Talk me down (or into) a $24k shower rebuild

[cx]

Originally Posted by Joe

...but it is the reality in my location these days.

If you'd put a geographic location into your User Profile, Joe, that would be more meaningful, eh?

I'll combine you with your previous thread so folks will know what you're working with.

I couldn't even guess whether that price is outrageous without we know what you're getting for that price. It could be very high, or it could be reasonable.

You have a written contract for the work?

My opinion; worth price charged.

[ybakos]

Thanks @makethatkerdistick . While I am able-bodied, and detail-oriented, my current nick-name is "Mr. Fix it Twice." I always end up doing something two or three times to get the job done... and with the shower, I really am not sure I want to risk doing it twice... or thrice, lol.

I appreciate the vote of confidence.

[ybakos]

Thanks @CX I wasn't sure if a new thread would be more appropriate or not since I'm asking for a contract sanity check rather than troubleshooting.

Anyway, yes, agreed, absolutely keeping an eye on the job done and we do get what we pay for. I am in Oregon, which has had its fair share of labor shortages, increased prices and particularly acute limited availability of reliable and high quality contract work. The contract I have in hand is with a reputable local team.

I'm hoping others might chime in with other things I might consider... thanks for the therapy session.

[jonchicagoland]

Has the scope of work changed at all? We're talking about just a shower replacement, correct? 8 weeks is a really long time for a shower.

Maybe the price/timing includes new glass?

[cx]

Joe, you need to put that geographic location into your User Profile or the information will be lost before we leave this page.

I'm not familiar with labor availability or costs in your fair State, but I know it's a bit outrageous here in south Texas, and we're usually in the cheap seats.

Anything in the contract giving you an indication of the actual scope of the work and where the big bucks are being spent?

And I gotta agree with Jon that 8 weeks is a long time for a shower replacement. Even for those of us who are really slow, that sounds excessive, but, again, I'm not looking at your bid/proposal/contract and can't see the scope of the work or the scheduling of labor and materials.

Were I still working, I know my glass enclosure, if any, would be about 4 weeks out right now.

[ss3964spd]

24K, Joe? Is that to re-do the entire bathroom or only the shower? Is the foot print of the shower being expanded?

I've never gotten quotes on a shower or whole bathroom remodel so I really don't know. I'd be curious to know the scope of work.

[pls]

My wife feel in love with bamboo veneer for the vanity. Turns out a floating vanity and two towers in bamboo veneer is very expensive. So I could easily see spending 24K.

[ybakos]

@ss3964psd @jonchicagoland

The scope is just for the shower, not a bathroom remodel.

Demo the entire shower area down to studs, check for water/termite damage, allowances to remediate. Rip out curb, remove tile and redo shower receptor / drain if necessary.

All plumbing needs.

Greenboard, Kerdi membrane, and floor-to-celing tile w/ large-format (2x3 ft) tile, custom tiling for the shower receptor w/ large format or 4x12 tiles (depending on center or linear drain).

New glass door, possible curbless if possible.

Drywall repair as needed

So, end-to-end including materials, but just the shower. Same footprint / no expansion or changes other than a) possible linear drain and b) possibly going curbless.

[Mathman]

I wouldn't use the green board. Either plan drywall or use the Kerdi board

[ybakos]

Thanks @Mathman, I did ask the PM about that. They seem to have a solution in place that they prefer to use the greenboard (heh, price?) rather than durock or hardiebacker or plain drywall.

Their assertion is that they have done and do continue to implement many showers with greenboard for quite some time... I figure it is better to let them implement their solution rather than dictate.

Everything I read online says to use durock/hardie or even use regular drywall instead of greenboard if it's getting a schluter membrane. But, I've also seen discussion that greenboard is "fine."

I'd rather go with something 'better' than greenboard... think I should push on this one? These guys are pretty reputable, so I hate to be "that" client.

[Davy]

I will say this, I've been installing mud showers for 46+ years and have never bid a shower for 24k. And, there's a lot more labor in mud showers than Kerdi.

[cx]

Joe, there is absolutely no advantage to using a MR Board with the Kerdi membrane, and there are potential disadvantages. Some "GreenBoards" have a coating on the green face that doesn't play well with thinset mortar. And if you want to be really technical, using Kerdi in a shower is only certified as a "system," and it's only a system if you install it exactly as specified by the manufacturer. No product substitutions. Whether you want to make a point of that with your contractor is entirely up to you, of course.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[jadnashua]

Years ago, I was picking out granite tile, and the supplier was showing me some of the various stuff available...he showed me one granite with a beautiful aqua streaks in it that sort of looked like a marble, but with different colors than what you see in that stuff...$250/sqft, so yes, there are ways to get the price of a shower, or other things way up. If you live where you're not water limited, you might be building a human car wash with lots of sprays...pull a Trump, and specify gold stuff, and $24K could be just a down payment.

But, you can get a very nice shower for much less that is also properly built and will last a very long time.

[makethatkerdistick]

I figure it is better to let them implement their solution rather than dictate.

You want to be nice and respectful, I get it. To me, however, this seems not prudent. Green board is not a good solution for Kerdi, as has been said. Either regular drywall or a concrete backer board or Kerdiboard. Or, best of all, one of Davy’s mud showers!

I would remain very involved if I were to hire this out. I would exactly specify what I want and in the manner I want it done. And if I caught the installer nit following manufacturer’s instructions, then I would stop them right there. At that price, are you getting any fancy tiles? Mitering of corners? High quality grout? Any substantial warranty in writing? Proper permitting? 24 hour flood test? You are the person who calls the shots and who has to live with the results.
“Letting them do their thing” has always caused me problems in the past when I hired contractors. Almost always.

[PhilWA]

Here's my DIY materials estimate:
white subway tile: $800
drywall: $80
kerdi sheet/linear drain products: $1000
shower valve box & thermostatic valve (set it and forget temperature): $600
thinset mortar (for the good stuff; could do with cheaper): $250
replacement wood studs: $40
frameless glass shower door: $500 (delivered from amazon)
demolition & garbage of waste: $120

So something like $3500 total material cost, but you could cut out 1k without linear drains/thermostatic valves. You could afford to build/rebuild the shower over 4 times and still come in lower than that $24k quote.

Only you can judge if it's worth your time to invest in the DIY learning required for how to waterproof the shower, there's lots of youtube videos that may help go along with the schulter manual/videos. First timer tile work won't likely be perfect, but at least you can be sure to build a leak-proof shower. Do you have any other remodel bathrooms/improvement projects in mind for that house?

If the contract says "curbless shower if possible", i'd put money on the contractor saying 'its not possible' and pocketing the labor/materials savings..