She Plans the Work and Then Lets George Do It
When I tell people that my 400-square-foot kitchen was remodeled in four consecutive weeks, and that I have no horror story to tell, they react with disbelief. So when I tackled the master bath with the same contractor, no one thought it could happen again.
Well, it did. My contractor, George, remodeled the bath in five weeks, nothing short of amazing when you consider the bath was rebuilt completely, with every fixture except the shower relocated.
And why is George so wonderful? He knows the business, is willing to work with you and knows remodels don’t drag on when the job is organized.
But most important, he has a good working relationship with his subcontractors. When he says the plumber will be there Tuesday, the plumber is there. Not once did a subcontractor fail to show when George said he would. And since I’ve been through two remodels with George, with a third planned, I know it’s not a fluke.
I kept a diary to demonstrate what it’s like to remodel quickly and professionally. That’s not to say there were no problems and crises along the way, but when you find a good contractor, you can minimize them.
I have three pieces of advice:
1) Plan, plan, plan. Decide on everything down to faucets and towel bars and have everything available before you let a contractor begin your project. The only thing not ready was the shower door and mirror, which were dependent on finished measurements.
2) Get out of the house. I was not home when George remodeled my kitchen, but was for the bath. Do not underestimate the stress involved when remodeling even one room. There was little stress with the kitchen, but my stress level with the bath was significant primarily because of the disruption to my daily routine.
3) This is contrary to what the experts say, but since you’re going to have various subcontractors working on your remodel, budget for them to fix all the little things you’ve neglected. I had hall lights installed, broken outlets and hinges replaced, an outdoor floodlight repaired plus water restored in a second bathroom. Sometimes these jobs are too small on their own, so a remodel is the perfect time to get them done.
Now for the diary.
Feb. 19-20: Demolition of the bathroom.
Feb. 21: Rough electrical. We go from one wall switch to six: one for new spotlight over the jacuzzi tub, three for the heat/air/lamp in the center of the bathroom, and two for the air/lamp in the shower.
Feb. 22: Rough plumbing. Lots of plumbing because we switched the position of the cabinet and tub, plus moved the toilet and shower drain. Moving fixtures is expensive and should be avoided if you want to keep costs down.
Feb. 25: Crisis No. 1--The garden window is too big. Although George bid the job with a window 5 feet deep by 4 feet wide, in his enthusiasm to give us the most window possible plus match the length of the tub, he ordered a 5 by 5. The problem is the back porch railing. The 5 by 4 would have cleared it, but the 5 by 5 goes into the railing.
Reordering the window means a three-week delay, which I am not happy with. George says to trust him--the bigger window will work. So we decide to move the back porch railings. George throws in a custom-built planter box to hide the cement where the old porch was so it looks like the railing was never moved.
With this crisis under control, the remodel continues with rough carpentry including cutting the hole for the window. Plumbers are called back to move pipes in path of window. Central heat/air vent moved.
Feb. 27: The remodel is starting to get to me. I’m thankful I have a reservation at a spa. Before I leave, the plumbers come, fixing a pinhole leak in the toilet pipe. George comes just as I’m leaving and tells me the inspector will be out to sign off the permit. Hot mop shower.
Feb. 28: Having a wonderful time at the spa. My husband, Cook, comes home to find water in the shower and thinks the roof is leaking, only to realize that they’re testing the hot mop.
March 1: Still having fun at the spa. And yes, the contractor is working with no one in the house except for our two cats. Plaster work begins.
March 2: Plaster work finished. Tile work begins. George installs base coat over K-wall metal lath in shower and discusses layout of shower mural with Cook. I come home.
March 4: Installation of white-washed maple cabinet. Mortar the shower.
March 5: The worst day of the remodel. Morning crisis: A problem with the sink. The rectangular sink is slightly bowed and has an unfinished lip. Since the tile has only one finish piece, and I want an under-mount sink, it wouldn’t look right.
George comes out with the “sink” book and suggests two alternatives: keep the rectangular sink and have a Corian counter that could be cut to shape instead of the tile I want, or keep the tile counter and change to a top-mount sink. Since I don’t like either choice, I let Cook decide. We change the sink.
Afternoon crisis: Big Puss, our 14-year-old-Tonkinese, is missing. An indoor cat, she is nowhere to be found. She turns up in the back yard and is put in a closed bedroom so she can’t escape again.
Late afternoon crisis: The tile that was laid today doesn’t look right. We selected an Italian tile with a faint gray/white pattern. The back of the tile is marked, so Tim lays the tile with all the marks facing the same direction. While this normally would work, the manufacturer’s markings are not consistent. Cook and I figure out how we want it laid and give the bad news to Tim the following day.
March 6: Tim corrects the tiles and continues the installation. He nearly completes the wainscoating plus the shower. We can now see the star of the bathroom, the six-tile mural in the shower. It is spectacular! Outside of house is fixed to blend with existing structure. Corbels are put up under window plus back porch is rebuilt. Tim orders four more boxes of tile. I escape to the movies.
March 7: More tile work. Counter and windowsill mortared. Hole for sink cut. Window framed. Molding installed around window and door.
March 8-10: Tile work continues on counter, window ledge, more wainscoat. Floorboards prepared for tile, floor laid. Tile work finished.
March 11: Day of rest! Even though I want the job done, I’m grateful I’ve got the house to myself.
March 12: Grout all tile.
March 13: Day of rest for grout.
March 14-15: Set electrical fixtures and measure for shower door.
March 18-20: Paint. This takes three days because my painter is meticulous with the prep work.
March 21: Shower door installed.
March 25-29: I am sick this week and lose track of the remodel on a daily basis. But this week the mirror, sink, medicine cabinet and hardware are installed. Plumbing fixtures and toilet are set. Electrician called back to rewire switches to what I consider a logical order. Inspector signs off job on March 29, telling me to get a permit for the jacuzzi motor, which I relay to George. Cook comes home and luxuriates in his new tub.
Another successful remodel!
