On February 26th, we met with our potential clients, Brad & Cheri to discuss their master bathroom remodel.  A rather small space at 4′ x 10′, of which 90% of the demolition work had already been completed.  They were planning on doing all of the work themselves and realized the complexity of what was involved, so they found us on Angie’s List and called for a free estimate. 

Upon inspection of the job, some additional demo was still and the concrete basin in the shower needed to be removed after one failed attempt at installation.  Brad opted to do the remaining demo himself, which he was perfectly capable of completing, as he had already demonstrated!

We provided, as always, a highly detailed estimate and a detailed list of everything they needed to provide for the finish materials (essentially all materials requiring an opinion, such as: faucets, tile, mirror, fixtures & vanity).  Upon approval of the estimate, we scheduled the start of the job for March 9th with an estimated timeline of 3-4 weeks.  

To prevent any potential leaks in the future and for the most peace of mind, we used the Schluter-Kerdi Shower Waterproofing System, which is used for many of our shower remodels if budget allows.  We always suggest to replace the shower or tub valve and the valve stops for the vanity and toilet with all of our projects regardless of age to eliminate any potential existing issues.  Based on the cost versus the benefits, the clients opted against centering the drain in the shower, which is merely an aesthetic preference.  Some electrical changes were made including elimination of the wall mounted sconce light, adding of 2 recessed can lights in the ceiling, a bath exhaust fan, and relocation of an outlet.  Custom granite was the choice for the vanity countertop, shower threshold and shower shelving.  The tile the clients selected complimented the granite very nicely, however the pattern selected was fairly complex, which was a little different than what our estimate accounted for, resulting in a small change order.  As with many of our estimates, tile and the tile pattern has seldomly been selected at the time, so we base the cost on a basic installation.  If an “exotic” tile is selected or complex pattern is chosen the cost can change.  We originally bid a metal framed glass shower enclosure, however after seeing the dramatic difference of a frameless glass enclosure, the clients found room in their budget to upgrade.  The frameless glass enclosure provided a virtually invisible and obstruction-free view of the beautiful tile selected for this newly remodeled bathroom.

This project had very few potential “surprises” as the demo was completed prior to bidding, so we did not expect too many additional costs to pop up.  The entire project had  only 2 small change orders:  replacement of the cast iron drain flange for the shower and small change in the details of the tile work, requested by the client. 

The job was finished Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, right on schedule at 3 weeks!