DIY - Doing it Yourself?

[surfrob]

I'm looking for a contractor who will show up.

Have "friends" who have come and promised work on a bathroom rebuild (tiling/fixtures/plumbing the works) ...

yeah yeah, tiles picked out, date set, then < crickets > ... don't hear back

Must be my deodorant

[DarkSkies]

Have "friends" who have come and promised work on a bathroom rebuild (tiling/fixtures/plumbing the works) ...

yeah yeah, tiles picked out, date set, then < crickets > ... don't hear back



Rob, do any of these friends fish?
Because within the contractor community, a lot of guys do....and it's surprising how "busy" or "sick" some of them get during a hot bite or the Spring or Fall run....
If I lived closer, I would come down and give ya some pointers.....
I can lend ya a CD called "Mature Grown up Contractors"...which describes how to hire and fire contractors.....let me know......

Otherwise, my best advice is to keep looking and always have an alternate choice when you're looking to hire someone.....:HappyWave:

[surfrob]

one may, one definitely doesn't but I think has "girlfriend" issues LOL

yeah, we'll keep looking. I'm debating about doing much of the work myself, which will bring me back to this thread... I don't do plumbing :)

[DarkSkies]

I'm debating about doing much of the work myself, which will bring me back to this thread... I don't do plumbing :)

Rob, I don't know what your skill set is....and am just trying to help here.....:HappyWave:
The guidelines I would use for recommending if someone should do a bathroom remodel....is "Have they done it before?....or any experience doing any kind of construction or Home Repair"

If you have, then by all means proceed.....

[DarkSkies]

Some jobs, if done yourself, can save you thousands.....
Even minor plumbing repairs....
Fill valve in toilet....
Changing sink or toilet lines....
Etc

Can be done by homeowners, if they follow all instructions meticulously.....

Residential owners still have some leeway, and can apply for small changes as do-it-yourselfers....but the key here to me, is the skill-set of the homeowner....

As for the finish work....if you're competent at that, by all means go ahead...
I have been doing these types of repairs for 25 years...and can often tell when I go in a house...if the homeowner did the repair.....Even for grout and caulk work, there is a way to do it efficiently and cleanly....I have seen too many botched jobs by homeowners who were looking to save $$....

IMO poorly done repairs detract from the overall value of the house.....
A member here was recently looking at a investment property...he mentioned how the homeowner did all sorts of half-assed repairs,....we imagined that if it looked that bad on the surface.....what other repairs the owner had hidden.....and as a result this member walked away from the property.

Rob....
As you are getting closer to the project, and have any questions or issues....PM me for my #.....will be glad to give ya any advice I can....from managing contractors to different parts of the permit process.....
Good luck...:thumbsup:










If anyone else wants to talk about projects that they have successfully completed themselves, or offer some guidance and tips that have worked for them, feel free.......:HappyWave:

[surfrob]

I've gutted two bathrooms, done tile and wallboard, can do electrical work (though not licensed so I don't mess with main panels, at least not much,
adding a branch circuit given an opening for a breaker, sure)

BUT I DON'T DO PLUMBING ... LOL

Just too frustrating not knowing all the parts for everything and going into home stores is a joke for any serious work.

In this case, I need to rip out an existing whirlpool tub and rip out a cheapo stall shower, to be replaced by a full walk in shower with a Dreamline sliding doors/ rain shower head, spa outlets, 3 way controls plus extra stuff to match.

I'm putting in a heated floor, since this is by far the coldest dang room in the entire house, under new tile which will be 360 around the bathroom and the entire new shower enclosure.

Electrical, other than the heated floor, will remain basically unchanged (as far as lights, outlets).

What I like about tile guys is they have the eye, and patience, to do layouts and designs that jump out at you, even with the same base tile. Just by doing
nice cuts and symmetric measurements. For me, I tend to try to minimize any angled cuts and thus the same area will be more "plain" if that makes sense :)

"half-assed repairs"... my bro in law calls them "scaboleach" (wrong spelling), my father used to call it "jabony" work... :)