I have. And he claims I weasled out of part of his payment. Our contract stated that if the work was completed by Nov. 15th I would pay a $400 bonus. He missed it by 6 weeks. On Dec. 28th, the punch list was 2 pages. I read the forums for 6 weeks before I hired him, too. I'm a natural researcher and thought I had done everything right but it's the same boring story y'all have responded to over and over. He has moved on to other jobs and pretty much gives me the "double back flip". The shower is just one small part of the cf. The whole bathroom was gutted, plumbing moved and a load-bearing wall altered to allow for a closet. The little house is 630 sq. ft. My dad is 78 and finally admitted that his full-time, manual labor job was "getting to be too much". I wanted his last home to be as nice as possible, though small. Not "marble and $1000 light fixture" nice but "heated floor and well-functioning for an old cowboy" nice. Ya know? Then in a few years I'll do the marble and soaker tub stuff for me, hahah! The GC is also probably a little reluctant to come back since my dad and exhusband (best friend) have both threatened to inflict various forms of bodily harm upon him. Which I would have condoned with pleasure if I didn't love both of them dearly! I really didn't mean to get wordy. I've done enough searches on here to know I'm not the only person that didn't get excellant work out of a remodel job. The important thing is that I can finish what's left, with their help, get my dad moved in and for him to enjoy some retirement while he still has his health. And for neither of them to be arrested for inflicting bodily harm! :)

Well after chasing down the plumber since before christmas he is finally done roughing in everything he has to rough in. So we're moving ahead at a snail's pace. GC installed the shower base per instructions and it installed pretty easily. The subfloor was very level to start with and then tiny minor tweaks (pushing it down a little on one side etc) got the pan dead level. It looked pretty easy to install anyway (I was standing there while he did it). Feels pretty solid too. They recommend that you leave I think 1/2" all around when you install it? something like that, to make it easier to position in the walls. My gc just put placed the shower pan in the right position and screwed down the base plates for the stud walls around it so he was able to install it a little more tightly. I think it was much easier to just have it resting against the base plate rather than having to manipulate it with the whole wall framed out already. The thing is HEAVY and you have to watch for fiberglass splinters on the outside of the flange.

Reading here at GardenWeb, I know that tile and grout are not waterproof. Your guy is just not informed. Yes, we have bathrooms done "the old way" and sometimes the tile above the bathtub did stay for many years. But how many have rotten walls and floors behind them? Do yourself a favor and read up on how a shower should be built before you hire the next person, and talk about their methods and products before you hire. People are still out there, putting up materials worth thousands of dollars, not knowing what they are doing. After the leaks ruin other rooms in the house, all has to be torn out and redone. It happens all the time. Here is a current thread: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4654503/wall-underlayment-for-shower-best-practice?n=4

Really recommend you get an onsite inspection, analysis and discussion with a very qualified tile contractor (not the folks who performed the work). There are several approaches to this. None are effortless, but onsite is a must, and a pro is a must. You already know you have issues. No more advice from the internet will solve them. If you are near any of these certified contractors, that is one place to start. https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/find-certified-tile-installers Or referrals from trusted sources locally. Where did you buy the tile? If it is a quality tile supplier, they may be able to provide you with the "A list". And yes, re-visit the "curbless" in your situation. At the very least, a small threshold, but this can be discussed along with the other issues with the Pro.