Bathroom reno - HELP please

[thatgirl]

We are having our Master Bathroom gutted and re-decor.
Removing a giant soaking tub, etc.

I have had 8 contractors here to meet and greet and get bids.....

I have gotten actual $numbers from 1. I had 2 tell me that if I was not going to spend at least 60K they were not interested.

Part of our problem is (I THINK) is that because we do so much decor/reno to our house I can get next to wholesale costs on materials. So of course I want to supply all the materials and simply contract out the labor.
DH and I have jobs so doing it ourselves is NOT going to happen.
I understand that contractors make a huge profit margin on the mark-ups on material so I know I am torking them off-- but NOW what?
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find skilled labor to do the gutting and re-installing??

Has anyone hired everything out piecemeal and acted (themselves) as the project manager of all the workers??

I just want a new bathroom :-(

[kaylie]

Wow, 60k for a bathroom? That sounds crazy, even for a master. Maybe if it was one of those giant bathrooms the size of a bedroom that mcmansions have? I understand your position though, I hate paying more than I have to for anything.

We haven't done our bathroom reno yet, but when we do I expect that we'll do as much as we can ourselves and hire out specific jobs. The bathroom in question is our hall bath, not the master and we aren't moving any plumbing.

I'm expecting to DIY:
- demo and re-tile floor
- paint
- demo and re-tile shower surround
- replace toilet

I'm expecting to hire out:
- converting single sink to double sink
- install exhaust fan
- refinish existing bath tub

H and I both work full time, but I feel confident that we can manage this.

[perhapsprincess]

To some extent: it is easier for a contractor to work with the products they are familiar with, etc. If they use your supplied items, then they may have to spend longer just to make sure they use it properly/it all goes together right, etc. its not just the markup on the materials they are looking for (though it is possible that they need a certain size of job or it is not worth their while to gear up for)

[FoxInFiji]

What size is your bathroom? What kind of finishes are you looking to have? Any idea on fixtures? Yes you can definitely save money by sourcing the materials yourself, acting as GC, and getting your hands dirty with demo, tile, and painting. But that is going to take time and not be a week or two long transformation like hiring it out completely would be. If you're willing to wait I bet you could cut that in half or more depending on what the COL is in your area. Ask them to give you a detailed break down of what everything will cost. You might also need to be more specific and pick out examples of what you're looking to do (ie. inspiration pictures, fixture types, and vanities).

We just finished our main bathroom and are ordering materials for our master bathroom. Combined they don't cost near that much but we're also doing 95% of the work ourselves. We hired a plumber to rough in the plumbing and install the tub with drain (with the help of DH and my FIL). This is our forever home and we're sick of having to fix/replace cheap broken fixtures so we saved up so we would go with top of the line materials. For both bathrooms we're using Toto toilets, Hansgrohe and Grohe faucets & shower fixtures, Kohler sinks and a Kohler tub, an MTI soaker tub in the master, granite or quartz for the vanities and shower niches, epoxy grout everywhere, custom solid wood vanities and storage cabinets, and in floor heat in both bathrooms. I do my research and find the least expensive source for all of my materials. All of the fixtures, toilets, sinks, and tubs I've bought online with free shipping and had price matched. Right now I'm getting the master bathroom fixtures for half of the MSRP! The tile we're getting from a tile wholesaler and we're sticking with inexpensive field tile with accents of expensive tile. The granite for the main bath was a remnant piece and I redesigned our master bath to keep the quartz needed to just 1-1/2 slabs instead of 2. The epoxy grout we get at Lowe's and we mix and match brands of the in floor heating mat and programmable thermostat to get the best price.

The contractors we have hired have been really impressed by the low cost of materials I've found and say the main bathroom looks like it cost us 2-3 times that much.

[wawa]

Jun 19, 2012 20:24:46 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

So yes, this is possible. I got the individual contractors through word of mouth and Angie's list. The project takes longer this way because you are just not going to be experienced enough (or have enough control over the subs) to line everything up down to the minute, but yes, you can do it.

SBP has it right. You might not be able to find a GC willing to take the whole job, but you should be able to hire your own subs no problem. Plumber, electrician, drywall guy, tile guy, and then the plumber back again to install the toilet and hook up the sink and such. There is probably going to be work in there you'll need to do though. Odds and ends that don't really fall into anybody's realm. Like trim. Though you could hire a carpenter to do that and install the vanity I guess.

Finding somebody to do just the demo might be the hardest one. If you really can't find a day to do that yourselves (demo of a single small room does go fast) then I'd consider asking around for somebody's out of work BIL to come and do something that basic. Demo doesn't take much skill if you're truly gutting.

We're in the middle of a reno very similar to Fox's. We hired out the plumbing rough-in and tub installation to a plumber, we did the drywall ourselves on one bathroom and are hiring out the rest of the house. We also have/will hire out the new HVAC system, half the insulation, new roof, repointing the exterior brick, and refinishing the wood floors. But the demo, framing, tile, painting, trim and fixture installation we're doing ourselves.

[thatgirl]

So it looks like if we want to get this done, I am going to become a GC. Good thing I work part time with very flex. hours.
I am feeling very good about the design and material selections I hired a kitchen/bath designer to help review and consider all options. We are at least 6 months in the planning phase to date.
I NEVER thought the hard part was going to be finding the contractor.
Unfortunately we do NOT have any desire to do any DYI, (although I would love to learn how to install tile, I have years of experience observing tilers and it does not seem like rocket science). We know it could save a lot of money, it is just not worth it.
I think I will look into 'rent a handyman' for the demo. We already have a roldex of electr. and painters and such, it will be the other fill in the gaps that I will need to research.
Thank goodness we have several other bathrooms to use because this may take longer than planned.
To be honest I am getting real close to living with the current bathroom
THANKS for all the feedback and ideas!

[FoxInFiji]

Oh OK. I didn't know how far along you were from your post. Do you mind sharing what you've picked out so far? I love looking at bathroom ideas/inspiration.

Yes the contractors are the hardest part of renovating. Scheduling meetings/work days. Waiting for them to have time for your project. Ordering materials and negotiating a price. Dealing with the surprises that are found in demo. Designing the space is the easy part when you basically have a blank slate to work with.

[downtoearth]

Jun 20, 2012 18:36:10 GMT -5 thatgirl said:

So it looks like if we want to get this done, I am going to become a GC. Good thing I work part time with very flex. hours.
I am feeling very good about the design and material selections I hired a kitchen/bath designer to help review and consider all options. We are at least 6 months in the planning phase to date.
I NEVER thought the hard part was going to be finding the contractor.
Unfortunately we do NOT have any desire to do any DYI, (although I would love to learn how to install tile, I have years of experience observing tilers and it does not seem like rocket science). We know it could save a lot of money, it is just not worth it.
I think I will look into 'rent a handyman' for the demo. We already have a roldex of electr. and painters and such, it will be the other fill in the gaps that I will need to research.
Thank goodness we have several other bathrooms to use because this may take longer than planned.
To be honest I am getting real close to living with the current bathroom
THANKS for all the feedback and ideas!

As another option...look for a finish carpenter or similar to act as your GC. Most finish carpenters have lots of experience working with all sorts of different materials and have a crew of people who work with them on plumbing, drywall, electricians, etc. Don't let the word "carpenter" scare you from asking them for bids also.

[thatgirl]

Jun 21, 2012 9:12:30 GMT -5 FoxInFiji said:

Oh OK. I didn't know how far along you were from your post. Do you mind sharing what you've picked out so far? I love looking at bathroom ideas/inspiration.

Yes the contractors are the hardest part of renovating. Scheduling meetings/work days. Waiting for them to have time for your project. Ordering materials and negotiating a price. Dealing with the surprises that are found in demo. Designing the space is the easy part when you basically have a blank slate to work with.

Let's see if I can add a photo here


This was my photo visual for the cabinetry. Disregard all colors. Found a Ronbow vanity in espresso that is perfect.
Tile 12x24 gray linen. Set vertical. Lighter gray on walls slightly darker gray on floor.
When you enter the BR the tile will continue from the floor up the wall to the ceiling.
The wall to the left and right will not be tiled. The L/R wall will have cabinetry.
The shower have a corner mounted french door system by a manuf. that starts with a 'R' ?? off the top of my head.
Shower floor will be river rock in shade of gray.
No tub, since the goal of this project is to remove giant soaking tub.

[thatgirl]

#?!#&^
How do I insert a photo?

boooooo

[stumpy]

I was just gonna write a post about TWO bathroom renovations. DH and I have been putting it off for years and we just have to do them. We can't wait anymore! (Tiles fell off in DH's bathroom . . . yes, we have separate bathrooms. So, we can't use the tub)
The master bath is where we both shower but he keeps his hair products, toothbrush, shaving stuff in his bathroom.

We shopped around years ago and most places (not contractors but remodeling companies) said that each bathroom would be around 15k. Our bathrooms are small . . . so I can't even imagine how we would spend 60k unless we bought the most expensive tile on the planet.

I am looking for real world numbers and DH and I are not DIY people. So, we would need someone to do everything. I can help pick out stuff, but that's about it.

Those of you who have done a bathroom reno, what are you tips for a newbie? I know you have to plan on the unexpected b/c you don't know how things are gonna be until you start tearing down.
Any other thoughts? Ideas?

I am looking at making the master more "spa" like with travertine in a versaille pattern for the shower, frameless glass, wood cabinet, Silestone countertop.
DH's bathroom would have a MTI tub (or something similar), blue tile or some sort -- either glass, or shades of blue on the tub surround.

Any help would be appreciated. I feel like I am stepping into foreign territory and won't be able to speak the language!!