WAYFAIR for your bathroom remodel: BIG MISTAKE!

Buying parts for your bathroom remodel from Wayfair can be a big mistake.

Especially if there are problems with the items you bought.

GETTING PARTS IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY!

The tile guy’s recommend sticking with NAME BRANDS:

MOEN

DELTA

KOHLER

Parts will be available and easy to get.

In the video below, Jason illuminates the hidden cost of WAYFAIR during your next BATHROOM REMODEL!

9 Essential questions for your potential contractor.

For starters, not one of these 9 essential questions to ask your contractor is a basic one like:

“Do you have a license and insurance?”

or

“What’s your warranty?”

Those type of questions are important, and verification should be attained, but unless you’re hiring someone off of your neighbor’s couch or from your local Home Depot parking lot(that’s on YOU!) every legit company will easily be able to prove they have these prerequisites. Let’s go a little DEEPER with this one!

Those are for an article by another writer who is not in the field every day, observing human short comings and seeing shoddy work. That article is written by people who aren’t fielding the calls about “leaky showers” and “failed floors”.

I am.

I also have been blessed with access to a group of other professional tile installers, through social media. I’m talking about the top guys from throughout the country, and a couple have been kind enough to give me some of their “contractor questions.” They are also in the field every day observing and categorizing the failures, the scams and the cheaters. They too, want to help empower you!

My goal also, (as always) is to help you get an incredible finished remodeling project with the least amount of stress and anxiety.

SO,

Before you hire any re modeler, contractor, builder, tile guy, sheet rocker, ANY ONE who works in your home, ask them these questions and see what their responses are. You’ll get a grand insight into their over all mindset. Their answers will help you determine if they are someone you want to hire.

Also, if you ask these questions, and they answer in a way you desire, YOU CAN HOLD THEM TO IT DURING THE JOB!

HERE WE GO:

1. Who performs the work at my home?

Many companies have sales people or the owner acts as the sales person and they have multiple sub contractors or employees. Those are the people you want to vet. The people who will be performing the work.

Often, someone will come and sell you a job, everything seems great, then they send a bunch of shady characters to do the work.  Yeah, you get a guarantee from the guy selling the job, but if he’s unethical, greedy, or just generally doesn’t have GREAT character, you’re out of luck when something goes south.

The guys on the ground are the front line troops in a construction company. LABOR, much more important then we give it credit for.

To me, compatibility and comfort with the workers is just as important as compatibility with the sales guy or GC.  Ease of communication is just as important with them, as it is with the GC. The GC or sales person might be great, but it’s important to determine if that culture spreads throughout the company, from the top down. Ask if there will be a PERMANENT on site project manager! Someone experienced in leadership, management and communication. Not a person who does the daily “check in” and leaves.

The next question:

2. What accreditation/certifications have you or your company pursued?

This shows that continuing ed and being active and aware within their trade is important to them. How people train their employees is very important. If the labor isn’t on the same page as the management or the owner, you may have problems. What good is it to have an experienced, conscientious owner, with every subordinate doing their own thing? I’ve seen it many times!

When you hire Hamilton Tile, for example, you will get a similar finish whether Jason or I do the work because Jason trained me, I follow his methods and we are both certified installers.

A good answer to this question would be, “We are members of the National Tile Contractors Association, we attend their classes and we are also Certified Tile Installers.” Construction is CONSTANTLY changing, so staying up on the latest trends and procedures is vital. Certifications/accreditation is one way to make sure the company you’re looking to hire is legitimate and professional.

If they work with many subs:

3. How long have you been working with your sub contractors.

I’ve been asked more times then I can count to work short notice by different general contractors. They don’t know me, they didn’t research me, they were looking for a warm body. That type of short notice recruiting is common among “builders”. You want a general contractor that has established relations with their subcontractors. It’s a bad sign if a General contractor can’t keep people around and if he’s constantly recruiting new people! Of course, they can LIE about this question, but you’ll be forming a relationship with the labor, and you’ll inform the contractor of that…so feet will be held to the fire.

4. Do you have a company motto?

This gives a lot of insight into a companies’ culture and belief system. An outfit that has a motto generally tries to live up to that motto. Get the elevator pitch! DEMAND this level of professionalism.

5. How many jobs do you run at the same time?

I’ve seen many people get burnt by a company running many jobs at the same time, and THEIR job is shuffled around and not prioritized. We believe in one job at a time, because that job gets our full undivided attention. If a company is running multiple jobs, there may be periods when nothing gets done at your job and in my opinion, the more spread out a company is, the less attention and precision you will get!

6. Do you have an internet presence? Do you content market?

This is a big one to me. People who take pride in their work, show their work. You want to see evidence of them performing the work and some degree of documentation as to what their day looks like. Your eyes and your ears are the best for detecting legitimacy. The internet is a way for us to verify what we’re going to get before contractors start their work and I recommend you trust your senses.

The internet has opened a world of knowledge and allowed for greater transparency in 2020, it’s your GREATEST resource! REQUIRE CONTENT out of people that work at your house.

Browse the web and look for a history.  Look for interaction with other trades people, like in their comment sections. Are the interactions positive or negative? Do the other trades people praise your potential hire’s work or denigrate it?

Does the tradesman have photos and videos of them PERFORMING the work? Great reviews? Video or audio with them talking about their work and their over all mindset?

7. Who is your ideal customer?

Jason was asked this by an interviewer recently and he came with an answer immediately. “If you care about how your project is built, we want to work for you.” That’s a great answer and is, indeed, our target market. People who think in these terms are serious professionals and not someone that’s just bouncing from job to job, not caring about what they’re doing. THOUGHTFULNESS is a quality you want in a contractor. If they give you an answer that doesn’t fit with how you think, maybe re-evaluate the hire!

8. What do you do to ensure my project is going to last and also function the way it should?

That’s the whole point here. Why have anything done at your house if you have to re-do it in 5 years. Get yourself a PLAN OF ATTACK. Get yourself an explanation about their methodology. Maybe get into some technical details. Have the recruit talk detail.

A good answer:

“We ensure your project is going to last because we follow ANSI standards and also install according the TCNA hand book.”

9. If there is a problem or I have a complaint, how do you handle that? Can you give me an example of a time you had a complaint and what you did to take care of it?

There is going to be problems inevitably on a project. Things can go south quick at that point. Ask for an example of a time the company had an issue. Ask for specifics about how it was resolved.

I always push: COMPATIBILITY OVER PRICE. COMPATIBILITY OVER ALL ELSE.

You want to be on the same page with the people that work in your home, you want to verify that they care, and that they know what they’re talking about. Most of all, you want to make sure you’re going to get something aesthetically pleasing, functional and lasting when they leave your house.

These questions help you determine an OVERALL MINDSET of the person or company you are recruiting. Think CONCEPTUALLY.

If you’re dealing with great men and women of good character who are professional, detail oriented, conscientious, methodical, thorough, ethical, etc. You’ll have nothing to worry about. These questions will help you determine if your potential contractor possesses these essential qualities.

I’d like to thank Alex Bergland at RGC Renovations for his contribution to this article!

If you are in the Atlanta area give him a call and be sure to check out his website.

RGC Renovations is the real deal and they won’t let you down.

https://www.rgcrenos.com/

I’d also like to thank the DIY TILE GUY himself, Jim Upton of TIGER MOUNTAIN TILE: Issaquah, Washington!

Give his site a look!

www.diytileguy.com

I also want to thank EVERY PRO TRADES PERSON online that shares their story! You are an invaluable resource to me and enlighten and inform me everyday! I love the internet because of you men and women!

Why do homeowners get CHEATED during home remodeling?

I started listening to “Handel on the Law” a radio show hosted by a guy named Bill Handel, who takes legal questions from callers. It was recommended to me by one of our customers and it was interesting to hear the show validating my suspicions on a national level. Four calls during the one-and-a-half-hour call in show were from folks getting bamboozled during remodeling projects.

I’m not surprised because I am in the field everyday and I see the low standards out there, but listening to his show simply validates my suspicions and left me wondering:

WHY ARE HOMEOWNERS CONSTANTLY GETTING CHEATED DURING REMODELS?!

Jason and I are constantly talking about this topic, so we’ve hit the question from multiple different angles, and I’ve constructed my position in an environment of scrutiny, so you’re not hearing this from a lightweight! When we’re building a bathroom eight hours a day, this is the kind of stuff we talk about!

In today’s blog post I’m going to give you the low down from the perspective of a tile installer and an active observer of human frailties. I’m not attacking homeowners, you guys pay my salary and I love you! I’m hoping to set you up for success. This is also based on the idea that all “builders” or “contractors” are going to rip you off. This clearly isn’t true, there are great ones out there. But as a homeowner you mine as well assume that they are. No one is looking out for you, EXCEPT YOU.

Maybe you can use these six points to steer you in the right direction during your next home remodel recruiting session.

1.       Homeowners have no knowledge or curiosity of standards and practices.

Customers can’t know everything about bathroom remodeling or construction generally, that’s what you hire “pros” for. But come on now, can you try, A LITTLE?  The old Russian proverb (later credited to President Ronald Reagan) says it best: “Trust but verify!”

How do you go about “verifying”? Well, look for online content. A craftsman that shows his work takes pride in his work. Don’t just look for finished pictures or videos. Look for pictures of the company IN ACTION.

Another way to verify standards and practices is to get into the nitty gritty technical minutia during the interviewing process.

I’ve read many sales books and they say most purchases are made based on emotion. “I like this contractor; I’ll give him my work.” He’s from my church, I’ll give him my work.” NO, NO, NO!

The emotional stuff has got to go!

You want your re modeler to be a technical WHIZ and to speak in that language! Talk of rainbows and fancy pants is not an indicator of someone that will build you a lasting, functional, BEAUTIFUL finished product!

Also, do some research on your own. Put a couple hours into YouTube videos, technical manuals, blogs, social media. You’ll be spending a boat load of money, so do your research! Maybe you have ONE QUESTION that is a benchmark for the builder’s technical prowess and to determine if he’ll meet your needs. For shower building a great one is:

“Do you silicone all plane changes in the shower?”

If they say no or give an excuse as to why they don’t, you don’t hire them because you know (based on your research) that siliconing plane changes in a wet area is nationally STANDARD. So, if your recruit is neglecting that fact, they’re not following standards and practices.

Tell them: BEAT IT!

Most people get duped during a bathroom remodel because: THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE BUYING.

2.       Homeowners fall for the loaded front end, without consideration for the back end.

When I use the term “front end” in the context of construction I’m referring to the owner that sells the job, the salespeople that are doing it for the owner, the brick and mortar store.

When I say “back end” I’m talking about the people who do the work.

It’s important to note, you’re not buying a smile and a store. That, of course, is part of the experience. What you are buying is a finished product within your house and the people who are performing this skilled craft are far more important than a slick sales pitch, a colorful brochure, or a “design consultation.”

If you are hiring a big outfit to build your project, make sure they have project managers that are on site and involved. Make sure the front-end people that sold you the job are truly involved and that they don’t just hand it off to the $20 an hour, mystery men in the white vans. I see more people bamboozled by this scenario than any other.

People are constantly getting cheated during a remodel because, they don’t vet the people who actually do the work!

3.      Homeowners are constantly searching for “the deal”.

Being involved in the construction business for all these years and also talking with other tradesmen, I notice a pattern: There is no higher virtue than getting a deal.

Unfortunately, I find that deals are an illusion of a deal. You’ll have to put up with a lot of undesirable behavior and most likely an undesirable FINISH to get that “DEAL”.

Let’s face it, in order to get something for free, a corner has to be cut or someone else has to lose. This is a fact of life. As a tradesman myself I wonder, what ever happened to paying people what it costs to have something done right. Well, I must attest that there are unscrupulous “builders” out there and the stereotype of the shady builder is well deserved, in many cases. I suppose it’s the point of this article.

But, if you find a great one, pay them!

When I see a bathroom that is lousy, I ask the homeowner, “How much did you pay?”

Invariably, it is a laughably low number and I’m surprised anything got done.

I think, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT TO GET?!

In 2020 things are extremely expensive. It’s a fact of life. Buy groceries, a car, college, anything. Construction is no different.

Homeowners regularly get burned on their bathroom remodel because getting a deal is the highest virtue.

4.      Homeowners don’t understand the enormous undertaking of a remodel. Many have a “high time preference.”

Someone with a high time preference is focused substantially on their well being in the present and the immediate future.

So, get it done, yesterday!

Bathroom remodeling is a huge endeavor. I’m not going to sugar coat it, or downplay it as “easy”. Even the smallest construction project can take days to complete, countless trips to the store, and years of accumulated knowledge so, when a person calls and says,

“Oh, it’s just a small back splash, it should be easy.”

Or

My favorite

“A shower takes 11 days to build? That’s ridiculous, it should take 4!”

I cringe!

The worst part is that construction workers have internalized this desire of homeowners to have things done faster, faster, faster. They use guilt on us when they hear how long our projects take. They comment:

“I would have had that done in a week.”

To these guys I respond,

“We don’t have to come back to fix things.”

For many construction guys, the speed in which they complete a project is the highest virtue.

Speed and quality rarely play well together!

A master bathroom can be months of work. Good things come to those who wait. Just be prepared to allow the people who are performing the work in your home the time they need to get it done, with quality and precision.

Homeowners are constantly getting raked over the coals on their remodel because they value SPEED over QUALITY.

5.      Homeowners care more about “LOOKS” than “Longevity and functionality”

With tile, looks are only part of the equation. What gives tile it’s long lasting reputation is mostly the quality of the installation. Therefore, worrying about the looks alone is a brutal mistake.

Obviously, looks are important, but many failures that we see looked great when the installer left, only to mold or rot. I can install beautiful tile that looks incredible in a shower, but it’s installed on sheet rock that will mold in 2 years. Get my point?

Many worry about looks exclusively without worrying about FUNCTION.

If you don’t like heavy maintenance, for example, you don’t buy natural stone. Natural stone LOOKS great but functions poorly without constant upkeep.

The important part of a bathroom remodel or any tile job: WHAT’S UNDERNEATH.

Many homeowners are burned on remodels because there is too much focus on the aesthetics and not much care for the important stuff: What’s underneath and how the project will function during daily use!

6.      Homeowners don’t have high standards during the recruiting process.

I was recently at an interview that our client had with a flooring company. Our client asked the flooring guy for a business card and he said,

“I haven’t had a business card in 40 years, we only have our names on these shirts because my tax person told me I needed a write off.”

That, my friends, is a bad sign!

No business cards, safe to say no website!

I would not be able to personally hire this person because I wouldn’t be able to VERIFY his work. I don’t care how good of friends I was with the person who referred him, I want to see a history of CONSISTENT, high end work, the people he is working with and you should want to see these things too!

You need to have HIGH standards when hiring a re modeler.

If you don’t think of remodeling as a PROFESSION, you’re cruisin’ for a brusin’ and your checking account will be a lot lighter for your trouble.

What’s the person look like when they come for an appointment? Are they professional? Do they dress nicely? Speak in a way that portrays experience and quality? Do the people you are hiring share your culture and values?  Is it someone that you’d trust with your 90-year-old grandmother? You’ll be spending a lot of time and money with the people working in your home, so compatibility is very important.

Standards have waned but reality has not. If you wouldn’t want to give this person the key to your house, they shouldn’t be working at your house.

Many people get gypped during their remodels because they don’t have high standards for construction workers!

I listen to the people that call me with remodeling problems and most of the issues can be avoided with a little bit of foresight and self-awareness.

You see the bullet points above; these are things I see and think about every day. I study “the why” as it relates to remodeling and my hope is that I made you a bit more aware of the mental pitfalls during a home remodel: because awareness is half the battle.

GOOD LUCK

Leaky Shower Repair and Prevention: Woodstock, GA.

A leaky shower can be a disaster! You spend a lot of money on your dream master bath, only to have it leak from day one. Hamilton Tile of Woodstock, GA has a simple and easy solution for your shower leak issues.

We provide peace of mind during all of our master bathroom remodels by always, always, always following a simple rule: An ounce of prevention goes a long way!

Professional Tile bathroom remodeling services: Cartersville, GA

Bathroom Tile remodel service in Cartersville, GA.

In today's video we are remodeling bathroom tile in Cartersville, GA.

Our target market has always been people who care about how their project is built.

What's behind the wall, the small intangibles that we consistently perform to make for an anxiety free project. It's not hard to do what we do, film and photography technology is ubiquitous and cheaper than ever. Every contractor has the opportunity to have their very own "This Old House" in order to build confidence in their customers.

Why don't they?

It’s simple: They can't.

With content marketing we put ourselves out there in order to show you the most important stuff, what's underneath the tile! Unless you have your t's crossed and your I's dotted this kind of transparency isn't possible. Our goal: To SHOW you what you're going to get with us, who we are, and why we are different.

Thanks for watching and visiting our blog!

Instagram: @HamiltonTileGA

Bathroom Remodeling: Low & Slow NOT Blow & Go

I’ve been having a lot of fun with an analogy lately. With over 200 documented leads last year, many people get familiar with our company and our price structure. Often, we are not in the same stratosphere when it comes to arbitrary expectations. I get it! Not everyone values the same things.

Check out my blog post Why we're losing craftsmanship in a 'Market for Lemons' and a prescription for change. for my theory as to why!

I’ve been comparing our tile service to barbecue lately. Lovingly prepared by an over weight man, with a big, beautiful belly…maybe a touch of “secret sauce” on the edge of his mouth, one of those chef hats, with secret spices, specialized equipment and techniques…20 years of experience and the passion to match; cooking up that brisket or rack of ribs…LOW AND SLOW.

THAT’S US.

Now compare that to the other guys, the blow and go, minimum standard types…the mystery white vans…the “looks good enough from my house” variety. They’re like McDonald’s. Yeah, McDonald’s is okay. I ate it as a kid! It’s “cooked” by a 16 year old at their first real job, it’s questionable what’s really between the bun, awful quality, but it’s cheap and fast!

THAT’S THE OTHER GUYS.

We’ll never be McDonald’s, they’ll never be brisket. The question is, which one do you want to eat today?

So, when you’re deciding what “type” of tile work to go with, I recommend barbecue…because you have one shot at it and McDonald’s will be a long term cost that you don’t want to pay!

5 Reasons why NTCA members are the smart choice for wise homeowners!

You’ve been clicking through my website and I’m sure you’ve noticed the badge displayed above. On that circular symbol are written the letters “NTCA” which stands for The National Tile Contractors Association. Many companies have badges signifying they are members of trade organizations; admit it, they add an air of legitimacy. I won’t mince words here; That’s why we have it!

What’s different about our trade organization, the NTCA? The difference is: it actually means something to you, our client. It’s a tile trade organization that has been a mainstay in the tile industry since 1940. It brings so much value to our company, but more importantly to YOU as a consumer, otherwise, we would not be a member.

Here are five reasons hiring NTCA members is a wise choice for you, a tile consumer:

1. Members have access to a treasure trove of installation data.

Every tile installer knows that feeling of excitement when they go to their mailbox and inside, is the NTCA’s Tile Letter. The Tile Letter is an exclusive monthly magazine for NTCA members and it’s the gold standard for tile related articles and news. Inside the Tile Letter are articles with names like, Scribing: Demonstrating artistry and craftsmanship in Creative Tiling that contains an extensive breakdown of systems and methods to scribe tile, described by other top industry professionals. Trust me, you want your potential tile installer referencing this magazine for installation tips and techniques!

The NTCA also has the NTCA University, a group of online courses to further a member’s education as well as the NTCA Reference Manual that keeps its members up to date in order to better serve their customers. We also participate in hands on training sponsored by the NTCA.

The educational opportunities provided to NTCA members is the most significant and important factor in being a member. Other tile installers who are not part of this organization do not have access to this extensive resource and in an ever-changing business-like tile, the guys who aren’t constantly educating and informing themselves like NTCA members, are markedly inferior to those who are. It’s like any profession; teaching, for example. A teacher is regularly receiving additional training to update themselves and better educate their students. Professional tile guys do the same, to better serve, YOU!

NTCA training in Dunwoody, GA at the Tile Shop that we recently attended.

2. Members have access to a network of fellow installers.

With the wide variety of available finishes, patterns, lay outs and materials, it can be very tricky for even the most advanced installers and we may have some questions. It’s great to sometimes throw questions to a fellow installer and seek guidance from someone who has dealt with a challenge similar to what we are facing. The NTCA is a family of like-minded installers who are eager to help each other! Without the NTCA, installers are like an island, atomized and alone. Because of this organization we can unite in power and provide the most lasting, functional tile remodel possible. Our connections are KING!

3. Members are going to be up to date on the latest trends, installation techniques and materials.

Inside the Tile Letter and NTCA marketing material is a plethora of data informing installers of the newest trends, installation techniques and materials. Why is this important to you? It’s important to you because our main priority as professional tile installers is to act as a guide for our clients. NTCA members are given yearly vouchers to try different products that may be new to market or simply new to us! Any installer who is not up to date on the latest trends, installation techniques and materials will not be able to guide their clients as well as an informed, knowledgeable NTCA member.

4. Members are participants in a tile world outside of the one that is right in front of them.

If you’re seeing your tile installer as a person who sticks tile to the wall or floor, you are only seeing a small portion of the full picture. Tile is an entire Eco-system that great installers are driven to be a part of. NTCA members make a difference in the world through our profession. Being a tile crafts person is a way of life, a passion, a reason. You’re not just hiring labor, you’re hiring an artisan crafts person who sees far beyond the physical act of setting tile, because there is far more to our business than just that!

5. Members are helped by the NTCA to become more legitimate, professional businesses.

A better business means a better service for you, the tile consumer. The NTCA of course helps our company create systems and methods which ensure you with a consistent, lasting, functional finished project that you expect. But a great BUSINESS is far more than the finished product. It’s also about providing great customer service, building a business that retains quality, talented employees, keeping our books in order and making it easier for you to hire us. They do this by sponsoring great business related talk shows, like Tile Money and creating great content like Tile TV.

They inform us how to meet new Federal laws like OSHA’s new life saving silica dust mitigation rules. You can be assured that any non-member will be throwing deadly dust into the air, putting you and your family at risk. They simply don’t know any better! They would if they were a member!

NTCA also has 401k program and health insurance opportunities that add to our overall quality of life. They believe a happy, healthy tile installer does better work and I couldn’t agree more. We’ve all been around that resentful, unsatisfied worker. The NTCA helps us be the best version of ourselves by helping us become great businessmen who pass along that positivity to you, our customer.

The NTCA is more than a badge on our website or a sticker on our trucks. They are a trusted partner in our journey to provide you with the best tile experience possible. They share our values of bringing you a tile project that combines great looks, functionality as well as being a permanent display of your personality. We are not members of this organization for us, we are members for you. We’re bringing the value that you deserve and the NTCA helps us get there.

Be sure to visit the NTCA website to learn more about their history, benefits and mission by clicking here or entering the URL www.tile-assn.com into your web browser. I hope it builds confidence in you that you won’t just be hiring a tile installer, but you’ll be working with a member of a solid community who sees your project as more than just a job; but rather a business owner who seeks to improve your life, THROUGH TILE!

Tiling a custom shower ceiling in Johns Creek, GA.

Here today the guys at Hamilton Tile are tiling a custom shower ceiling in Johns Creek, GA. We are at your service when the unexceptional won't make the grade. Our proven systems and processes ensure an anxiety free bathroom remodel that is guaranteed to impress!

Maybe you have a technical project that you can’t trust to a stranger, or a person who is difficult to communicate with; someone who doesn’t have the receipts or a proven history with the knowledge to secure success. We understand your needs and you are likely our customer. We possess exactly the skill set you need.

Self Leveling a bathroom with Ardex Liquid Backer board: How and why.

When building with large tile, often times you’ll have to self level…Many companies will “build up” the tile with thin set…Some refuse to self level and you’ll end up living with huge lips. Many times people don’t want to pay for the added expense of self leveler. I advise you to do what needs to be done to get the substrate ready for large format tile. Tile doesn’t bend! What will happen over time if you don’t start with a flat floor to set tile on?

• cracked grout.

• broken tile

• large lips

• wavy floor

When you’re getting a bid for a master bathroom, what’s underneath your existing flooring is always an unknown expense. What do we have to do to get the floor ready for tile? We always warn our customers of the self leveling potential. Don’t let the name fool you though, self leveling is no joke!

Here’s our technique for self leveling a floor:

Your local Floor and decor: not the best option.

Just your everyday 12x12” pebble mosaic. Or is it?

Within my blog posts there’s developed a certain discontent toward Floor and Decor, the local box store that homeowners love. I attempt to direct our clients away from this particular supplier because of my general overwhelmingly negative experiences with the products they bring to the market.

Here is another example of why I say the things I do to discourage you from spending money there.

The photos below are a basic pebble mosaic advertised as a 12x12” sheet. That would be 1 square foot. Now to start, we did not source this material. This was bought by an unassuming client and we picked up this job short notice. The client was tiling an 81 square foot decorative wall which was a perfect square, nothing to cut around, no corners or obstructions.

When we arrived we saw that they had 94 square feet of mosaic, and being under the assumption that each sheet was 1 square foot, we thought we had plenty, but wait! As we neared the end of the project we began to fret, “we’re not going to have enough!” How could this be, they got plenty extra.

Well, to no ones surprise…Floor and Decor strikes again.

We measured the sheets and they were actually 11.25” —- so instead of each sheet being 1 square foot, they were actually .87 square feet….Do the math. .87 x 94 = 81.78 square feet. Yes, we ended up having BARELY enough to finish the wall…but this doesn’t negate the fact that Floor and Decor misled their customers….if the box says the sheet is 12x12” —- you should be buying 1 square foot, not .87 sqft and if it is .87, shouldn’t someone mention that or shouldn’t it be written on the box somewhere?

Yes, when you’re dealing with tile you sometimes can expect to deal in “nominal” measurements, nominal meaning “in name only”. I get that. with a 12”x24” tile the actual tile will be 11 7/8” x 23 7/8” …the company is selling you the grout joint…I can understand that….but to me, there is a huge difference between an 1/8” short and 3/4” inch short, especially if you are figuring for a large area. Note how manufacturers do business, a discussion for another time.

I’d like for you to be aware of this when you’re buying tile, especially from a box store. This is another reason why you need to buy plenty of extra tile when you are doing a tile job. “Oh, my goodness, there’s two extra boxes!!!” I hear it all the time, Better safe than sorry! Expect to always have extra.

This is the reason I say Floor and Decor is a nightmare for tile guys, for people who know what they’re looking at and have high expectations from suppliers. Tile guys who’s lively hood depends on getting quality material. Being short tile on a project ruins our day. A homeowner going to Floor and Decor, it’s no big deal, to them, all tile is the same….but when you get down to the details, the esoteric stuff, the stuff non tile installers don’t care about…the place is not where it’s at and they’ll let you down. If you don’t mind spending unnecessary amounts of time in a tile store, shop Floor and Decor. Remember, your time is worth money…there will be an opportunity cost.

I’m completely willing to have my mind changed on this place. They sell Mapei products, I love Mapei products. Flexcolor grout, for example, is a great product…but when they don’t carry the full line of 100% silicone Mapesil caulking, the color match stuff… it’s a real drag on production…and a major reason why people don’t follow national standards, because it’s so difficult to. The harder it is to supply material, the less likely installers are going to take the time to get what they need to do a job right. My customer chooses a Flexcolor grout color that’s not in the store, we have to order it online, that takes a week. Of course they have the full line of Keracaulk caulking that’s absolute junk! (and not rated for inside a wet area!) I bring this stuff to the attention of the staff, I’ve been told they’re going to bring in what we need, but I’m going to wait and see! We all know how corporate bureaucracy works!

Catering to the homeowner is one thing, the reality is that the homeowner isn’t putting this stuff in and frankly, if they are, they deserve quality material, they should have the opportunity to buy quality material. Don’t advertise that they’re getting something they are not. If the box says 12x12” sell them 12x12” and if it’s not ,have customer service reps who know enough to say something.

.87 sqft is not 1 square foot.

The price of each sheet was $14.

$14.00 x 94 square feet = $1,316

$14.00X 81.78 square feet= $1, 144.92

I’d say Floor and Decor owes our client $171.08

Yes, this is sold by the “piece” but it’s labeled on the box as 12x12” as you can see. How can you figure how much material you need for a job if you are not aware that you are buying .87 square feet and not 1 square foot?

Notice: “Made in Indonesia”.

Your new bathroom, what will it cost?

A recurring theme and the reason you are here: what’s my master bathroom going to cost me to remodel? I’m sitting here thinking with dread about the writing of this post because of the magnitude of the undertaking. It’s simply such a huge question with so many different variables.  In a perfect world I’d love for people to be able to think more about the VALUE they are getting added to their house and life, but we live in a physical world, where people get money (through work or however else) and it’s put in a bank account. It becomes the means to purchase what we want. So, the numbers are very often of the utmost importance. Most people think, what is the most I can get for the amount of money that I have.

The biggest problem with many of the calls I get is that people vastly underestimate what things cost in 2019. I’m starting to get used to the arbitrary numbers and time frames people come up with, but it’s taken some time. A lot of this is coming from the DIY television shows, where within a half hour they’ll have the before and after and say it all cost $3,000! Another scenario is that people will go on Houzz or Pinterest and see this intricate tile work and say, “I want that!” The reality is that the work you’re seeing on those sites is someone’s top tier work, with massively expensive material, and all we see is the finished product without the context as to what it took to get that space to those breath taking finished photos.

I’ll say it plainly, all tile work doesn’t cost one base price. Square foot price for a bathroom? I don’t even think in those terms! The example I like is when you’re buying a car. You can buy the low end one with no features or you can buy the high end one with all the bells and whistles. Buying a car and tile work are similar in that fact that they are both INHERENTLY EXPENSIVE. If you want tile built to last and done correctly, it’s going to cost you. “Correctly” is not a subjective term, by the way. “Correctly” means built according to ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and TCNA (Tile Council of North America) standards. Tile is a permanent finish, and any great tile guy is going to come at it with the ‘forever’ mindset.  

Why is there so much variation in the cost of remodeling with tile?

1.       The cost of the material. Where are you buying your tile from? Are you buying it from a whole sale shop like Floor and Décor? At a store like that you’re dealing with a lot of seconds. Low end tile coming from far away places like Turkey that don’t have the same quality standards and haven’t gone through the same rigorous quality control. A tile from Italy or Germany where the standard of living is higher will usually be better than a tile from China. I could get into the politics of all of this but instinctively, I think you can square the circle. Our projects are more expensive because we always recommend that our customers go to a real tile supplier, where if there is a problem with the tile, there is some form of accountability.

 On the subject of accountability, a quick story. We were working for a friend who was setting large format plank tile throughout an entire house. We finished setting the tile, started grouting, and as we were grouting the finish of the porcelain tile would scratch, just by grout being cleaned up with a sponge. The sand in the grout was scratching the finish off the tile. We brought this up to Floor and Décor and they couldn’t even tell us who the tile was supplied from. They gave the homeowner the cost of the tile back, but that was it. He was caught with the labor cost and a floor that scratched from looking at it. Imagine the headache.

 We regularly use this story. We’ve been using Tile House in Marietta for years now, where you walk in and Cindy comes out and helps you with design. A truly knowledgeable person who has been at this for a long time, a careerist in fact, and has a grasp on all aspects of tile work. Yes, the tile is traditionally not in stock, but it’s within 3-5 days.

You don’t get the same same level of service and know how at Floor and Décor. It’s rare to run in to someone that knows anything about tile, Oh sure, they’ll act like they do, but really? Almost every time I walk in the place, there are new people working at the front desk. I am a man of routine, of habits and the difference between great tile work and bad tile work is the store and the builder having a system in place to attain high end finishes. I’ve heard many builders say they don’t even let their customers shop at Floor and Decor. We are a bit more flexible than that, but with that flexibility comes hassle for us! Hassle means we have to get paid more for our services. Something to think about!

Another thing that bugs me is that they take returns on tile, which is good and bad. Yes, you can return the tile you bought if you have extra, but it just goes back into the pile and the next person gets tile that is not of the same dye lot! So, it may look completely different when it’s put up.

 Floor and Décor is good for SOME THINGS, like setting materials, but they are extremely hit or miss. The lines, the staffing. It’s a good place for a homeowner that wants to go in and put hands on material, see it, touch it….It’s a nightmare for a legitimate installer that’s running on tight margins. For someone who knows what they’re doing and knows what they’re looking at, It’s not the place to be. Something to think about, cheap tile will cost more to have someone make it look good. There will be more skill involved to make it work! So, where are the cost savings, really?

 Tile cost, anywhere from $2 a square foot to $50 a sqft.  The average master bath will have 100sqft inside the shower and 100 sqft outside the shower. The shower floor mosaic tile is usually between $10-$30 a square foot, not to mention the granite if you want hard surface tops, the edging and the prep materials.

 Let’s talk about the prep materials, this is where it gets interesting! There are many ways to prep a bathroom. ‘Prep’ being short for the preparation of the surfaces to make it ready for tile. Some people use modern systems like Wedi or Schluter….Some people go old school and will ‘mud’ the walls, some people will build a ‘water in water out’ shower system, some will use cement board and a topical water proofing, what kind of thin set will the builder use? The bottom line is that if you are the average consumer…This is the part you probably know nothing about, but is the most important part of the whole job. This is where you lose your shirt if you don’t dot your I’s and cross your t’s.

 This is where the difference of thousands between each bid will manifest itself. How is the builder waterproofing? Realize that there are many ways to prep a bathroom, so it’s important to determine what you’re paying for as far that goes. Your shower on average will see 1100 inches of water per person per year. Your roof sees 30….the waterproofing is very important. You make your choice on how you want your stuff built, I have lots of information on this site about prep and there’s plenty more on YouTube if you’re interested.  This is the part of the build where a contractor will ‘save you money’ by cutting corners and hurting you in the long run!

 2.       Labor.

What kind of builder are you hiring? The cost of a job will vary based upon how much the skilled tradesmen is going to cost you. I’m always wary when I hear a job will be a “competitive bidding scenario” because that usually means that the person who’s willing to lose the most money will get the job. The person who doesn’t have a grip on their numbers, will win. It can be a race to the bottom in this business. Who you hire and the differences between him and the other guy, is mostly based on common sense. If you value craftsmanship, you’ll pay more. If you want to trust and know the people that are working in your house, you’ll pay more. If you hire a company that has a show room, for example, you’ll pay more. A lot of this is basic business. Companies with high overhead and expenses have to charge more than a guy with a truck that has no workman’s comp, insurance and doesn’t pay taxes. I advise you to put yourself in the builders shoes when you’re hiring. Would you do the work for the amount of money they’re asking to be paid? What do you make to go to work every day? In turn, what does your employer need to bill out? When we do a master bathroom, we set up in our client’s house for two weeks on average. Two guys, two weeks….countless hours in traffic….We don’t do multiple jobs, or work on the side….we have families too. So that is a good baseline question. Would I do this amount of work, for  the money this builder is asking for? If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. As the old saying goes, Good work aint cheap…Cheap work aint good!

 Not to get too far into politics, but from what I see here in Georgia, many builders use the most marginalized people in society to work construction. We all watch the news. I’ll leave it at that. This isn’t your grandpa’s construction business! Ask the builder, who will be working in my house? If you don’t care, that’s fine, but a bathroom remodel is not a risk free endeavor, and if you can’t afford to do it twice, use caution! If you’re going to go with the lower price, ask yourself if you think that guy will be in business in six years if you need him…80% of construction businesses go out of business in the first five years.

In our bids, we build into our price the amount of time we have to spend on fixing others peoples mediocre work that was done when the house was originally built. When we rip something apart, we own it and we’re also responsible for getting it back to a place where that structure can accept high end building material. It’s not easy. A framing crew in GA will frame an entire house in two days, that’s quite a few corners cut that trickle down to us during the remodel. How much fixing is the other bid going to do, in order to get your house structurally sound? Every. single. job we do has a major amount of framing that has to be fixed, floors that have to be flatted and re enforced, plumbing that has to be properly done. That all adds time, which in turn is money.

Do you know why not many people build according to ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and TCNA (Tile Council of North America) Standards? It’s because it takes more time and skill, therefore it costs more money!

 I have a popular blog post about what to watch out for when hiring a re modeler. Check it out here. My favorite is “The cult of personality hire” I think the term is an original creation of mine based on what I’ve seen.

 3.       What are you wanting done?

I have another blog post called “How to save money on your next bathroom remodel.” The post lays out some pretty simple steps to save some money. If you’re moving walls, plumbing, electric. More money. Intricate tile patterns. More money….Are you using a designer or a “design build firm” more money. Are you getting a soap niche, a corner bench, a decorative inset band? That’ll all drive up the cost as well. Sometimes, if you are on a fixed budget and you’re not willing to budge, you will have to change the scope! I know, no one wants to hear that. We want what we want, when we want it! If you’re working with a good builder, they are flexible. This is ultimately a collaboration, so be someone that’s willing to collaborate if it’s not possible to do what you want done with your budgeted funds.

Generally, that describes where the variations in pricing between builders comes from. It requires you to use some common sense and think like the business person you’re wanting to hire. The old saying goes ‘you get what you pay for.’ I like to add to that by saying, TRUST BUT VERIFY! The best way to verify is by looking online to see if the company you’re looking to use does content marketing. The photos and videos the company has made of them working will tell you all you need to know.

 One of my favorite things to tell a potential client who has the arbitrary number of $10k that they want to spend is, start adding up the numbers. When the average free standing tub is $2000 dollars, plus the fixture at another $800 plus the cost of the plumber to put it in, we’re at $4000 roughly already. Just start adding up the parts in your head. I like to send old bids to potential customers so they can see for themselves how fast it all adds up.

When I get the arbitrary number of $5k for a stand up shower and the prep material is at $1k, the frame less glass door that everyone wants to have is at $1-3k, the tile is at roughly $1k, add the fixtures and the licensed plumber, there’s not a ton left over…$2k for taxes, miscellaneous supplies, wear and tear on tools,  one week of labor costs for two people, countless other problems to solve,  overhead, and yes, PROFIT. People should not have a business with out profit. “Free” and cheap are trigger words for me. We’ll always end up paying, one way or another.

Our average stand up shower costs $12-20k. Most of your money will be inside your shower, Add another $2-4k for the average master bathroom floor.

We are a company that will do partial bathrooms. A lot of our bathrooms are showers and floors, because the showers are built so atrociously bad and they are failing (leaking) so, they absolutely have to be done. The showers we tear out are the famous 5 year specials! Our average cost for a bathroom without new counter tops, paint, toilets, cabinets, electric, minimal plumbing, come in around $15-25k.. Sometimes, the customer will paint the area themselves and do their own drywall if necessary.

A full gut, new everything, usually comes in anywhere from $30-50k.

 Which, in my opinion is a steal compared to a “design build” firm that will easily want $50k. Yes, you won’t get the CAD drawings with us, but you’ll get far better craftsmanship because we don’t necessarily focus on the bells and whistles of the sale, we focus on building you something that will last forever and function as it should.

I also want to talk a little bit about designers. When you hire designers, they’re famous for going after the aesthetic. They generally focus on the looks, while ignoring the functionality. We worry about, what will the maintenance of this shower/bathroom be like? Will it be easy to clean? What will this tile look like in 20 years? I see many ‘designer’ showers that will mix porcelain tile, warped…strange patterns that don’t meet TCNA standards (brick set 12”x24”s for example) and a natural stone shower floor that gets pitted and nasty in one year! They’ll say…”Of course we can do 1/16” grout joints”….without ever taking into account what the tile manufacturer calls for! They’re generally famous for making promises that can’t be kept by the installer. The perfect mix is a designer that thinks like an installer, who also thinks about what it’ll be like to USE the shower everyday! Yeah, you’ll pay extra for that, when using a design/build construction company.

If you’ve found someone, or if you’re doing a full gut yourself, think about how many corners will have to be cut to get it in at $10k. Maybe you don’t cut any corners, think about how much effort, time and hassle YOU (yourself) will have to put into your project. Do you really know enough about the in’s and out’s of building to under take the management of your own bathroom remodel. I can give you phone numbers of multiple homeowners who took it on themselves thinking they were well equipped, only to find out they didn’t know half of what they needed to and simply didn’t have the experience necessary to manage a high end bathroom remodel. Those are the people who are thankful they found Jason to help them along! When you GC your bathroom yourself, you won’t be getting the level of detail that you see on this site. Maybe you “don’t need all that.” I hear that frequently, but I advise you to think about the RETURN ON INVESTMENT. If you have the ability to put the $30k into a bathroom and you can easily sell your house for good money when you inevitably move, you become the winner. Most of the tile work I see out there WILL NOT sell a house. What does any real estate person say, The money is in the kitchens and bathrooms.

People suffer “sticker shock” at the initial price of a bathroom and they’ll usually end up spending more than their original budget anyway. It’s a lot to take in, but hopefully this blog post warms you up to the reality of remodeling. I spoke earlier about a bathroom remodel not being a ‘risk free’ endeavor. You may be surprised to know that 1/3rd of our customers this year were folks who had another company start (or finish) their project and had to fire them and have our company come in to clean up the mess. This happens more than people believe. I always ask, how much did you pay the other guy, and without fail it’s a number that leaves Jason and I wondering, “what did you expect?”

It’s not a scare tactic when I warn people on this site, Remodeling is a SKILLED TRADE. For whatever reason, mostly involving politics and sociology in my opinion, the trades are dying, and that’s resulting in higher prices for great work. What we’re also seeing out there, is an overall decline in quality and that is becoming the new normal.  All work is not the same. My perfect scenario would be to be able to bring a potential client through one of my bathrooms, then through the competitions’. That’s why I do a lot of video!

In a nutshell: Our prices: January - December 2018 (Atlanta, GA)

$10-20k for a standup shower.

Add $2-4k for a the outside floor .These are based on the average size of a middle class home in the Atlanta area.

Average partial bathroom remodel this year has been $12-25k.

Add $3-5k for a curbless shower, all to eliminate that 4” curb! The height for the slope to the drain has to come from somewhere! Learn more here.

Add a heated floor $1.5-2.5k - the expense comes in running an independent electrical line to your bathroom if necessary.

Average full bath gutted: $30-50k.

Average jack and jill or side bathroom is $12k-15k

 Can be way more or way less, but again these are general numbers.

Fight the urge to search for a deal... From my experience, the people looking for a deal are the ones who take a loss.

My main hope with this post is to inform people in the “price discovery” phase. I empathize with people who are in this phase and I’m hopeful that this post is helpful and will save you a chunk of time.

Good luck!

Should I call my insurance if I have a leaky shower?

My main intention with this blog is to provide value for all interested parties. Today’s advice is a real humdinger because, in my experience, it’s surprising how many people don’t think of it.

So you have a a leaky shower, your first call is to a tile company or re-modeler to see about getting it fixed. Instead of making that call, I want you to make a call to your home insurance provider. Find out what their policies are, get the tear out done, and have an adjuster come out to see the extent of the damage. This is traditionally our first recommendation to our clients who call us for leaky showers. Why not? You pay for the insurance for moments like an unexpected leak.

You may say, “Impossible, insurance doesn’t pay for shower leaks.” Well, I’m here to tell you that a hand full of our clients this year have been able to attain a significant amount of money towards their bathroom remodel from insurance. It’s not a sure thing, because each company has different standards and practices, but more than likely you’ll get a small chunk towards paying for the damage.

It’s difficult to get modern humanity to read, but if you have a leaky shower and you read this blog post…your curiosity could really pay off!

The finish of an inset box can change the look of a shower.

In the photo below, we used the same tile, but edged the inset box in a different manner. As the title of this blog post states, it changes the whole look!

My goal here is to let you know you do have options!

On one side of the photo is an inset box ‘picture framed’ with the ‘bull nose’ tile on the outside of the box.

On the other side is an inset box with the ‘bull nose’ on the inside of the box.

Everything else is the same!

What looks better to you?

You’re a new home buyer: Watch out bad showers!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the people who have called me about their new home, just purchased, that has shoddy tile work, or a shower that is leaking. I’ve been putting myself in their shoes and contemplating what it would be like for me to make the biggest purchase of my life and a year later discovering that I have to drop another $10k to have the shower (that is no better than a cesspool) removed and replaced. What a nightmare!

Who’s responsibility is it to check these things? Some would say the home inspector. Some would say the real estate agent. Some would say the builder has an obligation to build a water tight bathing area.

1.       A home inspector does no better than a visual inspection. I’ve experienced them making a fuss about a bead of caulking, but ignoring serious structural issues. Don’t depend on a home inspector alone. Much of what they do is arbitrary and based upon which way the wind is blowing.

2.       A real estate agent is trying to sell you a house. They’ll advise the home owner to make esthetic changes. Things like a back splash, counter tops, carpet. They’re not getting into structural stuff and if they do decide to, they’ll do it on the cheap. Real estate agents are notorious price shoppers and you know what happens generally to price shoppers in relation to construction. Quality is ignored, things are built to please the eye and not to last.

3.       Builders are much like real estate agents in the fact that they are largely profit driven. Whatever is cheapest and the most economically expedient, they will do. From hiring undocumented workers, to cutting every corner imaginable in the construction of the house…builders are guilty. They will call me for short notice work, promising that everything is “ready to go!” I will arrive finding that things are far from ready. Their pay scale is so far below what it takes to run a legitimate business, that it is a miracle the material even gets put on the wall. Their attitude is “good enough.” Craftsmanship and quality take a back seat to speed and volume. Not all, Not all, not all, but generally, builders don’t vet their subs and it is rare that they have long term relationships with them or hold them accountable. This is particularly true in the tile business. When you hire a tile man, in order to get the long-term benefits of tile, you need to trust that the tile is put in to a high standard. You need to trust the person who is doing the work and that person must have a high degree of consciousness and be very scrupulous. Getting those types of people on a builder job is next to impossible, because in Georgia at least, the pay just isn’t there. It’s a race to the bottom. This is why showers are invariable swamps upon purchase of a new home.

So, who is ultimately responsible for the condition of the house before purchase? Who is responsible for knowing the problem areas that could cost big bucks before the purchase? Not the home inspector, not the real estate agent, not the builder, IT’S YOU!

If I were purchasing a new home, even if the tile work looked “new” I would look for a few things. These items will be a signal to you that the tile work is mediocre and may need to be replaced.

1.       Creaking and groaning when walking on floors are a sign of movement. Tile does not last when it moves.  Walk around the place. Jump up and down! If you see itmove, if you feel movement, that tile work will not last.

2.       Cracked grout joints and fractured tile are an indicator of an improper tile installation. When tile has full thin set coverage and no movement in the substrate, it does not crack. Tile is a permanent finish and if it is installed to a high standard it’ll last forever. A cracked floor or wall is not “fixable” you won’t be able to match the tile and it won’t be worth it because the installation is done to such a low standard you’d be putting lipstick on a pig.

3.       Turn on the shower…heck, plug the drain hole and do a flood test of the shower pan. Look for wet spots in the room underneath the shower pan. It is of the utmost importance that your shower pan holds water. When you fill up the pan, measure the level when you initially fill it…wait one day come back and measure the water again. If it’s not the same the shower pan is leaking water. If you drain the pan and wait for everything to dry out, and the grout inside the pan looks like it stays wet and will not dry, the shower pan is holding water. That is also a really bad sign.

4.       If the homeowner recently had the bathroom redone, (this is a big one) ask them by who. Ask for receipts, find out if the company they used is credible and legitimate or an unlicensed, uninsured, unidentifiable, lowest price, fly by nighter. I get so many calls from people who are wanting to redo their bathroom, but they “don’t want to pay too much because they are moving.” Do you think these people are going to be willing to pay for quality and thorough builders? Or do you think they paid for “just good enough” because they won’t be living in the house in 2 months and it doesn’t really matter. Just because tile looks good or it’s new doesn’t mean it’s done well and it’s going to last. If the tile work is new, find out how it is water proofed. Call the construction company and ask for details about the remodel. Ask for pictures of the remodeling process! Maybe get a signed document from the homeowner in regard to the quality of the remodel.  Wood and water don’t mix, and this is extremely important.

5.       Look for new caulking or any irregularities in the grouting. Grout and caulking should last a very long time. If caulking is molding (black) that is an indicator of structural issues BEHIND the tile. Showers rot from the inside, out. Be aware of the quick fix! Be aware of the repair that is made just good enough to sell the house.

Now if you’re buying a house and the tile work is old and needs to be remodeled and you are aware of it, that is one thing. Be prepared for a $20k-$50k dollar master bathroom remodel. If you’re prepared for it, that’s fine. Don’t think that a bathroom is good to go out of the box though. There is a lot of shoddy work out there and be aware that the number one priority of the homeowner is to sell the house and maximize profit. You are a potential victim and it is your responsibility as a consumer to understand that the shower, the tile work, is generally a problem area in homes and can be a very costly repair.

My intention is not to trash home sellers. My intention is to convince you that your money has value and you should not have to pay for things twice. You’re buying a new house. The hope is to make the initial investment and to not be forced into an unexpected repair bill.

Another hope of mine is to convince people who are building homes, who are selling homes to not be unethical in their behavior before the sale. Hire people that will do a good job. Pay craftsman who provide a high-quality project. Be aware that consumers are wizening up and accepting their responsibility for their own fate. Know that people are educating themselves. Understand that bathrooms sell houses! Pay the extra money to have it done right! Tile is supposed to last forever, not just long enough for you to cash the check.