Yah...$10 - $12/sf for materials+install is the going rate around here (super hot Canadian housing market). And that does NOT include the subfloor prep. To my ears/eyes the $10/sf quote is absolutely normal. I often tell people that you can then budget another $1-$4/sf for subfloor prep. The $1/sf prep is a little bit of work here and there. The $4/sf subfloor prep would be one of the worst subfloors you have ever seen = almost a week worth of work just to get it ready. Both the $1/sf and the $4/sf range are rare. It is more common to see the $2/sf range for subfloor prep. Much more common. If you take that benchmark into consideration, you will have a pretty firm grasp of what is a head of you. And remember: that subfloor prep is required for EVERYTHING else - other than carpet. No matter what you choose, that $2/sf is going to be there no matter what. For me, that means if you want tile then get tile. There is no escaping the prep nor the cost.

Yes. We went on a two week cruise. The dogs were at boarding. During this time, the remediation company did the tear out, repair and replacement. It worked out beautifully. We had used this company previously. So, we had a pretty good idea of their work standard. I'm a control freak and they met my comfort level. Prior to departure, I had a meeting with the foreman. We discussed the project thoroughly. I placed an order on file with their preferred tile supplier in advance. I also left the tile setter a document with illustrations explaining what I wanted. They texted me pictures of the progress. It went really well. They did a great job with clean up. I couldn't be happier. We decided to go with a reduced project. We did not get into changing the countertop or flooring. We didn't get into the bath surround, either. When they did the tear out, it would appear that we discovered the leak very quickly. The Advantech flooring base had gotten wet, but was not soaked, or damaged. The tile setter advised us to keep it in place. He was afraid if he cut it out and replaced it, we would have cracking around the base walls very quickly. The material appeared to be in really good condition. We went with his recommendation. What we ended up doing was trimming the entry surround in the same manner as the other doorways in the room. Originally, the surround was made of tile. I thought the transition to a different tile would be too jarring. Thus, the doorway trim and base trim in wood painted to match the rest of the room. I think it works. I only have two complaints. One, the shower seat is narrower than it was before. It's really not much of a seat anymore. But, it works as a shelf and place to shave your legs. Two, the new tile wasn't quite as thick as the old tile and the shower door doesn't seal quite as tightly as before. It's acceptable, but not perfect. I had them take down the huge sconces over the tub and not replace them. I'm going to buy new ones to replace the old ones. I'm going to apply Rub and Buff to the lights above the sinks to tie them all together. The biggest improvement was the removal of the gross green walls. We painted them Sherwin Williams 2017 Creamy. It's a huge improvement. It's amazing what a coat of the right paint can do to update a room. Why did I not go for a full renovation? We have decided that our tenure in this house is only around five years. It didn't make sense to pour a lot of money into the bath. We would never get it out when we go to sell. This is plenty good enough and very functional. New doorway surround and paint job. New tile. We kept the old shower door, grab bars and shower controls The tile is a 12"x4" white porcelain subway tile with a bit of a relief. It doesn't get any simpler than hexagonal tile in white with white grout. We used an upgraded white grout that does not mildew throughout.

The living room trim doesn't look random because that trim is throughout the main level except for the master bedroom. The oak is what seems random to me because it's only there in the hallway, though in multiple areas (banister, wood column that's hiding an old chimney, and built-in shelves next to the column. The door stain is kind of random also. The whole has random elements because the previous owners really went to town with "upgrades", but they choose a lot of different finishes, so the main living area has four different wood colors between the door stain, walnut trim, the oak, and hickory cabinets in the kitchen. Maybe I can stain the oak to match the walnut trim at some point. I don't think the entryway shelves will look cluttered because there will be baskets on all of them to hold shoes etc. DH didn't want cupboards, and the kids would probably break doors on them anyway. It's hard to figure out what will eventually go and what won't. There's a whole lot that I'd like to replace/redo, but DH doesn't really want to do any of it, so... I'm leaning toward keeping the beadboard but painting it the wall color. I had a designer come today and she said beadboard would look ok if it was painted the wall color. Also, the dining room, which is visible from the entryway, has a narrow strip type of wainscoting that is reminiscent of beadboard, though stained walnut color, so I don't think it will look too out of place.

Looking for advice on how best to get this travertine fireplace to match the rest of updates in the house. Ideally I’d like to keep the stone look as the outside of the house has limestone, but don’t want it to just look painted over. Pictured are two views of the fireplace & the view from the kitchen (backsplash not yet installed but will be a subway tile with a ripple/wave to it). Thank you!