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.

Shower Repair in Woodstock, GA: Is it worth it?

To get right to the point, No. Shower repair is not worth the money or the hassle. If you have the resources I whole heartedly recommend doing a full replacement of your leaky, toxic shower.

This week I fielded a call from a man that has a shower that is leaking into his house. The corner bench was allowing water to escape and penetrate the sub structure, the pan was also holding water making it into a veritable swamp inside his house. Corner benches are notorious for doing this, simply put, because of improper installation and unscrupulous installers. As always, I told him we only do full replacement because he would be throwing "good money after bad" or my favorite, putting "lipstick on a pig".

There isn't one homeowner out there that wants to hear this diagnosis! A person purchases a home expecting their shower to be functional for the life of the home, It looks good, why wouldn't it? Unfortunately, a shower isn't like a furnace where it has a defined life span. When purchasing a house, the shower can be a mystery, a ticking time bomb, a wallet drainer.

Here in Atlanta, If I see a shower built with a "water in, water out" system (I can tell generally,  by the drain used) I assume it's a potential swamp, ripe for bacteria growth and filth. (Be sure to watch the video at the link above for a full description of a "water in, water out" system.) I make this assumption because of a pattern I've recognized among builders here, especially new home builders, whatever is cheapest, fastest...they will do. Including hiring unskilled, corner cutting tile guys. Ultimately, what does a builder care about the shower? Ten years is all it needs to last! That check will be cashed and there will be nothing the homeowner can do except buy a whole new shower on their own dime, some homeowners aren't prepared for this so they turn to a "shower repair".

Now if I see a Schluter Sytems drain, or a comparable drain, I assume the shower will be functional for life. With a "water in, water out" system, if the tile guy skips or ignores one step it will fail over time. With a Schluter Systems shower, the moisture management technology has a standardized installation process that makes it a fool proof, lasting install. A "water in, water out" shower construction system has proven to have a problem with longevity due to human error, which has been solved by the German engineers at Schluter Systems.

This leads me to the reasons I do not recommend "Repairing" a shower.

1. When repairing a shower you will be taking off the glass structure, the first two rows of the wall tile, the shower base including the curb and in the case of the man that called me this week, the bench. So, that is about two-thirds of the shower or about two-thirds of the cost of a BRAND NEW, MODERN SHOWER with a technologically superior water management system that will last forever. Does it make sense to go back with the same old school, "water in, water out system" and the same old tile and drain you had before? Who's to say the tile guy you hired that still uses the old building methods is going to build the shower correctly, so you don't have the same problem in 10 years again?

2. Tying in the moisture management system with the old tile is always a problem. When you tear out the two bottom rows of wall tile, How do you tie in the water proofing from the "new" tile to the old tile? Ask the tile shower "repair" guy this question, That'll be an interesting answer, I'm sure.

3. Matching the old tile you have currently to the new tile is next to impossible. Yes, you will get the new tile close, but it will never be the same. Even if you do find the same tile, the dye lots will be different. A dye lot number indicates when tile was made, and tile with different dye lots, although they are the same model tile, will be different because they were made at different times. It will only be the SLIGHTEST difference, but they will be different. So, with an investment of time and money of this magnitude, Why not go all the way?

The number one reason Hamilton Tile does not do tile "repairs" is, where do we stop?  Say we agree to tear out your shower and "repair" it. We start the demolition and notice that the rot goes deeper and is more extensive than was originally thought, guess who now owns that shower and is responsible for putting it all back together. We are. So that brings up the question again, where do we stop?  You have a leaky, swamp in your house, we start tearing things out, there is evidence of rot above where we expected, do we keep going? Where do we stop?

It's illogical to build good work on top of bad. It's just a band aid. There are plenty of people who will gladly take your money for a "repair" but you mine as well set your money on fire because your house is not truly being fixed. You still have an antiquated shower but now it's with tile that doesn't exactly match, with water proofing that is incomplete, you've had a crew run rough shod through your life for a week, and your bank account is thousands lighter.

A lot of the issue is that people buy houses with features that they do not expect to fail, so a shower leak is a hugely unexpected bill for people on say, a fixed income. I realize people are inclined to fix a problem just well enough to get them through, but as I always say, If you think we are expensive...Try paying for it twice.

In this photo, the top couple feet have been removed...as well as the pan and the glass doors. This person can expect a hefty bill and the same old shower.