Bath in a Day Blues

Hired one of those "bath in a day type" outfits to replace our existing bathtub/shower on a 90+ year old bungalow. The general contractor (GC) left the work to be completed late in the day by two other workers knowing that they still needed to come back later to complete the installation (80% complete). Everybody was pleasant enough to deal with. The bathroom had a double hung window in the shower area that was also replaced and the bathroom has lathe and plaster walls.

This outfit constructs their own shower surround and builds it to dimensions on site. I am not satisfied with a number of things on the job.

While demoing the shower area they did not score the edge of the demo area or cut through it with a sawzall. The lathe snapped and caused the plaster to crack and break off far into the bathroom 2' outside of the shower area. They threw in a piece of drywall 2' x 16" that is 1/4" proud of the rest of the wall and told me to mud/tape it and paint the wall. We extended the insert another foot outside the shower to cover up part of it but it will still take a lot of mud to feather out the area. I feel like they should be handling this repair work.

The GC decided to demo the lathe and plaster on the wall with the supply lines, but left the other two walls alone. These walls have a cheap thin tile over the plaster. Was the GC saving effort by not removing this? Otherwise 3/4" OSB would have been secured to the wall with no vapor barrier. They felt the walls were solid enough to not perform the demo work and glued the acrylic to the old tile. Looks nice, not sure if this is a concern?

The tub is not level from left to right, sloping away from the drain 9/16". I'm not sure if I felt the tub move when I loaded it with water and stepped into today.

The window that was installed is askew in the area and doesn't slide or lock easily since it is not level. The weep holes on the outside of the window will drain onto a 2x4 that is not pressure treated that sits on the outer brick wall of the house. The window is set 1/2" onto the 2x4. Picture are attached . I questioned the GC on this when I walked into the room as it looked off, but the window was open. When the window is closed it is much easier to see. The outside view of the window is shimed (left the shims sticking out) and it is clear to see how the window was impacted.

Above the tub on the ceiling another piece of the acrylic insert was part of the installation. The GC and the 2 workers didn't notice it on the order and it was not in their truck as part of the order. I asked about it right before the GC called it a day (Friday).

The supply lines are leaking into my basement from the new plex that was installed as part of the project. The other side of the wall is lathe and plaster inside of a bedroom closet. Do I force them to take the insert out to do the repair?

The owner of the business is coming out tomorrow to finish the trim on the outside of the window, acrylic insert on the ceiling and install the curtain rod. As a contractor, would you like a heads up on the issues prior to arrival or should I wait to express my concerns?

Thanks for the advice on this matter.

 

The tub should be level. Period. If the floor was whacked out, that should have been addressed before setting the tub.

Plaster is easy to patch in. Done it plenty. Way easier to fill in a small section with new plaster than drywall. If drywall were your only option, then 1/4" would have been the thickness of the drywall so that it could be furred out to match the plane of the existing. But plaster is still way easier.

The window should have been installed way better than that too..

Nothing should leak and the contractor should do what is needed to fix it 100%. If they have to open the closet, then it needs to be put back to and finished with paint.. not just a half assed drywall patch.

In all things construction it has to look right when its finished.

Contractors I work with would never let anything remotely like that pass.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I met with the owners and am happy to report that they have agreed with everything that I presented, although the leveling of the tub will not be addressed. Thanks again for confirming my suspicions on the contractor's efforts.

 

Hope they make things right. Nobody wins when work isnt' done correctly the first time. Nobody likes a call back.

 

I would always hesitate to use a company that emphasizes speed to do something this involved. With the three options (good, fast, cheap) which two are you getting so far?

With the tub sloping away from the drain does that mean there will be a puddle of water sitting there? Not acceptable.