Tell the GC to tell them to treat your home as a work site and to use professional language. Because the work site is your home, many bubbas use overly familiar, and sexist language with the woman of the house. You should not have to confront the subcontractors yourself. Tell the GC that they need to talk to you the same as if you were standing in a regular office building. If they still do it, you can nip it in the bud on-site, and then ask the GC to have another talk with them. "don't you worry little lady, your pretty princess bathroom is going to be all sparkly when I'm done!" I'm sure you're right about that, but will it leak and ruin my walls and floor? What waterproofing method and materials are you using? That's the most important thing here, don't you think? Here's one I heard from someone else on this forum: "I know you. You always have to have it exactly how you have to have it." I have no idea how I'd respond to that one! "You're too hard to please." So, if it's is too hard for you to build a waterproof shower, what are you planning to build here, a non-waterproof shower? Sometimes conractors talk like this just because it's just a habit, and the person just doesn't know any better. But other times it is a "soft" form of bullying and intimidation; a way of "putting you in your place" so that you will shut up and stop asking questions. The quit-contractor on my botched bathroom job said things like this and it was definately a form of intimidation and buillying because they knew they were not waterproofing the shower correctly and they were angry that I had asked questions about it. I was usually only home for a few minutes in the morning, to greet them, ask any questions and then I would leave for the majority of the day. So I only had a couple of minutes each day to talk to them. It's not like I was breathing down their necks asking questions all day long. I was almost always gone. Each and every response coming out of the contractor's mouth was meant to bully and intimidate. This type of bullying is pretty effective most of the time, so there is a lot of incentive for them to use this tactic. My new contactor was totally professional and never, ever, not even once, said anything different to me than he would have to my husband. He was also very very professional and pleasant with the other members of his team. It was the first time ever that I had that experience. The professionalism not only made the whole atmosphere much more pleasant, it enabled great communication between us which helped the whole project go smoothly. Different situtations call for different approaches. If I had a great pro doing awesome work and he had been professional all along, and then one day let slip a remark, I'd probably just let it slide because things are not black and white in this world. On the other hand, if it's happening all the time and is the go-to response every time you ask a question, then the contractor's appoach is starting to affect the communication between contractor and customer. Anything that diminishes the communication is bound to have a negative affect on the overall project. If the customer is feeling intimidated, or made to feel stupid for asking questions, she will probably ask fewer questions, which may lead to misunderstandings and overall negative affect on the work. If the remarks are intended to shut you down, then the contractor will be happy his tactics worked. Think about your regular job. If you had a new team member join in on a project, and everytime they asked you a question about the project, you shut them down with a remark which is meant to make them feel diminished or stupid, would that team member be learining anything? Would the communication among team members be improved? The project would suffer. It's the same thing no matter if you are at an industrial plant, and accounting office, or in your home.

Oh boy. This is where things get ugly. We have to 'split' the blame into small measurable units. Here we go. The homeowner picked the tile (was it rectified? Square edged or eased edge?) and the grout (I'm assuming you picked the COLOUR and not the quality?). You picked the FINISHES. OK. The 'look' is on you. The GC chose NOT to QUOTE for the subfloor work (preparation should be $2-$4/sf x 2200sf = $4400 - $8800 for this job). Which means you did NOT pay for subfloor work. A wonky subfloor = wonky tiled flooring. As cruel as this sounds, you got what you paid for. $0 paid subfloor prep = $0 owing for subfloor prep offered. Next point: The GC picked the STRUCTURAL MATERIALS. That's on HIM. His choice of 'thinset' (LFT requires a different technique) was wrong. That one's on him. His installers did NOT use the proper spacing requirements. Again, the GC OWNS the work his subcontractors produce. Again, this is on him. At this point, this requires a redo. And I mean complete gut and removal, repurchase (if the grout has not gone down you might be able to salvage ++ of these tiles....*might) and reinstall. The GC owes you: Replacement tiles for the one's that cannot be salvaged Proper thinset/mortar materials PROPER TILE SETTERS not just 'some guys' who use a trowel!!! His workers = his headache! Proper leveling system and staggered 1/3 off-set tile setting Quote for subfloor preparation What you owe the GC: 1. Payment for subfloor preparation (budget for $2 - $4/sf...just to be safe) You did not pay for subfloor prep. Sadly, both of you owe this to one another. The GC needs to FINISH his quote and you need to PAY the price for subfloor prep once the final bill (labour + materials) come in. As someone in the flooring industry, I have seen enough flooring mistakes to last a lifetime. This is an expensive lesson that the GC MUST LEARN. Don't feel 'bad' about this. Obviously he's skated by on flooring up to this point. He thought he could do it again...but he thought wrong. Now he pays the price for not knowing something he ought to have known. What you owe yourself: A critique of the overall work of the GC. You need to ask yourself if your GC messed up on such a massive job, is there anything else they messed up on? I do not wish to scare you, but a bad flooring job could be the indicator for other problems with this build. Please make sure you move cautiously with any of the other work that has been done or is supposed to be done in the future. Obvious places to look: Plumbing and Electrical. These require expensive professionals (in a hot Canadian market a Red Seal Plumber or Electrician bills $180/hr = more per hour than a Family Physician = $122/hr). A PROFESSIONAL tile setter is one of the other BIG EXPENSES on a build. They are so expensive that many GCs (yours included) will try to save money by using 'guys who swish a trowel'. If your GC cheaped out on tiling, what else did he cheap out on?

Cement board for a tub wrap or shower is still a popular way to go however it is not water-proof. Topical organic, cement or fabric membrane materials providing a positive water-proof tile assembly are much better and becoming the industry norm; just a matter of time. This being said, when using a "liquid" applied water-proof, the depth of material applied, is paramount. Each manufacturer spells out how many millimeters and coats are to be applied to get the desired result. More is not better! As with all things tile install related, following the manufacturer's directions is key. RedGard or Aqua Defense are good if used properly for organics; Ardex 8+9 for cement based. Schluter Kerdi, Ardex, Wedi or Laticrete fabric membrane products are better IMO. Please be certain that your installer is providing you either a cbu (cementitious backer unit) tile assembly or a water-proof assembly. That way you have a better chance of having reasonable expectations and less of a chance of buyer's remorse. Also inquire about warranty both from your installer and available manufacturer's warranties. It can take several years for a shower failure to show itself. These days there are a lot of installers who have no formal instruction. IMHO these other pros above have provided you correct information.

@3onthetree -you need to add a warning before your post - e.g., “Please swallow all food/water prior to reading.” I was taking a drink of water - and started choking when I read the second part of your post. My daughter looked at me, and was like, ”Are you going to be okay???!!?” At least no water shot out of my nose . . . @Annie J- I would seriously listen to the above advice re: design issues. You are receiving great advice from extremely knowledgeable professionals, as well as some very experienced non-professionals. I am very sorry that you are going through this. Several months ago, I carefully hired the contractor for my master bathroom renovation. As I am typing this, the few remaining slate tiles are being removed from the floor - along with the underlying cement board - in order for the entire subfloor to be reinforced correctly to meet the specifications for installing natural stone tiles. This is in addition to quite a bit of expensive Italian marble tile that already had to be removed from the shower walls. My renovation began the first week of April - then there were huge delays - followed by incorrect prep work + installation. I hired a licensed GC with a great reputation (second highest bid out of five) + had personal recommendations from two law partners who had previously used him. It’s very unfortunate - but at least you know there are issues NOW. Also - regardless of whether you have a written contract or not, you most likely have recourse against your former contractor. Most (if not all) states have enacted statutes that protect homeowners during renovation projects like this. Additionally, you may be able to be awarded the amount you spent re: engaging an attorney - depends upon the jurisdiction where you’re located (the consumer protection act in my state provides for this - states have a vested interest in protecting their citizens, and by allowing an award for attorney fees, they encourage people to bring suits against this type of contractor in order to try to prevent this from happening to someone else). You also could bring the suit in small claims (without an attorney) depending upon the monetary damage limits established for your particular jurisdiction.