Bathtub replacement/renos

[Regular_John]

Hey CP,

The shoddy $100 surround on in our bathroom has gotta go and we may end up replacing the entire tub/surround with something more durable. Anyone in Calgary (insert JOSHTHEGASFITTER reference here) CP would recommend & have experience with?

I'm not looking for one of those "just cover the problem with more plastic" outfits, but my budget isn't huge either (less than $3k would be great). We've got one company coming in for a quote this week, but I figured some of the more experienced homeowners here might have experience/insight with such a project.

[surferguy]

pm'd

[AMG_G]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Hey CP,

The shoddy $100 surround on in our bathroom has gotta go and we may end up replacing the entire tub/surround with something more durable. Anyone in Calgary (insert JOSHTHEGASFITTER reference here) CP would recommend & have experience with?

I'm not looking for one of those "just cover the problem with more plastic" outfits, but my budget isn't huge either (less than $3k would be great). We've got one company coming in for a quote this week, but I figured some of the more experienced homeowners here might have experience/insight with such a project.

From my past experience don't tell them that your budget is x amount. They will usually quote you for a little less than x. If they didn't know your budget it will be a more "honest" quote.

[ricosuave]

we had great success with Moda, the usually advertise in the Sun.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by AMG_G

From my past experience don't tell them that your budget is x amount. They will usually quote you for a little less than x. If they didn't know your budget it will be a more "honest" quote.

I struggle with this, I agree with the statement and have been burned by it in the past. There have been a few occasions where I have met with clients and done up designs based on their wants and needs only to have them be shocked by the costs in the end. I will always ask up front a budget so I can design within the constrains. Materials are a major cost in any job and if I know budget X then that allows me to choose tile A or B. 90% of the time my labour is not affected by materials.

Because I do design and build I can usually nail down my exact cost right from the get go because I know what I am building, layouts, materials are predetermined and are accounted for in the quote based upon the agreed design.

People can feel that the budget question is disingenuous (because most contractors will do the exact thing you mentioned) but those are the reasons I ask it.


In the end it costs me some jobs, I am just trying to separate myself from other contractors by being as open as possible. Most appreciate the open communication and those are the people I want to work for anyway.

[GoinAllTheWay]

I"m in the middle of doing the main bathroom in my place and replacing the bathtub/surround is acutally not all that hard. Do you have any experience drywalling as you will need to do a bit.

First off, rip out the old surround. If it's the thin walled type, it's likely just glued into place and can be ripped out by hand. Sounds like you have this type.

The only thing holding your bathtub in place is gravity, a series of clips screwed into the surrounding studs and the plumbing fittings. All setups are different obviously but to get the actual tub out, all you need to do is find the clips I mentioned (they will be around the edges of the tub, probably 5 or so in total) and remove the screws. You will also need to removed the drain (done with a bathtub wrench) and the overflow valve plate which only requires a screwdriver. Once done, the bathtub should just pull out of place (removing drywall may be necessary at this point). Once it's out, slide new bathtub into place, screw the drain back in, re-attach the overflow plate and bathtub clips, repair any drywall damage and put in the new surround.

This is obviously dumbing things down a bit but honestly, it's not that hard and a VERY rewarding experience. I just got my new tub in and can email you some pictures if you need to see what I'm getting at.

If all you doing is replacing the bathtub/surround, it would cost you waaaaay less than 3k to do it yourself. In my case, just buying a very standard bathtub, it cost me $150. The surround may be a little cheaper. So total for new tub, surround and a sheet of drywall would cost you less than $500.

I truly do believe more homeowners should try to do things like this themselves. Yes you may make a few mistakes but you learn a TON. And like I said, the satisfaction of doing yourself can't be beat. I'm by no means an expert and the only things I wouldn't touch in a home are gas fittings and structural stuff like moving load bearing posts/beams. Oh, and 3 and 4 way switches make my brain bleed.

[AMG_G]

Originally Posted by surferguy

I struggle with this, I agree with the statement and have been burned by it in the past. There have been a few occasions where I have met with clients and done up designs based on their wants and needs only to have them be shocked by the costs in the end. I will always ask up front a budget so I can design within the constrains. Materials are a major cost in any job and if I know budget X then that allows me to choose tile A or B. 90% of the time my labour is not affected by materials.

Because I do design and build I can usually nail down my exact cost right from the get go because I know what I am building, layouts, materials are predetermined and are accounted for in the quote based upon the agreed design.

People can feel that the budget question is disingenuous (because most contractors will do the exact thing you mentioned) but those are the reasons I ask it.


In the end it costs me some jobs, I am just trying to separate myself from other contractors by being as open as possible. Most appreciate the open communication and those are the people I want to work for anyway.

I do agree with what you are saying but for his bathroom reno he already stated he wants to keep it as low as possible so not mentioning what his max budget is won't hurt. But if you did your homework you would get a rough idea of what a basic washroom reno would cost and go from there.

Like my basement reno, I had a rough idea of what I wanted but really didn't have a budget set, I only had a few examples of friend's basements and what they paid. So if they could convince me to spend x over x + y then all the power to them. Another thing is most contractors have enough experience to read people. They aren't going to sell me a benz when I am looking for a kia.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

I"m in the middle of doing the main bathroom in my place and replacing the bathtub/surround is acutally not all that hard...

Sadly "working with my hands" is simply not a skill I have. I try to take care of the basic repairs around the house when they come up, but given that my own caulking job has failed twice on this tub, and it involves plumbing I'm just gonna reach for the cheque book this time.

Basic electrical, no prob, minor screws/nails/shelves sure, but when it comes to tiling/plumbing jobs I'm forced to accept my shortcomings & call in the pros.

[GoinAllTheWay]

And that's totally fine. If you aren't comfortable doing it, calling a pro is a good idea. I just think most people would be surprised at what they can actually do on their own.

Technically what you are doing wont need any real plumbing work assuming your new tub is they same dimensions as the old one, you just re-use what is already there.

If I may ask, how did your caulking job fail? I get that it leaked but how did the leaking occur? Did it rip, pull away, not adhere properly?

Your best friend during a caulking job is green painters tape, a roll of the wide stuff. I think 2+ inches wide? Apply a stip of tape about a 1/4 inch on either side of whatever you are caulking, apply a generous bead of caulking, smooth down with your finger and quickly remove the tape. Voila! You have a perfectly straight line of caulking.

[Hockeyguy15]

Very few have straight caulk, don't fret!

[fundmark19]

For tub install and surround I had a plumber do it for 2000k not including fixing the drywall around the tub. For my other bathrooms to have it completely finished cost around 3500. This was a little more expensive because I had a window that needed custom work. So if you figure 3k for finished vs 2k for just install

[calumniate]

I've heard GoinAllTheWay has good service at great prices

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by calumniate

I've heard GoinAllTheWay has good service at great prices

Ya, it's just the timeframe you need to worry about with me. I'd have it finished in a few months

[HockeyPuck]

I'm doing the same thing as GoinAllTheWay. Except I put this in:

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/fw64...d-drain/901528

And GATW is right, you'd be surprised how not really difficult plumbing can be, if you're patient. Just remember, **** runs downhill. PEX piping also makes plumbing a breeze and this 2 piece surround is nice because it eliminates any kind of tiling you have to do - except for on the top and sides of the surround.