You Can’t Always Get What You Want

About a month ago, I wrote an update on our upstairs bathroom remodel. To recap: after a couple of disappointing contractor visits and bids, I decided to call Janet, our previous project manager at Lowe’s. You may recall that in 2016 we hired Lowe’s Remodeling Services for our gut kitchen renovation.

After that phone call, I met Janet in the store for a rundown of our project, and I wanted to follow up on what happened next. Keith, who was the contractor on our kitchen, and Janet came to the house to take a look at the bathroom. It was a comprehensive visit. They took measurements and asked a lot of questions. We talked about everything from plumbing placement to personal responsibility. I scheduled an in-store follow-up visit to review the bid.

A week later, I was sitting in Janet’s office getting down to the nuts and bolts of our proposed bathroom project.

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The Proposal Process

When we had our kitchen remodeled by the Lowe’s remodeling team two years ago, Janet, asked me to submit feedback about the process and quality of the work. Although we were pleased with the finished kitchen, I explained that it was sometimes unclear when I was responsible for buying supplies or making follow-up calls. That uncertainty caused a few delays and some frustration.  The reason I hired a GC for the project was so I would not have to do those tasks. Janet told me that the team was actively working on that problem. I was not the only client with the same concerns.

This time I was pleasantly surprised. The division of labor on the proposal was very clearly defined. Everything that was my DIY responsibility was listed.

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In general, the bids from Lowe’s Remodeling Services are very thorough. Every task is accounted for on a separate line. The project binder also includes pictures and prices of every single product from faucets to water lines. There are no doubts about what the bid includes. This is very different from my experience with proposals from other contractors, save a few.

In the end, The Rolling Stones were right: You can’t always get what you want.

The bid came in around $20,000, and Andy and I have officially put the bathroom remodel on hold for this year.

Included in the Bid

This list is not complete, but it gives a good idea of what we want.

Plumbing:

• Relocate the plumbing to accommodate the new location of the clawfoot tub
• Finish plumbing – install all new faucets and a toilet – reinstall the clawfoot tub & sink
• All related supplies

Flooring:

• Tear out floor and subfloor
• Install cement board for tile
• Lay tile floor*
• Supplies

*I planned to lay the tile as a DIY project. However, because we are paying someone to tile the shower, I asked them to include this in the bid to simplify matters. The timing could be tricky. We will purchase the tile from an outside source.

Electrical:

• Install all electrical fixtures including lighting**
• Supplies

**We will buy the lights from our preferred source.

Shower:

• Build a small floor-to-ceiling wall to conceal the plumbing
• Tile the floor and walls
• In-stock glass door
• build a small shelf instead of a rectangle niche

Misc:

• Demo
• Exhaust fan/light combo
• repairing walls after the electrical work (see below)

Additional Costs (Not Included in the Bid)

• Running new electrical lines and terminating knob & tube if necessary
• Product – tile, clawfoot tub fixtures & water lines, decorative water lines for the sink, light fixtures, paint
• Reglazing the clawfoot tub and painting the exterior
• Storage solutions
• Millwork (baseboards)

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What’s Next?

After we reviewed the bid, I scoured each line for ways to reduce the overall bill. However, as we suspected, labor is the most expensive part. Unfortunately, Andy and I are neither plumbers nor electricians. Our choices for finishes are not outrageous, and cutting at that level will only cheapen the overall look. After some discussion, we decided that we would rather save our money and do it the way we want than push forward with cheaper finishes. However, a interim refresh is not out of the question. After all, we have no idea how long it will be until we can move forward.

Now that we have two solid bids, we understand the legit costs involved in this full bathroom remodel.  That means we have an opportunity to save money, consider optional ways to finish this room, or brush up on our DIY skills to cut labor costs. Are we disappointed? Eh. Not really. We have the luxury of a fully-functioning, albeit ugly, bathroom right now. Life could be much worse.

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