Remodeling Disaster: What Went Wrong?

What can go wrong during a remodel? Turns out, a lot can go wrong!

Discover the highs and lows of our recent bathroom remodel. From promising beginnings to frustrating mishaps, find out what went wrong and how we coped with our remodeling disaster. Join us as we keep it real and share our unfiltered experience.

Day 1 

You do not know how many times I have sat down to begin this blog post, and then I stop, and move on to something else. 

I guess it is because this blog is my happy place, as most of you know life hasn't been exactly perfect, not feeling like myself. 

I like to keep things light, playful, and fun here. There is enough negativity in the world, and I like to think this little ole' blog is your happy place each week too. 

Our bathroom remodel was none of those things, and so when it came to putting a playful, fun twist on the bathroom, I just couldn't do it.

Floor torn up to replace galvanized water lines

So, I decided to be real, it is what I am always telling you, keep it real. So, I will keep it real and share how this bathroom remodel went.  

Our home is not always blog worthy material, most days there is dog hair laying on the floor. I mean, you want to know, so I am telling you. My crafting projects are all over the dining room table because I cannot seem to stay in the basement, and Bentley is running amuck, always getting into something. 

Some days I struggle to breathe because my asthma is not so wonderfully controlled like everyone likes to tell me it is. Some days, I just take my shower, and pull my curly hair up in a bun on top of my head with all my graying glory popping out all over the place. Most any day around here you can find me sporting one of my husband's t-shirts, and in a pair of shorts, sans make-up because we are keeping it real today. 

So when it came to the bathroom, I had plans of sharing it right away, I had planned to share blog worthy photos, and tell you all about my wonderful experience. I had planned to share the contractor we worked with, and I had planned to schedule more work with him since we have a list a mile long to finish. 

Charcoal Gray Grout on carpet 

Only, through our experience with the bathroom, none of that was what I wanted to share since it never happened the way I had intended. 

The first day I thought okay, this is going well. The bathroom was demoed as far as the young gentleman who worked on it could go for the day, I will admit, that gentleman was respectful, always arrived to work before his scheduled time, put drop cloths down on our carpet, and up the stairs. He was actually nice to work with. He just needs more experience behind him. He mentioned wanting to have his own business one day, and I think he will. He has the drive, manners, and work ethic to do it. I hope he does someday.

The owner and other employee need some work. I was disrespected in my own home, told what I had purchased was junk, I am too picky, and he badmouthed the company and owner of the countertop company he suggested we go to. 

While I admit, my experience with them was not up to par either, why give a recommendation, and then proceed to tell me once I have already ordered, made decisions, and had it installed that "you get what you pay for". 

The team who came to install the bathroom countertops is another story, but the owner who recommended them aired all their dirty laundry when he became upset with him for not cutting a deal on another job for him. 

Interesting what surfaces when someone is unhappy.

Backerboard did not meet top of tub

I could tell you to hire a company for smaller jobs before you give them the big job, but I did that. He was cordial to work with, and when he did not correctly fix our kitchen faucet, he came back at no charge the second trip. 

In all honesty, he should have anyway because you cannot tighten down plumbing with your hands as he was trying to do. I supplied him with a pipe wrench, but it was in a tight spot and it did not work. 

My husband already tried, it's why I called him. I didn't let him know all of this this since I like to see if people will make things right, which at the time, he did.

I thought okay, we may have someone who I can call for everything which is exactly what we have been looking for. If you have ever lived in an older home then you know they call for repairs, and often.

I noticed the longer the bathroom remodel progressed, and the more I pointed out that needed to be fixed, the worse the work looked, and the more attitude I received. 

Paint Runs

More paint runs 

Filled in, this cracked two weeks after bathroom was completed 

Sorry, but I do think paint runs on the walls should be something I need to show you or accept. I do not think I need to tell you that the bathroom closet needs backerboard put down on the floor (I nearly had a heart attack when I thought I was falling through the flooring as I was measuring for a storage piece), I should not need to tell you to move the handheld shower head up and over so it stays inside the shower. Who wants water dripping from it all over the floor?

The trim work was not mitered in the corners, their saw ate the wood threshold piece we purchased, and then I was told it would not work since the door would not shut. 

Corners were not mitered 

??

At that point, I said it's okay, I can have my husband do it. I did not bring out the towel bar, or the toilet paper holder, I saved those for my husband. I couldn't trust it would be done correctly or ruined.

When we finally got to the last day, and I was about to feel like I could breathe a bit, the toilet began to leak through the ceiling onto the first floor. I could hear a drip, drip, drip, and low and behold, the water was coming from the bathroom upstairs.

Water leak from toilet 

Leak became a hole in the ceiling from a cracked cast iron pipe

The new waterlines were not tested before the bathroom was put back together, something an experienced contractor should know and do. When the old galvanized waterlines were being cut out with a saw, the cast iron drains were disturbed. Of course, the drains needed to be replaced.

Then another cracked cast iron pipe 

Small hole became large hole in the ceiling 

Then the closet ceiling was removed 

Our first floor bathroom ceiling had to come out 

Down the wall in our first floor bathroom

I understand sometimes cast iron cracks, and then you are chasing pipe. I get it, I do, but I was upset that entire bathroom was put back together without the new waterlines being tested. 

I was not about to have the brand new flooring torn up, so the ceilings on the first floor needed to be ripped out so the cast iron could come out and PVC could replace it. 

I was quoted one price in the midst of the remodel, and I said no, we will keep the cast in place (I didn't want to get into replacing the cast iron when there had been so many other issues). The price changed and the scope of work lessened with the new increased quote. 

The foyer ceiling was torn out, the hallway ceiling, and into our first floor bathroom ceiling. Since I had already seen the work completed I knew I did not want him to remodel our first floor bathroom, and I did not want the tiled wall disturbed either. 

The pipes were not covered overnight, and sewer gas leaked throughout the house. I know the crew knew better since the upstairs toilet was covered while they were remodeling upstairs. 

His employee patched the wall in our closet perfectly, but when it came to patching the ceilings back in, we will just say where did that worker go? The entire ceiling was to be painted in the foyer, the hallway, and the downstairs bathroom. They painted around the light fixture in the foyer, the downstairs bathroom ceiling was not painted where the tub is. The wall was only painted so far down. 

When the 3" cast iron was replaced with PVC, he chose 4" PVC. This caused an issue since the walls are only so deep. When his employee came to me indicating he needed to leave to purchase thinner drywall, I thought ok. 

Toilet drain removed from new bathroom 

New 4" PVC pipe

1st floor bathroom ceiling closed back up

Foyer ceiling closed back up

Purple plumbing glue on wall, it does not come off, nor has paint covered it so be careful

New texturing that does not match, the ceiling will need to be retextured 

I had a feeling the increased size in pipe would be an issue. I grew up in a construction family, and learned a bit growing up. I cut pipe, sweat copper, and readied the fittings as a child... ever the inquisitive one.

Would you believe he was trying to scrape the back off of the drywall to patch back in and make the wall smooth. Had I known what he was spending an entire day doing, I would have told him I would not accept that. When I brought this to the owner's attention, he mentioned, I told him not to do that. 

I cannot honestly say which one I believe since I caught mistruths often.  

When I asked if the walls were washed down before paint, the employee said he had completed it. He did not, I walked over and ran my hand down the wall, the amount of drywall dust left behind was absurd. I ended up cleaning the walls myself in the hallway since I just wanted the job to be right. 

Ceiling trim was removed, it is not the same as before and does not match up

They painted around a removable shower curtain rod, why not take it down?

Ceiling not fully painted over tub

Walls painted only so far down

It is why we decided to say, don't worry about sending him back, we will fix everything ourselves. The owner did not even respond. I am sure he did not care since he had his money, and we were left with a big mess. 

This "two week job" drug on for seven weeks, to say I am finished with remodeling for a while is an understatement. 

I'd like to tell you this is all that happened, but there was more, more, and more. I'd also like to tell you that we have properly fixed everything, but that would be untrue. 

Every time I walk in to begin, I get angry all over again, and I end up walking out. Maybe one of these days I will get it all completed, but today is not that day. Today, I am only venting. I will come back and share with you from a far how the bathroom turned out upstairs. You will have to excuse if I do not get too closely to their subpar work. 

Ciao,

Cara