Master Bath Reno - update: essentially the end! (Finally)

[Deleted]

Dec 11, 2019 8:25:30 GMT -5 k3am said:

Dec 11, 2019 8:17:57 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

Is that the same tile? It looks so much better!

Same exact tile. Apparently the manufacturer is literally down the street from the contractor so DH suggested they just stop by for installation instructions. I don’t know what they needed to differently, but it worked.

Wow, that's pretty amazing. The first install was so bad compared to this.

[winecat]

It looks great now! I wonder what they did differently?

[thatgirl2478]

looks so much better!

[k3am]

So no work has happened. I'm now getting change orders. And change orders. And change orders. We're on change order #11 now, and 30% over budget. Some of it is legit - like adding in radiant flooring, needing to upgrade our panel (THAT WE WERE TOLD DIDN'T NEED TO BE UPGRADED WHEN THEY QUOTED IT), and some of it is because they didn't quote us well. So shame on us for not being on the ball, but they put in allowance for faucets into the contract, then we shoped for faucets, and she showed us the brand she likes to use, says she gets a discount there, and they charge a 30% markup (which we didn't realize, so again, shame on us) and somehow TWO bathroom faucets are $800 over the $300 allowance in the contract. Those faucets by the way? I could have bought them out of pocket for $800.

At this point, I just feel like we've been completed taken advantage of. I don't have a finished product, and the bills just keep coming.

[sandandsea]

Ugh again. Big breath. It will all be worth it in the end. That’s exactly how I felt during ours. I was done about a month before they were. It will be worth it. It will be worth it. It will be beautiful and amazing and functional and beautiful and beautiful.

[k3am]

I’m just annoyed about how they handle stuff. The faucets? We picked them out months ago. No mention of cost, no change order until invoicing. If they’d told us the cost differential, we could have shopped around, found something cheaper, or said “hey, let’s splurge!” But it would be on our terms.

We have a minimum of two more weeks until they think they’re done, and then we still will need to go through our punch list and that will take even longer to fix, since.. there’s a lot.

Our first ever bathroom reno (different firm) was SO easy. We went $400 over budget and they were done in 3 weeks. But it was a small project and I didn’t love the end result (our bland/safe/no outside input choices, not the quality - that was fantastic!)

sandandsea I hope you’re right. I feel like they need to supply a bottle of Xanax with every project. I keep trying to remind myself that I LOVED our old kitchen that they did for us. LOVED. And I hated that process too.

[mrsukyankee]

That stinks. I hate all reno processes!

[k3am]

We are so close and so far from being done. We’ve been using the bathroom and it’s great. They asked us to tag the final items that “need touch up” and I basically died.

I started tagging and ended up sending the owner an email today to get him involved again. Our walls are not at a “touch up” state - they need to be done over. The texture is off, sloppy patch work, etc.

At first I felt like I was being nit picky, but I paid to have the walls retextured, and this looks like I was the one who did the work. Here’s a few of the photos.

I’m waiting to hear back as to whether he thinks this is up to par or not.

[Deleted]

k3am Those walls look terrible, I’m sorry.

[winecat]

k3am- Oh shit. Yeah- those walls are terrible. The owner better fix it.

[sandandsea]

Yeah. Those need fixed.

[mrsukyankee]

Yikes. That's not good.

[k3am]

Update: We got a long email from the owner last night venting about the labor shortage and how we "switched" the texture at the last minute and that a level 3 finish is not an appropriate texture for the walls. Until today, I didn't know what a level 3 texture is, but google agrees with him. BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY PUT IN THE CONTRACT WHEN WE SAID WE WANTED THE WALLS RETEXTURED. This wasn't a switch, change order, or last minute decision. Don't recommend a texture that's not suitable and then blame it on your homeowner when they're not happy. (Honestly, I don't think he was trying to blame it on us, it just feels that way.)

He wasn't able to access the photos I sent him until this morning. He left a message on DH's phone "woah, that looks like crap, I'm sending a different guy out today. And I need to talk with R, who hasn't brought this to anyone's attention all along."

The labor shortage is a real thing here, I know they're not making it up. But I don't really care. So I'm annoyed at the situation and the excuses, but hopeful they get it fixed.

[woowoo]

k3am, I could have done that work better, and my drywall/patching skills are elementary at best.
I'm sorry.

[dr.girlfriend]

Jan 2, 2020 10:54:11 GMT -5 k3am said:

Update: We got a long email from the owner last night venting about the labor shortage and how we "switched" the texture at the last minute and that a level 3 finish is not an appropriate texture for the walls. Until today, I didn't know what a level 3 texture is, but google agrees with him. BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY PUT IN THE CONTRACT WHEN WE SAID WE WANTED THE WALLS RETEXTURED. This wasn't a switch, change order, or last minute decision. Don't recommend a texture that's not suitable and then blame it on your homeowner when they're not happy. (Honestly, I don't think he was trying to blame it on us, it just feels that way.)

He wasn't able to access the photos I sent him until this morning. He left a message on DH's phone "woah, that looks like crap, I'm sending a different guy out today. And I need to talk with R, who hasn't brought this to anyone's attention all along."

The labor shortage is a real thing here, I know they're not making it up. But I don't really care. So I'm annoyed at the situation and the excuses, but hopeful they get it fixed.

But, like, how hard would it have been for your contractor to stop by and check the work themselves, ESPECIALLY if they know there’s a labor shortage and they are using labor they are not confident in?

[k3am]

dr.girlfriend , I'm right there with you on it and frustrated beyond all else. I don't care about excuses. The project manager (the one who was on our project, then off, then randomly showed up a few times) said he has 10-12 jobs that he's working on at any given time. So you know he's not actually at any of those job sites with any frequency.

That was basically my email to the owner last night. I didn't make any demands or ask for reasons, just said I have some concerns, you look at these pictures, and you tell me if this is the quality of work that you think lives up to your standards.

The designer (who drew up the contract) emailed to appologize for her typo indicating level 3 finishing which should have been level 4. So I've got that in writing at least. But that means... the guys did what they were supposed to do, but no one thought to say "that doesn't make sense, level 3 is never finish quality" or "this looks like shit, let's ask questions to make sure we're doing the right thing."

The whole thing has been bungled, and everyone knows it, but at this point, I just want it done and I want them out of my house. I'm hoping we can do it on cordial tones, because at the end of the day, that's easier for everyone. If we can't get things made right, there is the power of social media (free) and attorneys (not free, unless the one I use for work would be willing to type something up on her letterhead in exchange for all the business I give her, but I'd never ask her to do anything beyond that).

It's just really, really, really frustrating to go with a company because we've used them multiple times before and been happy with the quality of the work, and have it turn out this way. Yelp and Angies List both give them good reviews, with no significant negative recent reviews.

I am trying to talk myself into asking them to eat the overage for materials and hardware that they added as change orders, since I also think they handled that process incorrectly (ie: never told us we were over on costs until they invoiced for the delta after everything was installed). DH would never do it, because he doesn't operate that way.

ETA: I'm actually glad we ended up getting permits this time around, because at least we know that everything should be up to code. But man. 

[k3am]

New mud went up on the walls yesterday and the owner came out to talk to us today. It will be done right. He's also going to look at some of the change orders and see what he can do there to get the price down. I imagine it will be some marginal amount, but at least I asked, right?

[k3am]

At this point, I'm just going to vent here so that I have a record of how shitty this whole thing has been.

New mud went up last week. Friday they did the first round of sanding and... the guy hadn't taped everything off and the closet door wasn't closed all the way. So the ENTIRE closet, all my clothes, inside my medicine cabinets, etc, COATED with drywall dust. So that was fun to find out on Friday night when we're getting ready for bed.

The guy worked yesterday doing.. something, not sure what, and we've got a few places of bubbles in various places (still 10000x better than what they looked like before), but now the ceiling texture is lumpy and cracking. The finish on the new hutch has been damaged and there's paint(? maybe drywall? maybe something else, I haven't tested) all over the trim and light fixtures. The owner is supposed to come out and take a look at it again today.

The way we're going is so awful it would be almost comical. And in case you're counting, we're almost 11 weeks into our 5 week project.

[winecat]

k3am- What in the actual fuck? It almost seems like they're trying to do a bad job. What's the finish on the hutch?

[sandandsea]

Seriously. This is awful. Ugh.

[k3am]

Jan 7, 2020 11:28:02 GMT -5 winecat said:

k3am - What in the actual fuck? It almost seems like they're trying to do a bad job. What's the finish on the hutch?

Some kind of paint? There is 0% chance that they'll be able to repair it and have it look brand new. 

I mean I'm sure there is a good chance another contractor could do it, but at this point, I have zero confidence in them. At this point, the acceptable answer is for them to have the entire cabinet door replaced. Thankfully it's something that can be easily replaced. 

[mrsukyankee]

O.M.G. I'd be livid.

[Deleted]

I am so sorry k3am. The level of incompetence that you are dealing with is truly astounding. My Dad and Brother are contractors. I showed my brother some of the pictures that you've posted and he was appalled and said that this is 100% on the GC and that he should be on your job site every.single.day ensuring that the work is completed and done well, there is zero excuse for the product that you have received up until this point.

[k3am]

I don't even know what my options are. (So far, screaming f* f* f*ity f* f* f* and throwing shoes around in a huff hasn't done much good.)

I just want it done right and I don't want to have to bring another company in to finish it.

[RockNVoll]

Oh my gosh, I can't believe everything you've had to deal with I'm so sorry, and completely feel your pain about awful contractors. I hope the owner steps up and starts taking a more active role and making things right for you.

[simpsongal]

OMG we're getting master bath bids now and your experience is giving me some major angst/hesitation. I'm so sorry - that is insane.

[k3am]

I went home during my lunch break to check in. The walls are actually painted and look good from my quick inspection - there were two guys in there, so it wasn't very thorough. The ceiling had been scraped and a layer of texture was drying on it. They said they had no idea what had happend, but that yesterday it started bubbling and they just had to let it dry so they could start over. (Obviously experts on the job.)

[winecat]

k3am- Did the owner come over?

[k3am]

Jan 7, 2020 17:54:32 GMT -5 winecat said:

k3am- Did the owner come over?

Hahaha... no. He “sent a professional painter.”

Fantastic, right?

[winecat]

Jan 7, 2020 19:07:30 GMT -5 k3am said:

Jan 7, 2020 17:54:32 GMT -5 winecat said:

k3am - Did the owner come over?

Hahaha... no. He “sent a professional painter.”

Fantastic, right?

So... The other painters weren't professionals?