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mellbergfamily

Is this acceptable response from NTCA contractor for bowed wall?

mellbergfamily
3 years ago

Remodeled bathroom in 1950s Home - contracted with NTCA certified tile installer to replace bathtub with walk-in shower. I wanted to keep original arch ceiling and window. My carpenter and I were on site while the work was being done. Contractor visited site in advance and

provided instruction for drywall removal down to studs.



Day 1 delayed - contractor wasn’t familiar with window installation and where to end tile layout - needed carpenter consult.


Day 2 - carpenter on site contractor requested additional modification to plumbing wall - move further back and secure/stabilize shower unit. Agreed on plan for tile and framing finish around window. Carpenter finished within an hour but contractor left to finish a different job and didn’t return.


Day 3 until finish - I work from home office next to the bathroom and carpenter was present every day completing kitchen install.


Contractor left site - no walkthrough. I thought he was coming back to finish Jolly edge and seal grout on floor only until I received an invoice via email did I realize he wasn’t coming back! Pre and post photos of tile work.


Response from NTCA contractor to my concerns and refusal to pay for services until resolved.


Issue 1 - Solution for finishing off the top edge of the tile in the showerThe original scope of work included finishing off the top edge with a jolly piece. Due to the drywall on this project being uneven and varying in thickness, this product will not work. We will apply a credit to your original invoice for the returned/unused jolly pieces that were originally proposed for the top edge of the shower. Keep in mind, some of the pieces remaining are for the kitchen backsplash and you may want to keep a few extra just in case the installer needs them when they install your backsplash (as these pieces can be fragile and break while cutting).We propose installing matching Chair Rail which will help hide the uneven and varying thicknesses in the abutting drywall. See Estimate 4181 sent on September 4th for this option. This estimate $789 includes the cost of the material, shipping, and the installation. These pieces are made-to-order to match the wall tile so there is a several week lead time. To install these, we will cut down the second row of tile from the top in order to install the new Chair Rail piece over the tile/drywall transition. We did not charge for the removal of the old tile, just the installation of the additional pieces since this was not included in the original estimate. If you want to move forward with this option, we would require an 80% deposit.

Issue 2 - Bowed wall on the niche wallTo ensure a flat tiled surface, it is important to start with a flat substrate. Unfortunately, the existing conditions limited our ability to make the substrate as flat as we would have preferred. These conditions should have been brought to your attention before the tile installation proceeded, and for that I do apologize. The installer proceeded to shim the walls and correct the issues as best as was possible according to industry accepted tolerances (there should be no deviations greater than ¼" in 10 feet) within the confines of our trade and the challenging existing conditions. The alternative would have been to stop the installation until the conditions were corrected by others - since we do not provide carpentry services - and this would have caused a substantial delay in the project completion date as your project would have had to wait until the stud walls were fixed and reschedule completion in the next available opening which is in several months. While it would have been best for him to discuss this with you beforehand, he had the best of intentions as he was trying to keep the project moving as scheduled and within your existing budget.


Issue 3: floor grout discolorationThe grout that was used is a premium grout that is supposed to be uniform in color and does not require sealing. I'm not sure why this may be happening. Can you please send us a picture of the area in question? We will need to contact the grout manufacturer's technical department to find out why this is happening to be able to fix it properly.


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