New tub/shower enclosure estimates - wow!

[JTK]

A co-worker of mine with a modest 3 bedroom ~1500sq/ft ~$250K older home had one of the national chain "we'll put a new tub right over your existing tub in one day" places give him an estimate for a new tub and surround. This was maybe 2yrs ago. $16K. People must pay it because these places seem to be thriving.

The problem with doing a job this scope myself is, it's not going to work out well for me.

 

[Lubener]

I have been considering this project myself. All I see on TV, free labor. Makes me very suspicious.

 

[KevinMalone]

Things have gotten out of hand since COVID. Pricing is mostly absurd and quality work is harder and harder to find. It's also difficult to research online as most businesses game reviews to some degree. Many have offered me a discount or kickback for leaving positive reviews online

 

[walterjay]

These large and national companies are charging ridiculous prices. Get some quotes from local plumbers and you will see a huge difference. Jobs that I would charge 7-8K for were as much as 40k by others.

 

[samven]

I really appreciate this thread as I have been thinking about having my master tub replaced with a walk in shower. I had an idea that it would be very expensive but this is a real shock. I guess I will call my brother and and see if I can bribe him with a few steaks to come help me 1 weekend.

 

[ls1mike]

View attachment 265599View attachment 265601

Bought as a 44K-mile non-runner while TDY in Virginia in 2011. Installed timing belt and fixed her up and she's been a reliable and rust-free companion for the last 13.5 years. Everything works, including A/C. Just rolled 100K original miles last week.

The clearcoat departed this earth somewhere in the 90s. And that's OK. Might paint it one day...might not. Doesn't bother me. The weird thing is when I pull up to a busy intersection, the homeless dudes actually offer me money!

I had 3 different Dodge Daytonas. Loved all of them. Also the bathroom thing. I need to have one of mine done. 25,000. It blew my mind!!!

 

[tnt_motorsports]

The big thing that's dissuading me from DIY on the tub enclosure is the size and fiberglass dust. I imagine I'd have to cut it up to get it out without damaging walls and to make it easier to haul to the dump. I figured it would be best to let someone else handle this one.

The unit itself is still quite nice...the stale old beige color is the big turn-off. That's why I'm leaning toward a refurb/recoating in white. If I can make it look like new that's good enough for me.

An N95 mask and a sawzall got our whirlpool tub out in the master and the surround in the other bath. No way I’d pay that kind of money if that was the obstacle.

A respirator can be had for way less money if needed.

Just my $0.02

 

[I<3oil]

When we got our AC done 8 years back we got three quotes for the same level of smart system with high levels of efficiency and remote access. Two quotes were a little over 11k, one quote was a little under 7k; which one we went with wasn't a surprise; the fact that the guy who came to quote was more tech than salesman helped, when he was looking over the system he took less than 2 minutes to figure out why ours was on the way out; the others just brought brochures.

Fast forward and my in laws are getting a quote for an HVAC system, I hear this and find out the salesman has told them the price is only good to midnight because that's all his boss will allow. I told them to inform the original quote they can wait or they can go away and got them a quote from our people who came in 3-4k less; I forget the exact numbers.

Always amazes me how much shopping around pays off for big purchases.

We had 7 quotes in Oct for a new hvac system. Lowest was 9k with absolute bottom barrel Goodman/Amana system all the way up to $19k for top of the line. We went with $11k Bosch inverter 16seer and HE furnace and got $2k tax credit back so really only $9k for much better system than the Amana and Goodman for same price.

 

[_Will_]

We had 7 quotes in Oct for a new hvac system. Lowest was 9k with absolute bottom barrel Goodman/Amana system all the way up to $19k for top of the line. We went with $11k Bosch inverter 16seer and HE furnace and got $2k tax credit back so really only $9k for much better system than the Amana and Goodman for same price.

One of the high quotes was Lennox, I forget the other one; the cheaper quote was a Bryant and it's been flawless. Our house is only 1350 square feet but we keep the AC around 68-69 in the GA summer and our power bill including a security system that is included, has topped 200 maybe twice in the 8 years since we got it.

Glad I got a nice system but salty I needed to, the previous system was a Rheem that was identical to the unit from the house we had before and it kept that house like an ice box. The issue comes from what appeared to be work done by what I guess was an HVAC helper who knew just enough to be dangerous, the PO of the house was in the trades and my detective work leads me to believe they got an upgraded handler taken out of a house during a system replacement and threw it in what would become my house. The issue was they didn't use properly sized lines so the compressor kept tripping. Add to that they also ran a bowed drain line so water collected in the middle and as it added volume it slowly dripped down the vertical tube; a dripping noise I'd hear in my closet and spent a minor amount of time trying to locate before noticing the shape of the drain line.

The relate it to this thread of quotes and quality, the whole situation was the epitome of that classic refrain of skilled tradesmen when they're fixing work of lesser skilled individuals; this was a case of "my buddy can do it cheaper".

 

[RaymondP]

Yes...if ever there was a time to DIY, now is the time. Reaching out to the collective readership as looking for a shower cubical for our cottage. Want to install in the bathroom corner without the need for a third walls to support the cubical. Found this but it is extremely flimsy....https://mustee.com/catalog/68-durastall-shower-stall-32-x-32/ Thinking I could do better(?).

Looking for something in a preformed acrylic, fiberglass or similar that would come as a kit that includes the shower pan. My search has been unsuccessful so far. Thanks, in advance. As a cottage it's only used for half the year so trying to save some $$$.

 

[I<3oil]

One of the high quotes was Lennox, I forget the other one; the cheaper quote was a Bryant and it's been flawless. Our house is only 1350 square feet but we keep the AC around 68-69 in the GA summer and our power bill including a security system that is included, has topped 200 maybe twice in the 8 years since we got it.

Glad I got a nice system but salty I needed to, the previous system was a Rheem that was identical to the unit from the house we had before and it kept that house like an ice box. The issue comes from what appeared to be work done by what I guess was an HVAC helper who knew just enough to be dangerous, the PO of the house was in the trades and my detective work leads me to believe they got an upgraded handler taken out of a house during a system replacement and threw it in what would become my house. The issue was they didn't use properly sized lines so the compressor kept tripping. Add to that they also ran a bowed drain line so water collected in the middle and as it added volume it slowly dripped down the vertical tube; a dripping noise I'd hear in my closet and spent a minor amount of time trying to locate before noticing the shape of the drain line.

The relate it to this thread of quotes and quality, the whole situation was the epitome of that classic refrain of skilled tradesmen when they're fixing work of lesser skilled individuals; this was a case of "my buddy can do it cheaper".

Yeah, Lennox and Trane were the highest quotes that we got. No thx, especially at $15k+. No thx...

 

[zzyzzx]

When it comes to getting bids for work in your house it's normally either that they don't want the job, and price it in a way to make sure that you won't pick them (instead of just being honest and saying that they don't want the job). Or the price is whatever they think the maximum that they think you will pay for the job.

 

[KrisZ]

My wife is spoiled by me DIYing pretty much everything around the house and doesn’t realize just how much the work costs.

A recent example is painting the kitchen cabinets. She was nagging me about painting them for a while and I kept postponing the job and told her it’s a big job and once I start, the kitchen will be out of commission for a week or so.

She suggested going with a contractor because it will likely cost $2k or so (in her mind) and they will be done in a couple of days (in her mind again). I called around and the lowest quote was for $5k. No word on how long though.
We recently talked with a friend that had her cabinets painted by the “professionals” and she said it took them two weeks.

Needless to say, I did it for around $300 worth of materials and it took me a week.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Year ago I needed my Hardy Plank painted. Quotes were between $7K and $18K. The $18K was the ones with the fancy trucks with their names splashed. They had a long list of references of people that overpaid. Was good at telling me things had to be done - like my steel garage door with a factory finish had to be painted - they always did. No thanks.

The $7K guy was legit but was clearly builder grade. I went with a $9K guy that was also well referenced and even put the specs for everything in his quote, including the definition of what a coat of paint was.

First day the crew shows up about noon. Clearly Hispanic. Not interested in talking, even though I can usually speak enough to communicate. No worries, wife comes home at 5:00 and is fluent. So wife comes home, chit chats a bit, asks my trivial questions - good to go.

Next day its 180 degrees. Were all good friends. They all speak Gringo. I bring coffee out. They bring their lunch to heat in my kitchen. Were all friends now. I ask if they only work for this company. They say no, they sub to everyone - including the guys with a fancy truck. They give me there card - a bit hesitantly. I tell them were good - I won't out them.

The work was excellent. I still haven't found any flaws a year later.

 

[KrisZ]

Yup, too many middle men involved in the biz and pretty much everything else. The guys doing the actual work get peanuts.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Contractors have lost their minds. They want absurd amounts of money and finish in a couple days. Figuring some jobs they are charging $500hr+. They have some much room to negotiate it's disgusting. We got a countertop quote through Costco. $16k. We couldn't even believe it. Had to ask the guy if he was joking. We got a local company to replace the countertops with a better material, upgraded sink, build some floating shelves, build a stove exhaust hood and refinish the cabinets for about $10k.

Got our upstairs flooring done for 1/2 price because I said I would do the demo and install the baseboards. Ripping out the carpet took 1 day and a couple dumpster trips (free at work). Baseboards probably cost $200 in materials and I just did what I could after work for a week or so. $5k for probably 2 full days of work.

Them knowing you can DIY a job is good enough to negotiate quite a bit.

 

[Paco Pena]

Add some cheap Mexican themed trinkets and art work and your current " El bano" is ready to go.

Paco

 

[Dave P.]

We just had our main bathroom completely re-done down to the studs but all the plumbing fixture locations remained the same. We live in a Cape style house so the bathroom is not large by any stretch. Cost about $27,000.00 for roughly 3 weeks of work. The hardest part of the whole process was finding a contractor. I can't tell you how many guys came and gave estimates and then disappeared. And no, I did not negotiate the price down to any of them. The process was not fun at all. It looks good but not $27,000 good!

 

[burbguy82]

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.

they might get 1% of the jobs they quote at that price. But that is enough I guess.

 

[Cropduster172]

We just had our main bathroom completely re-done down to the studs but all the plumbing fixture locations remained the same. We live in a Cape style house so the bathroom is not large by any stretch. Cost about $27,000.00 for roughly 3 weeks of work. The hardest part of the whole process was finding a contractor. I can't tell you how many guys came and gave estimates and then disappeared. And no, I did not negotiate the price down to any of them. The process was not fun at all. It looks good but not $27,000 good!

Had a similar issue. Wanted to remodel our kitchen 3 years ago. Nothing drastic. New cabinets, quartz countertops, new backsplash, crown molding for top of cabinets. Neighbors 3 doors down use to own a high end kitchen renovation business with a high profile showroom. I called the guy they recommended...he was completely booked for months. I gave up looking. My son and I hung the cabinets. Lowe's for the countertops. I did the backsplash. Crown molding was tougher. Found a guy on Craigslist...he charged $500/ day. He got less than half done in a day and it's a small kitchen. I told him don't bother coming back. I finished it with my $130 12" Rigid refurb chop saw. Came out great.
If I had used a contractor for the whole job...easily $35,000.
Came in around $18,000 with the cabinets, countertops and a new refrigerator.