1.1K Views
Shower Renovation
by
Roxann O
(IC: homeowner)
A total shower rip-out; replaced walls, shower fixture, new ceramic tiled shower, floor, and a new toilet.
Advice:
I would do the demo again. It saves about a $1,000.00.
I would stay home and ask questions of the products he is using and look them up on the internet to be sure he is using the right products.
I would check on out old references / projects he has completed over 6 months to year ago.
I would NOT go with a contractor who tells you verbally one price and another higher amount on paper. Invoices are their legal contract and maybe used against them.
I saved some money by doing the demolition myself which took 3 days. It would have gone faster if I rented a power jack hammer. I had a contractor and his plumber finish the project. Poor planning on the contractor part delayed the project a 5 days, his plumber was out of town for the holidays, the week after Christmas. Then I had to go back to work and the contractor finish the project while I was at work, Big Mistake. Do not let any contractor work while you are not at home, they will cut corners. He used a polymer based adhesive (mastic) instead of thin-set. I started having problems 6 months later with the tile shower floor. I called the manufacture of the adhesive and they said it should not be used in a wet environment such as a shower since the adhesive will re-emulsify (become liquid again) when it comes into contact with water. Mastic is a very good product for walls and floors but not for showers. So I had the contractor come back out and replace the shower floor at his expense.
Materials:
$567.44 - $0.00
Advice:
I would do the demo again. It saves about a $1,000.00.
I would stay home and ask questions of the products he is using and look them up on the internet to be sure he is using the right products.
I would check on out old references / projects he has completed over 6 months to year ago.
I would NOT go with a contractor who tells you verbally one price and another higher amount on paper. Invoices are their legal contract and maybe used against them.
I saved some money by doing the demolition myself which took 3 days. It would have gone faster if I rented a power jack hammer. I had a contractor and his plumber finish the project. Poor planning on the contractor part delayed the project a 5 days, his plumber was out of town for the holidays, the week after Christmas. Then I had to go back to work and the contractor finish the project while I was at work, Big Mistake. Do not let any contractor work while you are not at home, they will cut corners. He used a polymer based adhesive (mastic) instead of thin-set. I started having problems 6 months later with the tile shower floor. I called the manufacture of the adhesive and they said it should not be used in a wet environment such as a shower since the adhesive will re-emulsify (become liquid again) when it comes into contact with water. Mastic is a very good product for walls and floors but not for showers. So I had the contractor come back out and replace the shower floor at his expense.
Materials:
$567.44 - $0.00
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Published September 2nd, 2010 12:48 PM
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Target Building Solutions, LLC on Apr 28, 2014All contractors are not so shady, really sorry you got a bad one! Always get references, then relax at work, our customers do, and when they return home and see the progress they are delighted. This is how it should work, and it does.
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