are also houses people invest in, so a good share of what we do here is renovation-adjacent — repiping while walls are open, bathroom rough-ins, and the system upgrades that make sense to bundle into a project.
What we find in Kensington homes
Victorian housing stock
Nineteenth-century framing offers very little chase space. Routing new supply is a design problem before a mechanical one, and flexible PEX is usually what makes an upgrade possible without damaging period detail.
Renovation-driven work
Owners here invest in their houses. Repiping while walls are open, correcting improvised venting from earlier renovations, and getting valve depth right for the finished wall before tile.
Original galvanized still in service
In houses of this age, original galvanized supply is common wherever a previous owner did not replace it. The symptom is gradual pressure decline and discolored morning water.
Neighborhoods and landmarks we work around
We cover all of Kensington and the surrounding Montgomery County communities, including 20895. Areas we are in regularly:
- Kensington Historic District
- Antique Row
- Connecticut Avenue
- Kensington MARC station
- Rock Creek
- Knowles Avenue
What Kensington customers tell us
Owners of Victorian houses want a plumber who will not damage what makes the house worth owning. That is exactly the work we have been doing for forty years.
I had an outstanding experience with Collins & Sons LLC. Daniel has done several projects at my home over the last 4 years. He has helped me with small projects (replacing a garbage disposal), large projects (renovating my patio) and random projects. No mat…
Needed a water heater and my upstairs plumbing replaced. After contacting them they were very flexible to my schedule, also explaining in detail costs and procedures. Who doesn't like an honest family owned professional? I would use them again any time and…
Danny is a very professional and friendly person to work with. His work as a plumber and contractor is outstanding. He receives a high rating as he cleans up after he finishes working. I highly recommend this company and Danny to work on any project for you…
Plumbing questions from Kensington
Can you repipe without damaging period detail?
We plan routes to minimise openings, mark every one before cutting, and use flexible PEX to reach places through existing cavities. Zero openings is not possible on a full repipe; the fewest possible in the easiest places to repair is.
Should I repipe while renovating?
If the house is on galvanized, almost certainly, for any section the renovation exposes. Access is the expensive part of repiping and the renovation is giving it to you for free.
Why does my bathroom smell despite being clean?
Almost always a venting problem, very common in bathrooms added into old houses. Without an adequate vent, draining water siphons the trap dry and sewer gas comes up. It has to be corrected to pass inspection on permitted work.