do you have this thing, next door forum? very useful to ask for recommendations like that..locals and all www.nextdoor.com you'll need to get registered, if you're not yet also Angie's List, to some extent-tons of reviews just in case there's nobody here at where you live

The GC told us to go to the showroom where we picked out the tile with the salesperson. The showroom has it's own full-time installers who did the labor. So, I suppose the supplier as the subcontractor "picked up and inspected" the tile. We never saw the tile before it was installed. We did not pick up (installer did), inspect (installer did), nor pay for the tile (GC paid the subcontractor). We complained about this to the GC immediately and said we weren't ready to pay for what we felt was a faulty product after install. He inspected it himself, twice, as did the installer, and they both basically shrugged it off and said it was cheap tile that "likes dirt" (this is not the case). Despite our complaints, the GC paid the subcontractor for the product and install. The tile that was installed was not the tile we picked out. It took over a year of us working directly with the subcontractor with no help from the GC to get the tile in front of a rep from the manufacturer who confirmed that the tile was faulty and should not have been installed. As the GC, I feel that he did not do what we have already paid him to do which was to facilitate the project and manage the renovations to ensure everything was completely properly in a timely fashion. We have paid him for all other subcontractor expenses as well as for his services and profit as the GC. We only withheld payment for this one item, which we knew was not completed properly.

Minimum code is 30" for a toilet-15" from the center of the toilet to any solid object. How much is in your new plan? I'm in definite agreement about the barn door. The hardware causes it to sit away from the wall and it will be terrible for privacy or light control.

I am in Los Angeles and finished a remodel in a high rise. My remodel included a the master bath - I replaced the tub shower combination with a tiled shower which followed the footprint of the original tub. As has been posted, a shower in a high rise ESPECIALLY requires permits and multiple inspections. The plans were submitted to the City and my HOA had to approve everything. It required my signing a construction agreement with a deposit against damage. As I recall I also needed access to my neighbor's unit below me because the drain for a shower/tub is different than a drain for a tub but I might be confusing this with access needed for my neighbor's apartment in the guest bathroom because of some issues with old pipes :-). The shower itself was inspected three times including a 24 hour flood test as well as inspection of the fixtures installed. At least in Los Angeles, there are additional construction requirements for building in a high rise. For example, none of the framing can be wood in a building over three stories. The framing in my bathroom (and in a few other places in my unit) was replaced and it was metal and had to be installed at very specific distances and with specific metal materials. The FRAMING had to be inspected as well. I am not familiar with NYC Code requirements but would imagine that NYC is at least as stringent as Los Angeles in terms of building codes - especially in multi family high rise units. In my personal experience, one of the best sources for a great contractor if one lives in a coop/condo is to ask your manager who people in the building use and/or ask neighbors who have recently renovated. Hiring someone who has done a few jobs in your building is helpful as they know how to work with management and they also have experienced some of the quirks of the building. Doing major remodeling work in a high rise condo/coop is like nothing else. Just getting materials in and demo debris out on elevators is something that needs to be factored. Most condos/coops also have strict rules about how construction is done. And as pointed out, the ramifications of shoddy workmanship are potentially catastrophic - a water line that bursts or leaks can costs millions of damage as the water cascades through every unit in the stack down to the lobby. My GC (and my designer) were both people who had worked on projects in my building before I hired them and there was actually a network of GC's who knew each other working. My GC would regularly visit with the GC down the hall who was working on another unit. ETA - And the cost of work in a metropolitan condo/coop for anything is higher than the same work would be in a single family home - even in the same area in terms of cost of living. Because of construction rules, hours are limited which increases cost; floors and surfaces have to be protected - this is expensive in terms of both materials and the labor required to put down and take up every day; bringing in materials takes time; parking can be limited. For this reason many great contractors don't want to work in a high rise and so the pool is somewhat limited - which can be a good thing since as I wrote, it is generally helpful to hire someone who has worked in a specific building before. What was the scope of OP's work for his previous work with his GC. In my experience there is a huge difference between doing relatively minor cosmetic remodeling versus the kind of critical expertise needed for bathrooms. My HOA required proof of GC’s license and insurance as well as Certificate of Insirance naming the building as an additional insured. They also required proof that the permit’s had been obtained.