We're slowly remodeling our house, going room-by-room as I have time. The guest bathroom is on deck. Last weekend my wife and I attended the Corpus Christi Home Show, so we decided to take advantage of a few "free estimates" for tub and shower replacement. We're going with a Mexican theme for the guest bath, which will feature various splashes of vivid color. As such, the bland beige builder-grade tub and shower could use an upgrade.
Anyway, I had two companies come out for assessments. The first is a widely-known national company; the second a large Texas company. Keep in mind we only need the tub and shower (walls) replaced...I'm going to gut everything else, remove the existing tile, and do the tile, vanity/sink, toilet, etc. myself.
After we selected the materials, the first company came in at $12,511. But it gets better. After spending half his time running down the first company and touting his lifetime warranty, the second dude came in at $23,450. I had no other reaction than to start laughing. The guy was a bit offended, I guess, but "called his owner" and dropped to $17K in less than two minutes. What a con artist.
I have to admit that as an avid DIY-guy, I had no idea what this job would cost. In the back of my mind I figured this might cost $4-5K....but over $20K? For a tub and shower?
The home is a simple 1400-sq-ft ranch built in 2003 and valued at about $240K. The bathroom in question is 5'x8' with a very standard 60"x30" tub enclosure. And Company 2 initially wanted almost 10% of the home's value to just replace a tub & shower? I thought marijuana was still illegal in Texas...
I don't want to offend any companies or hard-working contractors, but these prices are patently absurd. Do people really pay this kind of money for such jobs? Not this guy. When all's said and done I'm going to refurbish/refinish the existing fiberglass enclosure to white and go from there. The DIY kits are under 200 bucks, or I could have it done for about $900. Haven't decided on that yet. Just passing along my utter shock and amazement.
Anyway, I had two companies come out for assessments. The first is a widely-known national company; the second a large Texas company. Keep in mind we only need the tub and shower (walls) replaced...I'm going to gut everything else, remove the existing tile, and do the tile, vanity/sink, toilet, etc. myself.
After we selected the materials, the first company came in at $12,511. But it gets better. After spending half his time running down the first company and touting his lifetime warranty, the second dude came in at $23,450. I had no other reaction than to start laughing. The guy was a bit offended, I guess, but "called his owner" and dropped to $17K in less than two minutes. What a con artist.
I have to admit that as an avid DIY-guy, I had no idea what this job would cost. In the back of my mind I figured this might cost $4-5K....but over $20K? For a tub and shower?
The home is a simple 1400-sq-ft ranch built in 2003 and valued at about $240K. The bathroom in question is 5'x8' with a very standard 60"x30" tub enclosure. And Company 2 initially wanted almost 10% of the home's value to just replace a tub & shower? I thought marijuana was still illegal in Texas...
I don't want to offend any companies or hard-working contractors, but these prices are patently absurd. Do people really pay this kind of money for such jobs? Not this guy. When all's said and done I'm going to refurbish/refinish the existing fiberglass enclosure to white and go from there. The DIY kits are under 200 bucks, or I could have it done for about $900. Haven't decided on that yet. Just passing along my utter shock and amazement.
