The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

I'm looking at maybe tackling this project next.  I'm not going to personally do the work, but would make choices in the design.

Has anyone who has done this experienced surprises?  What pitfalls should I avoid, what should I make sure to include?

I remodeled both master and guest bathrooms last year.  First, get a licensed contractor.  When we did the master bathroom, we used an unlicensed person who said they could do everything, and anything that needed a contractor he had people that could do that.  Well, Mr. "I can do everything" turned into "Just the tile guy" when shit started hitting the fan.  We also had to replumb the entire bathroom.  It started with the shower drain made out of cast iron that completely deteriorated.  We knocked down a half wall, but that had plumbing in it so it had to be redone.  His plumber friend ripped us off big time and was really rude to my wife.  When the job was done, it wasn't bad work, but I had to get the guy to keep coming back and fixing little things he didn't tie up, like the mirror being hung way too low and crooked.

When we remodeled the guest bath, we used a licensed contractor and he was great.  We actually just had him do our kitchen remodel as well.  The only hiccup we came across was our plumbing was illegal, they used some old piping that isn't legal to have anymore, so we had to replumb everything.  This is because the previous person took shortcuts and didn't notify us when they fixed the plumbing in the master bathroom.  The bathroom looks gorgeous though.

Make sure you have extra money set aside for any unseen plumbing issues.  Get tile at a discount tile place, we went to Floor and Décor.  We got vanities from Ikea and they're built better than you would think, and it was inexpensive.  Amazon is your friend for small things like light fixtures, towel holders, etc.

I've had both the bathrooms in my house redone, as well as two at rental properties. I agree with Tenshot get someone who is licensed and someone that you can get references or referrals for.  I used a handyman for one at my rental, and ran in to several issues, then had to tear out walls/ceilings to fix the problems.  In the long run it would have been better to pay the higher amount upfront.  I'd also try and get the guy to lock in firm dates of completions, my one bathroom dragged on forever because the guy was working multiple jobs, I was okay with it because I had another bathroom to use but it got annoying after awhile.

I have the guy...that's not the issue for me.

We have a contractor that has worked 5 projects for me already, including our entire kitchen.  He's also done probably 10 total projects for my brothers and parents.  So, he's solid, his timelines are good, and he does great work.

But I hear you about getting the right guy -- that's something so many people struggle with.

I've had all three bathrooms in my house redone over the years.  I have a buddy who is a licensed contractor.   He does the work for me for free and I just pay for the materials.  I maintain his Central A/C system at his house for free in return. 

Bartering is great when each side can fill the other side's need. 

I admire anyone who can do larger scale home projects on their own.  If I change out the toilet fill valve in one of our toilets I feel like I  just designed, engineered, and built the Hoover Dam.  My DIY skills are embarrassingly limited. 

I did the floors in most of our house, I felt like a champion when I was done.  Never again though, I'm paying people to do that shit for me now lol.