Bathroom update
The shower glass, toilet, sink and medicine cabinet in our master bath are in need of replacement. The original white tile is still good although it may need a bit of regrouting and the shower floor is cracked and needs to be retiled. We are not interested in a major remodel but need the advice and help of a reliable contractor. Other Eichler owners who have had bathroom remodels in our area have not been satisfied with their GC's so we have no recommendations to help guide us. I would like to get some recommendations of GC's in the Oakland area who have good track records.
I'm curious why you think you need a general contractor for this--is it because you want to update the look/functionality substantially from it's current level?
If not, and it's really just a matter of replacing what you have, you might consider handling the trades yourself. I could be wrong, but I've always thought the key value of a GC was the ability to schedule and manage the intricate interdependencies of the trades. I think the GC's time (and your money) might be wasted for simple replacement jobs which few or no dependencies.
- Visit a local, reputable tile center to discuss tile selection for the replacement showerpan. They should also be able to give you the name of a reliable, skilled tile man to do the job (or someone on this board might have a name for you).
- Visit some bath showrooms to choose a shower door style then call a sliding door install/repair company to replace the shower doors with the ones you want (*after* the tile has been replaced).
- Although I don't know the particular toilet or sink you want to replace, there are plenty of reviews of toilets online (TOTO is a good name, as are others) and Kohler's Tahoe sink is a pretty close match to one of the common sinks used in Eichlers.
On the other hand, if you are thinking of upgrading the design or features substantially, you'll pay double the money and should probably call in a pro designer as your first step--then a GC (hopefully one the designer has worked with before). Someone might shoot me for this, but I'd say a GC and designer are differently skills people--each might understand the other but they are not interchangeable. Don't skip the designer step.
Good luck.
jake
Search
Active Forum Topics
