Bathroom Design - update 12/7/20 Post #84 & 87

[Christine]

That is crazy fast. We redid two 5 x 9 bathrooms, about 5 weeks each. The process was pretty basic. Gut, then repair any damage found. Electrical and plumbing work, then a day wait for the rough in inspection. Sheetrock ,texture and paint. Flooring in. Get the vanity and shower/bathtub vendors in to measure. Another day lost for another inspection. About a two week wait for the vanities and shower/tub surrounds to be made and delivered. Get them installed, then get the countertop and shower door vendors in to measure for the counter tops and doors, only about a week for those to be fabricated, get them installed. Final inspection.

Yeah, this company was good. Recommended to me by a interior design person who had seen the guy's work and his ability to stick to a schedule. He was incredibly detailed oriented and on schedule. He has two crews that work directly for him--no subs. Has his own showroom. He did all the measurements, pre-demo and ordered everything in January. Our job started in late-Feb with all supplies ready and in-storage in his warehouse. Demo crew came in first and demo'ed the first two bathrooms and those two were worked at the same time. Demo team came back and did the other two. I usually had a crew of 3-5 people in my house doing either tile work or cabinetry. We also had some redesign in the master so new drywall, etc. It really was impressive.

 

[disneychrista]

I also think it's makes sense to renovate for you, not a stranger who may live there 20 years from now, and who very well may renovate after you leave.

100% agree with this. If I am paying for the renovation I am getting what I like, not what someone else might want in the future.

Policies can vary and so OP should check with their homeowners carrier.

Step 1 is to call the insurance. They either do or they don't. They covered replacing the flooring when my hot water heater started leaking within months of moving in. warped/buckeled the hardwood under the carpet. I just feel kind of stupid for not even thinking to call the insurance to find out if it is covered.

I recommend a handheld shower sprayer instead of a traditional showerhead. They make it easier to clean the shower and they're great if you get injured. I would see if it's possible to install some shower niches between studs. They are awesome for having a place to put your bath products.

I agree with both points. I haven't NOT had a handheld shower for at least the past 25 years. That is one thing that is a MUST! Right now I have a plastic 4 shelf unit that I would love to be built in.

 

[tvguy]

Yeah, this company was good. Recommended to me by a interior design person who had seen the guy's work and his ability to stick to a schedule. He was incredibly detailed oriented and on schedule. He has two crews that work directly for him--no subs. Has his own showroom. He did all the measurements, pre-demo and ordered everything in January. Our job started in late-Feb with all supplies ready and in-storage in his warehouse. Demo crew came in first and demo'ed the first two bathrooms and those two were worked at the same time. Demo team came back and did the other two. I usually had a crew of 3-5 people in my house doing either tile work or cabinetry. We also had some redesign in the master so new drywall, etc. It really was impressive.

How do you get accurate measurements pre-demo? Heck, the Corian people had two different people come out and measure before they would fabricate the counter tops and shower surrounds

 

[Christine]

How do you get accurate measurements pre-demo? Heck, the Corian people had two different people come out and measure before they would fabricate the counter tops and shower surrounds

I have absolutely no idea, but it certainly worked and worked well.

 

[Christine]

Here’s a few pics of two of the bathrooms. Hard for me to get the whole room in

 

[Weedy]

We liked the website
https://www.houzz.com/to order faucets, lights and even the vanity.
Before

After

 

[tvguy]

I have absolutely no idea, but it certainly worked and worked well.

We re-did our linen closet. It was basically an alcove in the wall with doors put on it and fixed shelves inside. The new design had adjustable shelves. They only measured the front length of the shelves. Turns out the alcove wasn't "square" and the back was actually an inch longer in the back than the front, so the shelf didn't touch the rear brackets and fell. So they had to throw out all the shelves, and cut them to the exact size. Given that all the sheet rock was replaced in the bathrooms, and re-textured, I don't expect there would be much of a difference between the pre and post remodel measurements, but there was a chance. That probably was only about $25 of wood and an hour of labor, but the corian shower surround was $7,000 in material, so they wanted to make sure all the panels fit exactly to the remodeled space.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's a small luxury item, but it has a practical side as well: a built-in towel warming rack. BEST. SPLURGE. EVER. If you've never had access to one, you won't believe how wonderful it feels to get out of a shower and wrap yourself in a warm towel every time. (Especially if, like me, you really need to cold-rinse your hair after you wash it. Brr.)

These racks are standard in most northern European countries, and they are just wonderful. Not only does it feel great to wrap up in that warm towel, but they reduce the amount of moisture that is able to sit around in your bathroom, and they are a great low-energy way to dry things that you have hand-washed (masks, anyone?)

You can get cheap free-standing ones, but don't. If you are renovating, splurge the couple of hundred dollars on a wired-in wall mount with a shelf on top.

Oh, and speaking of shelves on top; if you are replacing your toilet paper hanger, consider one with a small, edged phone shelf over it. It removes the temptation to set your phone on the edge of the sink where it might be precariously balanced. The lip on the little shelf keeps the phone from falling off. (And yes, it's better not to take your phone into the bathroom at all, for all kinds of reasons, but you know people still do it, and phone vs. tile never ends well.)

 

[Moliphino]

Everyone has their personal style of what they like/don't. However, I would avoid a pedestal sink which has ZERO place for storage and if your only bathroom, cleaning supplies/toilet paper/soap/kleenex, etc. will have to be stored elsewhere which is a nuisance. Also avoid white grout around tile in a bathroom, since it is VERY hard to clean and tends to easily show any mold/mildew that tends to form in places like the shower. When building our new home recently, the builder was featuring a type of tile that is what I would call 'pitted' and asked how your would ever clean the recessed areas. They said no one had ever asked that..............LOL. We chose a different type of tile and are glad we did.

Agreed. I would go for an integrated sink countertop, too, for easy cleaning.

 

[Feralpeg]

OP, please get more than one opinion. Also, check the contractors on the BBB. Not all contractors are created equal and some are just plain dishonest. Never give all the money up front. If the contractor won't work on a small deposit, walk away and find someone else!

 

[QueenIsabella]

OP, please get more than one opinion. Also, check the contractors on the BBB. Not all contractors are created equal and some are just plain dishonest. Never give all the money up front. If the contractor won't work on a small deposit, walk away and find someone else!

You would have to define "small". He has a lot of materials to pay for upfront. It's not unreasonable for him to need a decent deposit to cover his costs for them. When we had our bathroom done, we picked out our tiles/sink/flooring/etc., and he actually purchased them, because he could get a contractor's discount, and knew how to measure for how much material he would need. While the OP might be fine purchasing her own vanity or toilet, I doubt she has the knowledge and experience to know how much tile or flooring to purchase, let alone what she would need (cement? grout? Those little spacers for the tile? caulking?). So, a deposit that's, say, 33% of the overall cost would not be unreasonable, IMHO. But, you're right about not paying the entire balance upfront.

 

[ronandannette]

...Step 1 is to call the insurance. They either do or they don't. They covered replacing the flooring when my hot water heater started leaking within months of moving in. warped/buckeled the hardwood under the carpet. I just feel kind of stupid for not even thinking to call the insurance to find out if it is covered...

Crossing my fingers for you. If it becomes an insurance claim they will choose and oversee the contractors (unless you take a cash settlement). Having it handled that way might be a load off your mind if you're nervous about handling it on your own.

 

[tvguy]

You would have to define "small". He has a lot of materials to pay for upfront. It's not unreasonable for him to need a decent deposit to cover his costs for them. When we had our bathroom done, we picked out our tiles/sink/flooring/etc., and he actually purchased them, because he could get a contractor's discount, and knew how to measure for how much material he would need. While the OP might be fine purchasing her own vanity or toilet, I doubt she has the knowledge and experience to know how much tile or flooring to purchase, let alone what she would need (cement? grout? Those little spacers for the tile? caulking?). So, a deposit that's, say, 33% of the overall cost would not be unreasonable, IMHO. But, you're right about not paying the entire balance upfront.

In California a contractor can't require a deposit of more than 10% of the total project cost, or $1,000, whichever is LESS.
Contractors have working capital and credit lines to cover their costs.
Our contract had payments linked to when the contractor completed certain tasks. The final payment was 20% of the total contract, and it was not due until everything was done on the punch list.

 

[ronandannette]

In California a contractor can't require a deposit of more than 10% of the total project cost, or $1,000, whichever is LESS.
Contractors have working capital and credit lines to cover their costs.
Our contract had payments linked to when the contractor completed certain tasks. The final payment was 20% of the total contract, and it was not due until everything was done on the punch list.

Although regulations vary by jurisdiction, I would tend to agree that any contractor so small as to require you to front your own materials should be very, very carefully considered. Progress payments (after specified benchmarks are satisfactorily met, not before) are reasonable though.

 

[disneychrista]

While the OP might be fine purchasing her own vanity or toilet, I doubt she has the knowledge and experience to know how much tile or flooring to purchase, let alone what she would need (cement? grout? Those little spacers for the tile? caulking?).

I am not purchasing ANYTHING. I am only pick it out, the contractor is doing all the purchasing. Honestly other than the shower head and colors he could pick out everything and I would be okay with it. I looked at rows of toilets and they all look the same to me. Same for tubs.

Crossing my fingers for you. If it becomes an insurance claim they will choose and oversee the contractors (unless you take a cash settlement). Having it handled that way might be a load off your mind if you're nervous about handling it on your own.

Thanks. I called and it looks like it will likely not be covered. With my insurance I can pick any contractor I want. I do like that with the insurance involved it would give me an extra added security. Other than a plumber (a few times) I have never really hired anyone for house work. I am more of a do it yourself person. Though, after this I might re-think that.

 

[tvguy]

Although regulations vary by jurisdiction, I would tend to agree that any contractor so small as to require you to front your own materials should be very, very carefully considered. Progress payments (after specified benchmarks are satisfactorily met, not before) are reasonable though.

Now the roofing contractor I used did not get involved in paying for materials. When the shingles, tar paper and plywood were loaded on my roof, I had to had a check to the driver of the delivery truck. I paid the contractor nothing for his labor until the project was done and passed final inspection. Then I paid him for his labor.

Same with the HVAC guy I used years ago. Although in his case he was a Lennox dealer (and had a line of credit with them) but found a sale on Trane HVAC systems at a better price and with a 10 year warranty. I wrote a check to Trane. He picked the system up and installed it. Paid him nothing until the install was done.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

We had to re-do the guest/kid bathroom unexpectedly a couple of years ago. I looked a little online for ideas and then went to Floor and Decor to look at tiles since that was such a big part of the work. I went very basic - black and white with grey walls. I just grabbed different tiles and put them together on the cart to see what I liked together. It only took a couple of hours to decide and buy everything. I bought the new vanity and sink from Amazon of all places. I went with a vessel sink on a whim and I'm so glad I did. I love it. The contractor bought the bath tub since he new what would fit correctly in the space. When I put the colors together, it reminded me of Snoopy so I went with Peanuts artwork and towels.

 

[disneychrista]

How do you decide on things like toilets? Tubs? They look all the same. How is one better than the other?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

How do you decide on things like toilets? Tubs? They look all the same. How is one better than the other?

One question we asked every salesperson and our contractor was, "Which (item in question) has the most complaints and returns? And why?" The answers can be eye opening. We ask this now whenever we buy appliances or anything pricey.

 

[mjkacmom]

How do you decide on things like toilets? Tubs? They look all the same. How is one better than the other?

I spent a lot of time choosing toilets.