The Upstairs Bathroom: What’s Happening?

In my day-to-day life, no news almost always mean good news. However, in the home reno world, no news means nothing is happening. At the end of last year, Andy and I considered an easy refresh of the upstairs bathroom. However, once we started dreaming, we decided that maybe moving forward with the full remodel was the best way to go. Why were we waiting?

I quickly began calling contractors hoping to start the project right away. From the get-go, I had no problem lining up companies to bid on our project. Of the three I called, two showed up to evaluate our needs.

The breakdown occurred with the bids themselves. The first company that submitted a proposal had some very rigid rules about the products they would use. They would only install fixtures and tile that I bought through their suppliers. (#kickbacks) Since we DIYers are always searching for the best price, being confined to one supplier is no bueno.

It was no surprise that their bid came in high. In fact, it came in $6000 more than our entire kitchen! Talk about a gut punch. That was not happening.

The next company that submitted a bid was promising. However, it was not exactly an apples-to-apples bid. That contractor only did electrical and plumbing. I would have to find a separate contractor to build the shower or tackle it as a DIY project.

The bid looked good, but I began to have concerns. The man who came to look at the bathroom argued with me about whether or not the ceiling below was drywall or plaster. It’s drywall. He seemed visibly disappointed when I told him that we were not tearing out the plaster walls. I was not sure that we would be a good match since I work very closely with everyone who works on BHH. Also, I sensed that he did not have a love for old houses, and the things that were important to me would just be a nuisance for him and his crew.

After some soul-searching, I decided to go ahead and hire him knowing that I might have to compromise more than I wanted to. After all, the bid was good. However, when he came back to review the project to put it on his calendar, we had a polite misunderstanding about how much of the demo needed to be done before they could start. He was non-committal about some of the items on the to-do list, and again he asked if we were tearing out the plaster. It seemed wise to pull the plug at that point. We were getting nowhere fast.

An important note: Both of these companies are highly respected in my community, and I have seen their beautiful work in other homes. I know they are skilled and reliable. Some contractors work best under specific parameters, and I recognize that projects at BHH are complicated. This house can be fussy at times, and not everyone wants to work with a DIYer. I am only relaying my experience in this post, and it is not my intention to disparage anyone. I would recommend both of these companies to someone else if I felt they would be a good match for their project. For us, it just wasn’t a love connection. (Ha! Remember that show?) 

So, after all of that, I decided to feel sorry for myself for a few weeks. Poor me. My house is big, and our totally functional bathroom is ugly.

Then, last week, I wrote about our kitchen which we remodeled with the help of Lowe’s Remodeling Services. After I finished that post, I was like what the heck am I thinking? Call Lowe’s again! So, I did, and I had a meeting this morning with our fabulous project manager, Janet. She and I really clicked during the kitchen project, and it was great to see her again. To my surprise, photos of the BHH kitchen are all over their local promotional materials. She said that people love it. The chalkboard wall is a hit.

Immediately, we jumped into the specifics of this bathroom remodel. If we go with Lowe’s again, we will have the same crew at our house. The electricians have done quite a bit of work on our house over the past four years, and I trust them completely. The plumbers are also excellent, and the General Contractor, Keith, runs a tight ship. He’s not the least bit warm and fuzzy, but I know we can work together. I respect him.

The next step is that Janet and Keith will come to BHH next week. They will take accurate measurements and plan the project. Then, they will submit a bid.

I know for a fact that it is going to be more expensive than Andy and I hoped, and I am not sure if we can swing it, but we will not know until we move another step forward.