Bathroom remodel contractor help

1,908 Views | 6 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by hurricanejake02
aggiegolf86
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I am wanting to get some work done in 2 bathrooms.

Bathroom 1- new tile floor, new bathtub and tile all around it

Bathroom 2- new tile floor, re-tile shower, new shower pan, new sliding door, tear down tile around toilet and vanity and replace with drywall,

All together i added up about 184 square feet of tile. Also I would get new faucets/ shower head in each and new door on the stand up shower.

Here are the estimates so far.

1- $6300 plus materials
2- $4700 plus materials
3- $3650 includes materials
4- $5700 plus materials

still waiting on 2 more bids

The one including materials seems to cheap to be true compared to the others. Should I be worried about that? What should a job like this cost?

bathroom 1 with bathtub

bathroom 2 stand up shower

floor in bathroom 2

Wildman15
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Would not trust contractor #3 who gave the lowest bid. You're asking for a lot of upgrades and need to be ready for the $6,500-$10,000 range. The reason I make it such a wide dollar range is you never know what you might find once you rip up the floor, expose the pipes, etc. especially if it's original sub flooring/original plumbing on an older house
Wildman15
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Also, go find a local lumber yard or hardware store (ignore the box stores) and ask them if they know anything about the contractors you have bidding the job. Local lumber yards know who's legit and who's not. The box stores have a hard enough time telling the difference between a 2x4 and 2x6
BUZZAG
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I'm sure you are aware, but the cost will depend highly on the quality of materials used. Cast iron tub vs steel tub? Have you picked out your tile yet? You will run into a wide range of cost on the tile. Are you incorporating any soap dishes or storage into the tub surround or shower walls? How about accents? A lot of the 4" and subway tile will require bullnose and edge tiles that will run up the cost of materials while the 12" and and larger tiles are often cut down to create their own edge pieces. It just depends on you preference and preferred look. The popular mosaic tile floors will also run higher than laying a
6 x 36 or 12" tile in most cases. So many variables as you know or will soon find out.

Will texture and paint be included in the drywall repair?

In regards to plumbing I would recommend Delta valves. The plumbers love them due to simplicity, they are affordable, and they have a good mix of trim to choose from. Contractors often get better pricing on materials so keep that in mind as you get ready to purchase them. Don't buy your plumbing fixtures from Lowe's or HD.

Shower doors can range from $400-$500 for a traditional framed or semi frameless shower door with 3/16" glass or you can step up to a heavy glass in 3/8" or 1/2" where you'll spend $1000 to $1500. Don't buy shower doors from Lowes or HD nor hire a company that does.

The point of my post was to offer a little advice from experience and throw out some things you may or may not have considered. Overall I'm impressed with you getting 6 estimates. Pick all of their brains and try and get a feel for how much detail they cover during the estimate. Give consideration to the contractor whom you feel you will be most comfortable communicating with during the remodel. It will be a more enjoyable experience if you like the contractor even if he or she cost more, assuming they do quality work as well. Take a week or two if possible and see which contractor (if any) follows up with you for further consultation or to simply ask for your business. Don't be afraid to negotiate a little either but this can often lead to contractors cutting corners so be fair. When you give consideration to these recommendations as well as any other variables important to you, your guy will emerge.
Rustys-Beef-o-Reeno
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Based on the pics I wouldn't touch the bathrooms unless you are going to completely gut and do everything. You can keep the vanities and cabinets and just have them reface and get new doors and paint.

If budget is a concern I'd would completely redo one then save up for the other. A complete gut of both saving the vanity based and toilets should be 13-16 ish depending on how high end you go.

Rustys-Beef-o-Reeno
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If you do it partial like u are bidding it's going to look patch work. Nice shower and floor with everything else showing it's age.

The Fife
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Why replace the bathtub? That looks like one of the super heavy cast iron kind. They can be refinished and you'd get to keep a better tub than most of the new ones that are available.
hurricanejake02
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I'm with Rusty... if you're going to go to this expense, gut it.

Also, avoid the word drywall when talking to these contractors - someone will actually use it instead of a greenboard or CBU.
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