Bathroom remodel - contractor or not?

[Ex-Calif]

Hello, I'm a fairly handy DIYer, and I'm taking on my first "real" plumbing project - redoing our basement full bath. I've taken out the old fiberglass tub/shower surround, and am in the process of deciding if I'm going to replace it with another surround, or a tub with tiled walls. When I disconnected and took out the tub, I notice the drain assembly appears to be set in clumps of concrete, (see below pics) and the bottom drain portion does not appear to be level. I'm wondering what my options are. Should I try and fit a new tub to the existing assembly, or try and chisel out the concrete and see about replacing the assembly. I'm nervous about opening a can of worms as I really want to do as much of this as I can since my budget is limited and the plumbers around here are expensive. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

What is the original piping? PVC?

You can rent a small jackhammer. If the floor fitting were dodgy at all I would chisel back to "good" PVC and splice in a new section. Better to do it now then put all the work in and find out the shower drain leaks.

Also if it were me and time/money and appearance were of the essence I would definitely go with a full insert. Horizontal tile work isn't terribly difficult but vertical tile work is a few degrees harder. Not to mention a lot more time consuming.

 

[Larry N.]

Horizontal tile work isn't terribly difficult but vertical tile work is a few degrees harder. Not to mention a lot more time consuming.

And the grout between tiles is harder, over time, to keep clean, especially from mold (25 years, in our case). Grout is porous and, over the years you can build up some mold "behind the scenes." We just went over this with a local contractor for our bathroom shower and decided on solid panels rather than tile, mostly for the long term maintenance aspect.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I've 100% completely remodeled 3 houses in my lifetime which resulted in 7 bathrooms. I've remodeled 4 other bathrooms in different houses and remodeled 1 RV bathroom.

I would never hire anyone to do the work. I'd do it myself, which I've done!

That $25,000 price tag can be reduced to about $5000 for materials and supplies and the save the $20,000 in labor fees.

 

[milon]

Hello all.
I am finally going to remodel our master bathroom, which needs it, has needed it for more than a decade, and I feel like it is time to move forward.

Right now I am leaning towards hiring full-service remodeling firm to do the work, so they will manage the project and secure all the materials and get it done.

The other option is for me to self-manage and be the designer / general contractor, but I am worried about the details and having gaps in who does what, and a lack of accountability for quality issues if I tried to hire and manage individual subcontractors myself.

Our home is worth, I would guess, $250k. The average bathroom remodel is apparently approx only $9 - $12k. A contractor I talked to yesterday said they expect $25k and it could go up depending on materials. I have read that our max. budget should not exceed 10% of the home value, which puts us at right around $25k.

I do not want to overspend, but I am OK with paying for excellent work and materials.

The tricky part for me is our shower has a window, so I will need a carpenter for that. Plus there is all the concern of leaks in the shower and poor work causing problems.

We are not going to do the whole thing ourselves and I don't want our main bathroom torn up for longer than it needs to be.

Any thoughts? Is it OK to hire a $$ contractor. I am going to start with 3 bids and try to see what they can give us for the money to make sure it feels like it's a value.

Who do you recommend for an affordable bathroom renovation in Toronto? Since it is my only bathroom I need it done rather quickly and I have a limited budget. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

 

[Onyrlef]

And the grout between tiles is harder, over time, to keep clean, especially from mold (25 years, in our case). Grout is porous and, over the years you can build up some mold "behind the scenes." We just went over this with a local contractor for our bathroom shower and decided on solid panels rather than tile, mostly for the long term maintenance aspect.

Epoxy grouts are nonporous, never need sealing and easy to clean. More expensive and slightly more difficult to work, but in the long run imo, worth the effort.

 

[gwinger]

I agree with no subs. We have a local company that subs most of the work out. When there are problems they tell people they have to contact the subs. They only refer work to them and are not responsible for shoddy craftsmanship.

Exactly. Our neighbor had a complete living room remodel done. Over 30K. The contractor subbed the entire job out. When problems arose, he told them they had to contact the subs. The subs blamed most of the problems on the materials used and that the homeowner should contact the company that make the products. The problem was faulty installation, but they denied everything. Ended up costing another 10K for someone that knew what they were doing to repair the problems.

 

[smithbrown]

I did both bathrooms in my home a few years ago. The $25K figure doesn't sound out of line for a reconfigure, where you're moving things around and having to do framing, moving drains. If this is just a refresh of what's there then you must be picking some spendy choices of fixtures and materials, but that's your choice. In my experience you can make a pretty nice looking bathroom with box store stuff if you have an eye for it. I did nearly all the work myself and it still cost 20K (for both) and it didn't happen quickly. The tradeoff is paying one or more guys a hundred an hour to speed things up. The question I would ask is what are the time drivers, things you're asking for that add a lot to labor and complication, like moving drains or walls. After that labor is pretty flat whether you're putting in dollar apiece tiles or 5 dollar apiece, a 500 dollar tub or a 3000 dollar one. Have a *very* clear idea what you want it to look like when it's done, down to the exact lights, fixtures, tiles, colors and placement and even sources. Then, be flexible when a technical issue upends something and a change is required. You can have a timeline but that's just a serving suggestion. Any number of things can blow out the schedule and stressing over how long it takes will only add frustration. Have as much lined up ahead of time as possible then when you pull the trigger plan on this being the sole pupose of your life, guiding things along and facilitating the progress. It will get done eventually from bath renovation contractors, your finances stretched, and a great relief it's finally over.

Mark B.
Albuquerque. NM

Hello. I called a local bath and kitchen remodeling place and sent them this photo. Is a 5x11 Bathroom. When I spoke them about an estimate for a complete remodel they blew me away with just the estimate to replace the tub with a shower stall and nothing else. She made it sound like rocket science.

$15,000 or more..

I have not been sleeping under a rock for 20 years. I am a self professed handyman. I know materials have increased.. But Holy crap. For JUST a Shower Stall??? A day to a gut it, a few more days to refinish the 3 walls and add plumbing fixtures and then a few more days to tile it and may another day to install the shower glass. What am I missing besides a $7,000 commission for the designer?