I think pre-made laminate counters can be had quite cheaply. Looked it up, Lowe's website has a 6 foot laminate ready to install for $67. YOu'd have to cut the hole for the sink though. Still has to be easier than buying supplies and tools and attempting it yourself, and maybe messing up...I'm sure they could tell you what to cut it with. You can rent the proper saw if you need to (from them or rental places)Depot's site didn't list any, but I know they have them. Also, try Craigslist.com , you might get lucky! http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=142966-1110-4724116L&lpage=none Here is a link that might be useful: counters

You asked if this can be fixed without removing the tub. Yes. It would be a matter of removing the cement board with the attached tile from above the tub. Unless this is the world's worst tile job, that tile isn't coming off the cement board any time soon, so it all goes together. You may cry, but they need to take a hammer to your new tile to get at the board underneath. It's unlikely that there is cement board down behind the tub. Most tubs (all?) are designed to be installed next to the studs. For the bit of wall in front of the tub, they use a skinny piece of cement board to cover that space. Do you need to remove showerhead, etc.? Sort of. You need to unscrew the fixtures from the underlying plumbing pipes and cap the lines until the work is done. Not a big deal. That tubs and showers need to be waterproofed as StoneTech described is not something known only to those in the know. The 18 year old kid in the tile isle at HD knows this, I know this, there is no way a contractor doesn't know this. My guess is 1) someone forgot to staple up the poly, which is a cheap and quick job, before they hung the cement board and they decided to forget it, or 2) he took a short cut and figured he'd be gone before you discovered the wall damage. In any case, you have a problem. Yes, the whole tile job needs to come down and done over. Having just done this same job (DIY) in our own bath, I would suggest that Kerdi is overkill for a tub enclosure, but you can if you want. We hemmed and hawed and finally went with HydroBan, but the poly is also acceptable. Grout and cement board are both permeable - there has to be a barrier. If all is right in the world, your contractor owes you for demo, materials, and re-do.

I did my bathroom over because I also had mold in the walls. The bathroom was added in the 40's. I used the smooth cement board because I wanted the option to tile everything if I wanted PLUS I had a piece of cement board left outside in the heat, sun, rain, sleet, and snow for months and it never warped, came apart or anything. Granted, cement board is usually only used under tile but I think using it instead of drywall in the bathroom was a smart idea. We wound up only tiling the shower area tub to ceiling and painted the rest. If I change my mind and want to put in tile on the ceiling or on other parts of the wall it is an easy fix. There was a skim coat put on the cement board and it is very smooth. You just have to get someone who knows what they are doing to skim the walls. It looks just as good as drywall, if not better, and you can not tell the difference at all. Hope this helps

It is an ambitious timeframe. Redgard is pretty specific about the surfaces it can go on and has specific instructions for priming gypsum drywall before you apply it. Don't RUSH this waterproofing step - prime it correctly to get the right bond, and then make sure you build up the right thickness of film. http://www.custombuildingproducts.com/products/surface-preparation/waterproofing-membranes-underlayments/redgard.aspx How big is the gap from the tub to the drywall? You can build the tile thinset up to cheat the wall a little bit, it depends on how far off we are talking. But one of the problems people experience with 'large format tiles' that you are using is lippage, which you're risking having with an uneven wall surface. It might be better to correct the wall itself instead.