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How can I save money on bathroom shower and floor work?

15 years ago

Long story short, a plumbing leak in our master bath has brought us to the conclusion that we need to retile our 36"x36" shower and install a new base...and, while we're at it, perhaps install a new tile floor in Master Bath (currently, it's vinyl sheet in a southwestern inspired pattern. ICK). The bathroom shower and floor are about 20 years old and in need of updating.

I've gotten two quotes for labor, NO materials - both about 4k to 5k for the shower and the floor. The more expensive quote includes demolition and is provided by a company that offers 'turnkey' service. I feel comfortable w/ them and they will make the process easy for me. The cheaper one does not include demolition and is just a remodeling service by a VERY busy guy who won't be getting to this project until Sept. Neither quote includes the cost of tile, shower pan and new door, or a new shower head and valve/valve cover.

Are there any ways for me to reduce costs a little on the labor? Or do these sound reasonable? I *think* the bathroom floor space is about 6x9, but is an odd shape due to our angled jacuzzi tub.

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Comments (8)

bill_vincent
15 years ago
You say the floor space is 6x9, but what about the size of the shower?
organic_donna
15 years ago
There is nothing more important than choosing a good tile guy. I had to wait a long time for my contractor to do my bathroom. I paid a lot of money but the job is perfect. Read the many horror stories from people that didn't get good results. It costs a lot more to have to tear it up and start all over.
Donna
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The tile is vinyl...she can't paint the "grout". To me wall color reads a little too much on the blue side, it needs more of a yellow undertone to go with your tub & vanity top. I think the clean white can work for trim and vanity, but only if you bring in more of the creamy/tan colors. I'd just stick with a fairly monochromatic theme-no prints because then you're really stuck with a 'theme'. You can bring in a print with wall art. I'd go more with texture than print, however. In our main bath reno, we have the same tub configuration. We put in white/gray marble tiles with a light grout. The tiles have a touch of tan in them also. I went with a blue wall color-reminiscent of beach glass, and all white trim. We put up beadboard on the ceiling where there used to be a flurescent light tube box built in. I used brush silver accessories and bright white towels. For the shower curtain I chose a shimmery blue one from Ikea. I don't have a 'theme' other than ahhhhh=it's just very calming to walk in there. I do have a stone Buddha and a couple of small shadow boxes of Asian coins. In any case, I'd definitely get a different shower curtain-that one just does not work with your floor.
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I can't help but picture orange with this blue. Or a saturated blue and white. A textured all white curtain would look great as well. In no particular order, here are links to a few colourful patterned ones I found: Peaches - orange pink and green - Urban Outfitters Blue and white - Urban Outfitters Flamingo - Anthropologie Orange Contemporary - Rachael Taylor - Wayfair Medallion - Blue and White - Target Navy & white - Wayfair (might be too dark) Orange and white Ikat - Wayfair Lime? (Doesn't look lime on my screen) - Red Barrel Studio - Wayfair Moroccan Orange - Wayfair I think you can have a lot of fun with your shower curtain. So many colours look good with this blue. The trick might be to match the colour intensity.
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Heed MillWorkman's advice. Any change of plane, whether it is wall to ceiling, wall to floor, wall to wall, etc.. will almost always require caulk of some sort. !00% silicone for anything around water. In other areas, a siliconized caulk, or paintable 100% silicone caulk can be used. I have done a lot of painting, either for myself or others, and I learned from an experienced pro to put a light layer of caulk in corners, around mill work, and wall to wall/ceiling/floors to prevent the paint from cracking/splitting. Just my 2 Lincolns worth.
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stretchad
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi Bill, the shower is 36 inches square. Tile is up to 72 inches.
bill_vincent
15 years ago
I think you might want to get a couple more prices. That sounds pretty high to me.
tdegen
15 years ago
I think when I looked into having my bathroom re-done, the quote I got was around 5,000 as well. This included demo, dumpster rental, "materials and labor" (excluding tile, grout, tub, sink and fixtures).

Note: when I read that "materials and labor" excluding a bunch of materials - I had to ask wat materials were covered. Basically he covered mortar, any minor drywall work and backerboard for the tile -- the items whose cost was pretty much fixed and known.

In any case, I opted to do the work myself (10'x8' bathroom). Tiling the floor was *very* easy. Tiling the ceiling above the tub was surprisingly easy as well (althought grouting was a bit messy). I did have a little trouble tiling the walls however. The tiling was a bit uneven on the first wall I did. Forutnately the grout hides a lot of the inconsistancies.

In any case, if you want to save money, I'd recommend doing the demolition and tiling the floor yourself and then hiring someone to do the walls and ceiling.
bill_vincent
15 years ago
Stretchad-- where abouts are you located? I might be able to give you the name of a good installer. I know people all over the country, and we might get lucky. :-)
stretchad
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi Bill, I'm in Madison, WI.
I'm waiting on one more quote from a person highly recommended through angies list. The other folks were also sourced off of angies list and had strong ratings too, although one is affiliated with a Kitchen and Bath Remodeler with an actual store front. We're new to WI so getting references from people has been difficult!
stretchad
Original Author
15 years ago
Here are some photos of the bathroom with the shower and floor that we're pricing out.

The tiles in the shower only go up to 72", and the floor is all we're touching, outside of the shower. The tiles on the jacuzzi surround are staying, for now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bathroom Photos

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