Why do you think they are incorrectly installed? Not saying that they aren't. Just want to know why you think they are. Usually the screw holding the control knob is on the bottom. The screws holding the plate are normally level with each other or above/below each other.

Not sure how the knob turns on but if you rotate, it is normally anticlockwise and cold turning to hot as you rotate anticlockwise. If it is lift up to turn on and rotate for temperature, it is anti for warmer and clock for cooler.

The guest bath in the house I bought was installed improperly (the former above). Had to reverse the water pipes to correct it.

If you have a screwdriver or Allen wrench, you might be able to readjust the knob. If you still have the installation guide, you can see if it is attached correctly.

kudzu9 is correct ^.

Or focus on how you source, vet and hire. Like i said its unfortunate FOR YOU and a hard lesson in the hiring process, but there are teams out there that dont let novice cut corner things like this happen you just have to know how to find them and the right questions to ask or the right friends and family to trust to get referrals..

You can blame all the professionals the world over but i dont think you have hired one. If you had you wouldnt be here, you'd already have the issue fixed.

Not blaming you but pointing out the errors here for others to help everyone avoid novice errors.

Now you can choose to look at the core or vent at me like everyone else on these POOR ME forums

lastly your source photo posted a few posts up is an ADvert. In no way reflects what this valve looks like installed. There always is a small amount of sleeve showing it is a part of the valve trim kit and it gets more visible when the valve is open. Not to the extent you have but that was my original point that got shunned and then Bashed by trolls. You are likely mad because your stuck with a subpar install and a hack crew that isnt taking care of you. Not Every pro in the world.

I agree he was not a professional, just that he portrayed himself as such. Unfortunately the reality for me is I am very rural and very few people do contracting work near me. Part of this is absolutely on us. We had hired this guy previously and had no issues. We even talked to previous customers who wouldn't say anything bad until after they found out we were having a bad experience. We trusted him too much. I am pissed that this guy wont even refund us for work that is not completed and we are facing a lawsuit with him. I am pissed that the plumbers basically went "not my problem" and refused to even respond to us until I left them a negative review.

I am not expecting these trim kits to fit snug, I know that is not realistic. But they look so ridiculous as they are.

I don't feel like I can trust any one else at this point, nor do I have the money to. We are going to fix what we can to move back into our home as we have been displaced for 9 months so far. This will have to be fixed down the road. I do appreciate any advice I have gotten. When we are able we will be opening up the walls to fix these valves. Not sure what to do about our tub faucet as that might require tearing out some tiles.

yranda-

It's reasonable for you to expect the trim kit to fit snugly with just a bit of clearance when the valve is installed properly. I put one in myself a couple of years ago and I must have measured and remeasured 10 times to make sure that, once the cement board, the thinset, and the tile was in place, the distance from the face of the valve to the finished surface was right. Trim kits differ, but you often have a narrow range of leeway -- like 1/2"-3/4" -- to get the trim to sit tight against the wall. Don't beat yourself up too much: you had reasonable expectations and you didn't know in advance how critical this part of the install is, and that this guy wasn't up to it.

I have a similar Moen valve. It comes with a plastic plate that you attach to the front using the same screws that hold the trim plate. The instructions say plainly that the surface of this plate must be set to the finished surface of the wall. When you don't have a wall, you have to measure as K said (sheetrock/concrete-board + thinset + tile or whatever) and mount accordingly.

Myranda, we have the same issue where we live. It's so hard to get good people. I'll pay any price for someone to do good work, just cannot find them sometimes. I need stone people, brick people, etc etc..... I'm always asking everyone like a beggar who they know/use.

Elsaduty:

You haven’t seen anything yet. The kids aren’t stupid. They’ve seen the value the marketplace has placed on the value of their father’s skills and want no part of that contempt.

The good guys left don’t encourage them and we’re retiring in droves as soon as we recover our 401K’s from the beating we took a decade ago.

Fairfield Inn, Acworth, Georgia, room 120, new construction. No grab bars in the shower and the shower door handle gouges the wall:

I thought the stacked 2cm engineered stone lobby desk was poorly painted MDF at first glance:

This stuff drives me nuts, but I digress.

Your chance to get it done right was before you paid the GC or plumber or to withhold a % of the payments until the punch list was completed.

The suggestion that it would have been better to do it yourself is unrealistic although I understand the sentiment.

Sticking way too far out of the wall.

Plumber's licenses don't come with a clue.