I would like to chime in again in response to hollysprings' post. I do appreciate her insight, and others who are way more knowledgeable about this stuff than I. I agree that there are often circumstances that we may not be aware of that drive costs up, but let's face it, for many of us the construction industry is an enigma and it is already so hard to sift the wheat from the chaff. It only makes it harder for us when they don't let us know what goes into an estimate and we are left in the dark. Not only trying to find someone upstanding, but also someone who you get along with and understands your goals in the project. And I do think we should know the separation of labor and materials at least in some basic context. Obviously there is some range of cost that they have taken into account in order to come up with a lump sum estimate in the first place. Not to mention their own magic number that they need in order to make a decent living. And yes, there is a difference between nit-picking and getting a range of expected customer's choice driven costs. Shouldn't there be some responsibility on the contractor to let us know what types of allowances they are taking into consideration? I am new to remodeling, much like the OP. Unfortunately there are not many good resources for us noobs to educate ourselves about the construction process, how contractors work, good design, and product knowledge. Which is why I and so many others are on online forums such as this. I have been burned a few times attempting to learn and ask those same questions, like what the driving force is behind estimates and it is very frustrating because many contractors are not able to really articulate these things. What I have experienced is either a well organized design/ hold firm that does high quality work but only wants to work with luxury finishes or small time guys who come recommended by friends and neighbors that don't have a broad range of knowledge of products/design. And then those who do really great jobs for their friends and families but slack off for those who aren't on their Christmas list. No one I have met as a potential or actual client has been particularly interested in answering my questions, except with a short answer and a 'trust me I know what I'm doing'. I do know you get what you pay for and I am able to pay for what I want, but I also want to gain an understanding in what those driving forces are behind the costs. And in my expensive area of the country, it is very easy for me to feel and actually be price gouged.

AO can be found in just about any city nationwide. However, their hex will also be cushioned, as will Dals, or just about anyone else's you find. That said, Justin, I DID post to your thread in the bathrooms forum about a way to use the cushioned tiles, and still get the look you want, by having a stone refinisher come in and refinish your floor once you're done installing and grouting it. They'll grind it down so that you loose the "cushion" and it has the same flat look as the floor you have right now.

But then you made it clear you arent in the trades your an accountant gone weekender and maybe youre good at it who knows Well I grew up in construction had both a plumbing and electricians license....So yeah I am pretty damned good at it. but we know thats rare as evidenced here by all the travesties in reno's on these forums Ninety five percent of the posts on these forums are from trades taking advantage of people. Do you even look at the posts? How many times have we seen tile installed terribly? So I am sorry if these particular forums are evidence of anything it is the incompetent nature of the trades. Now I am not saying that this the case, people post here when they have a problem, but I am saying it sure as hell isn't evidence to the contrary. Jumping to defraud folks now Huh? how about selling a home without permitted bathrooms.....defrauding... This is a deflection. I am sure my mom said something about two rights don't make a wrong. Furthermore, can you please show me anywhere I said that bathrooms shouldn't be permitted? I have never made that claim, in fact, I said permitting was pretty easy. Furthermore, there is nothing and I mean absolutely nothing fraudulent about selling a home with unpermitted work done. NOTHING. Now it is fraud if the homeowner doesn't reveal that, but in no way are those things equal. But I may be charging wages for the hours of time I spend driving to procure building materials for you at which I pay taxes at the point of sale and I may get my standard 10% markup on that or I may add it to the job if you choose to purchase and procure all that I have no idea what you are even trying to say here, but I will note that you are prohibited from benefiting from a 10% markup in either a time and materials or a cost plus contract. So are you saying that you are working in a time and materials contract (assumed because you are charging for driving around) and not passing trade discounts on to your customers? Heck I could spend an hour explaining SPF2 KDHT lumber vs KDAT and then have you call me from the lumber yard or show up with abunch of warped lumber. Again, this really has nothing to do with a bathroom remodel. Did I advise people to go buy treated lumber? We are talking fixtures and tile. But its also the first place people come to complain when it goes horribly wrong. See above... Someday when an isurance claim gets declined.. Homeowners insurance can't deny claims for DIY work unless the work was done negligently (which it wouldn't be unless you were intentionally trying to damage your home). Furthermore, where am I advocating for a DIY? I didn't. I advocated for consumers purchasing their fixtures and tile smartly. You are all in a bunch about something I never said. ETA: i know you are a good one at arguing with pros here over the years. No I am not. I am a good one at arguing that people think about the marginal costs of projects. There are times and budgets when pros are necessary and I absolutely defend pros when they are needed or when they are right. Again, I am not arguing for a DIY project nor did I ever. I am advocating making smart consumer buying choices. There is no legitimate reason that a time and materials contractor needs to be the one to purchase fixtures. Consumers should ensure they are buying the right product and there can be a few problems if the contractor isn't given model numbers and relevant information in advance, however, done properly there are significant savings with no cost to contractor.

I know a bit about EPA and it’s just that I was sceptical that they would have put in place a rule preventing people from refinishing their bathtubs. I looked into this a little more and think I found what you may have been referring to. OSHA has safety requirements to protect people who work with methylene chloride, a hazardous solvent that is used often in bathtub refinishing. There is no prohibition of its use, but there is a requirement that employers protect worker health, and have outside exhaust equipment to bring to a home job site if the tub is being done in place. I suppose some companies may not have wanted to spend money to provide for such protection, so it might be a little harder to find a refinisher, but one can still get this done. In any case, since the chemical does not end up in the new finish, there’s no threat to the consumer who has a bathtub refinished this way.