On renovating a bathroom - moving past go

The project is now moving into action. All the prep work is complete. The contractors each walked the space and made their own notes to the bid specs provided. Now came the numbers.

I have to admit. Waiting for the numbers almost feels like you are waiting for the college acceptance letter. You've applied. Put together a complete packet. Comfortable with what you know, but uncomfortable with the fact your future lies in the hands of someone else.

I guess I should say the numbers came in...um, sigh...as expected (or unexpected). They were more than budget - not just a little, but more than double. They just blew right by both those figures stated in the prelims and that little unspoken extra we were holding in our back pockets. I never quite understand how or why this happens. In my professional life, I know when a client begins suggesting additions in certain areas, a red flag goes up and I warn them that these little items will likely drive things over budget/estimate. I have yet to have this type of conversation with any contractor, on any project, ever. I never know if: 1.) they simply don't know, 2.) they are in the business of giving the client what they ask for, or 3.) they do this knowingly to possibly get the client to trade up. If you ask me? I think it's some quasi-combination of 2.) and 3.)...

Since both contractors numbers came in pretty close, we decided to move ahead with the one whom we determined was our best comrade-in-arms. So, now I like to say "the dance" begins.

What follows next is a doe-see-doe between options and costs. You enter a crash-course in construction materials, plumbing terms, types of insulation and man-hours. This is where you get a more concrete sense of your alignment with the contractor. Is he/she helping to solve or just providing information? Is he/she willing to explore options or just discouraging it? You get the picture. They need to demonstrate the right balance of exploring what's possible while guiding the process to a close. I don't envy them.

The first shoe to drop

We reach a number for the two baths. We agree to a start date (luckily it was pretty quick since it was before the Spring/Summer crush.) In my mind, let's go!

We're casually talking about the demo scheduled to begin the next week and I pose (in my mind) a simple question - "So, which bath are we doing first?"

Silence.

The contractor then replies, "the bid was based on both being done simultaneously." Something about efficiences, labor..

Silence.

Um, while we have other 1/2 baths in the house, "these are the only ones that have bathing facilities. And what are we supposed to do for the projected 6-8 weeks?"

Silence.

More silence.

The solution.

Hyeah. Welcome to our lavish setting in the middle of the cellar floor. It was the only location that had access to both water lines and adequate drain connection/slope.

We now have to shower in the field-stone/unfinished cellar. Two flights below the bedroom.

Oh what adventure awaits....







So the demo begins. Till the next time...

On renovating a bathroom - the ideas and prepping the bids

So you now know we decided to move the project forward. I have to say the first phase has got to be one of the most fun parts of the entire process. You know, "where anything is possible and money is no object!" It's the one area where you can be totally free to imagine the most perfectly designed outcome. The one bath that will meet all your needs and satisfy your personal sense of style

Words to consider

A few years ago, I purchased a book on bathrooms from Waterworks. While outfitting our entire bath with Waterworks products is (ahem) a little out of our price range, I found the book to be an enjoyable read and thoughtful approach when considering design.

There were two quotes in particular that stood out to me and, to this day, have helped shape our overall thinking. 

" Design Integrity.  Design integrity depends on good craftsmanship. In the bathroom, it means hardworking equipment should be built to last and that each furnishing should be pleasing to the touch and eye. Design integrity promises that finished quality makes a difference and that classic colors and materials will be more rewarding that trendy ones. Like any other decor, the emphasis in the bathroom should be on enduring style."

" Decoration. Extravagance is not the same thing as luxury. True luxury is a richness of material and craft, a wise and comfortable use of space, a spirit of decoration. It is the practice of sensuous restraint, where a selective use of design elements can often prove that less is more."

Sources of inspiration

While decorator books and home magazines are great resources, today they seem pretty archaic to what's available online. In my opinion, don't settle for the mediocre stand-by's like the websites of the leading home center stores (Home Depot, Lowes). True, they've spent money and time to develop special sections to be destinations for ideas. My issue, however, is that their range of ideas is limited since it basically needs to feature only the products they sell. You'll be better going to other sites that aren't so beholden to their self interests.

My favorites have been sites/apps Houzz and Remodelista. They both feature tons of photos of designer homes from across the US and around the world. Both entities also make it easy to scroll through pages of designs and create folders to hold various items that appeal to you. My own folders are for specific rooms (e.g. bathroom, entry hall) but also for exterior colors, yard layouts and lighting fixtures. They also let you apply notes to each photo to remind you what you found of interest. Like my notebooks, I find these folders a fascinating look at my constantly evolving sense of style. I'll revisit a folder months later to find areas that still are as relevant today as they were before and others that, shall we say, are more "what was I thinking...?!?"

Here are some of photos that were our key design influencers...

The bid packet


If you are working with a designer or architect, they will be the ones to put this packet together. Since our project was a little more straightforward, we chose to work directly with a contractor and do this ourselves. The benefit of a written project recap ensures all persons bidding on the job receive the same level of information. When the bids come in, you want to be fairly comfortable that you are comparing apples-to-apples. It's not always a guarantee but at least you are doing your part to make it so.

Since we were quoting on renovations to two bathrooms, our packet clearly itemized each room separately. In a basic computer Word or presentation file, we provided:

• Full room dimensions including windows, trim & doors
• Photos of current layout
• Any other details (e.g. tile location, height on wall, location of radiators)
• Crude drawings of before floor plan
• Crude drawings of after floor plan
• Detailed list of services requested (e.g. demo of 4 walls, installation of double vanity, installation of new toilet, paint of wall and trim)
• Various inspiration photos that helped us communicate our desired end look  - tile types and installs, glass walls, partitions, sconce locations 

Here are some of the pages from our bid packet:

So it seems like we are nicely prepared for a very smooth process. We've taken the time to know what we want. We've spelled out in detail the project's parameters. We've located a couple of credible, licensed and recommended contractors. What could go wrong?

Stay tuned. There's always something...

Till the next time.