Need a bathroom remodeled. Original bathroom in NYC in a highrise co-op building.
I tried some websites like servicemagic but didn't like any of their offerings or providers. They even had Sears on their list who I would never use.
I tried some local places who wanted outrageous prices. Working on one which gave me a lowball price but I am not sure of their experience with highrises, plus they claim that an exhaust fan is not required by code. They had 5 good reviews on the internet and were licensed and the credentials checked out so far. I just need more references from them for NYC CO-OPs and highrise work they did since highrises have their own set of issues which are different than ordinary homes.
What are the best websites to check for the best contractors to get a good price. In the NYC Metro area there are boatloads of contractors and most of them are licensed and its easy to weed this information out, but I guess I am looking for the diamond in the rough. The one with the best price and combination of service which has previous NYC Co-op experience.
Is there a best way to find such folks such as Angieslist which actually costs money or other such review sites like Google Reviews or Yelp? Am I missing anything else?
Service Magic's ratings did not correlated to offsite reviews and they have some really lousy contractors on the list I would be very afraid of.
The recommended local folks wanted way too much and so did other random inquiries I did but this one lowballed me but may not have appropriate co-op and highrise experience. He had videos of his work on homes on youtube.
I am starting to think Angieslist may be worth the fee and that could be a good way to find someone.
FWF hates Angie's List, I guess because it costs money, but I have been pretty pleased with the reviews and the providers I have found through it. I think that I pay like $150 every 4 years. The reviews tend to be very detailed and the providers tend to be pretty concerned about their Angie's List rankings, at least where I am. There are also some pretty good coupons or Angie's List deals - like ones for having a bathroom remodeled.
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 8, 2012 @ 9:04p
Home Depot contractors are horrible. Any mass market store which outsources contractors will have horrible service.
While Home Depot allowed easy distribution to home repair merchandise and wound up changing the business model and at times does have the lowest pricing on materials, I would not say they have the best quality merchandise. The internet has changed around distribution and there are loads of warehouses today and unique ways that interstate commerce has been done on the logistics and supply levels.
What you want is a quality licensed independent contractor where you know who will be working on site and can get references of the projects they have worked on who are reliable. I checked a few which I know who were reliable and got outrageously high pricing and I also made some inquiries of people I have not fully checked out yet who came in at high pricing as well.
Not any chimp can install a bathroom right. A poorly trained person can cause a major flood and damage, and won't understand the unique nature of the plumbing systems in place and will be more prone to skimping on design and using subpar materials to keep costs down.
Some guys are known to do quality work time and time again but they have so much demand and loads of customers and are able to charge higher prices.
Just wish there was just one website to get the best folks. Computers have come a long way in helping others find information and storing and parsing data and in other fields works quite well.
But for finding a home contractor for a good price who does good work which lasts for a very reasonable price is harder to find than I thought who has the appropriate skill sets to do the job.
svr411 said: Parking lot of Home Depot?The parking lot of a Capital One branch frequented by classy customers
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 8, 2012 @ 9:11p
The parking lot of xoneinax's trailer home which isn't even premanufactured!
samiam68
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 8, 2012 @ 9:36p
Look across the river in Jersey, or try the outer boroughs, see if the contractors are willing to take a job in Manhattan.
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 8, 2012 @ 9:45p
Im not in Manhattan. But the closer the contractors are, the less transportation expense to do the job especially with todays gas prices. I realize cost of living in NYC is higher however but I think if one is doing more volume in the NYC Market, they likely can add other jobs since they are in the area already and it will be easier to get them back in, in case something goes wrong since they are nearby.
For consumer goods, I often use NJ to save on taxes since it is right across the border. But if a contractor is licensed in NYC which I need, I will also have to pay applicable sales taxes so the tax savings is wiped out altogether.
The folks I know in NJ who had work done, far exceeded the estimates I got for more minimalistic work done to their places.
Competition is intense in the industry. In the NYC Metro area most homes (vast majority) are older therefore making remodeling a necessity for many.
Kanosh
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 2:53a
NYC Co-op building. Does this require board approval? If so, why not ask board members who has done good work in the building in the past?
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 6:26a
I posted a classified ad on craigslist for labor. Hopefully a licensed contractor will respond and accept $1000 labor which I think is plenty fair considering the extent of the work I am requesting.
Seems like the best way to deal with it. Contacting contractors on the net to get estimates is giving too high a price considering the amount of work being put into it.
So either they accept or reject a flat $1000 labor fee on craigslist.
carlry
Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 6:49a
Try the forums here. It's primarily a tile-setter web site, but the guys there can do the whole job - and you can read their advice posts to get confidence that they know what they are doing. Post what you need in the "pro" forum and if someone is in the area, they'll write back. Don't expect their rates to be the cheapest - but expect that they are going to do the job right.
The threads in the "advice" and "pro" forums are also a great source of information on shower construction methods - a good way to educate yourself on the right way to do things. Read through the "worst tile job" thread in the "pro" forum to see what happens when a shower is not build properly (it isn't pretty). The tile and grout is actually not what makes the shower waterproof - it's whats underneath that counts.
BTW - If the bathroom has a window, then an exhaust fan might not be required by code (but I would still want one).
EvilCapitalist
Broke Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 7:15a
grex23 said: I posted a classified ad on craigslist for labor. Hopefully a licensed contractor will respond and accept $1000 labor which I think is plenty fair considering the extent of the work I am requesting.
*coffee* => *keyboard*
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 7:20a
Will see if anyone responds to my craigslist ad before I go further. Locally, qualified contractors seem to want anywhere from 5000 up to $13000 and up based on my rough estimates.
I figure $1000 for labor and I pay for parts. Parts alone aren't expensive depending on what I order. But $1000 seems reasonable for labor for a small bathroom.
What exactly are you wanting done to the bathroom? How many hours of labor are you factoring in to get to that $1000 mark?
shanebo1
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 7:50a
grex23 said: Will see if anyone responds to my craigslist ad before I go further. Locally, qualified contractors seem to want anywhere from 5000 up to $13000 and up based on my rough estimates.
I figure $1000 for labor and I pay for parts. Parts alone aren't expensive depending on what I order. But $1000 seems reasonable for labor for a small bathroom.
If you're simply replacing toilet, sink/vanity, lights, etc., then you might get someone to bite for $1000. But any tile/grout or drywall work, rearranging fixtures, comples wiring, etc. is probably going to cost you more than that if you want it done right. FYI, the standard contractor rate for non-union skilled labor in south Jersey is $100-200/day (the amount a contactor pays his laborers).
Jstic
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 7:56a
"The recommended local folks wanted way too much and so did other random inquiries I did but this one lowballed me but may not have appropriate co-op and highrise experience"
I have been a contractor in Connecticut for 20+ years. If you have good recommendations on a local contractor who has done good work in your building or neighborhood, use one of those types. A total bathroom remodel, using standard, everyday fixtures should cost between $10-$15K in a single family residential home. In a NYC co-op, I would raise that price by at least $5k just because of the difficulty and time lost in getting materials in and out of the building, as well as the other obstacles that I would not ordinarily run into(I am not bidding on your bathroom, just trying to be informative). I am talking about gutting the existing bathroom down to the framing and rebuilding from there. If you want any type of custom fixtures, tile, dual showerheads, double sink, etc. the price goes up.
Nearly every customer I have ever seen who went shopping and found the lowball contractor they thought would do a good job, was ultimately disappointed. There are contractors who will try to squeeze you, but there are also many, many good legitimate contractors who do good work. Like anything else in life, you get what you pay for. And remember, this is not a FWF item that you can return to Costco.
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 8:14a
Actually the opposite is true plus the materials needed for a 5 by 7 bathroom is minimal. We have a service elevator for all materials so its super easy to get stuff inside. Just have to be licensed and bonded and I just need to hand in the documents to the management office.
I love how people make up stuff to justify or gouge someone in price. The only thing in a co-op building at times is the water valve shutoff in case valves need to be changed so the super has to shut those off and the super has to know that in advance in older buildings like mine where there is no in unit total shutoff valve.
Have received quotes way lower than the ones you quoted for a total makeover from quality contractors.
There is always going to be a slow contractor who is struggling for business who will do it for $1000 labor cost which is very fair. Not everyone has other jobs they can do that earn them more money.
Anyone who would charge 5,000 more just because its a co-op wouldn't get my business. To me that is extortion. Co-op rules at least here only require that you provide proof to them the contractor is licensed and bonded.
Jstic
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 8:19a
grex23 said: Will see if anyone responds to my craigslist ad before I go further. Locally, qualified contractors seem to want anywhere from 5000 up to $13000 and up based on my rough estimates.
I figure $1000 for labor and I pay for parts. Parts alone aren't expensive depending on what I order. But $1000 seems reasonable for labor for a small bathroom.
Nothing personal, but you are clearly not very knowledgeable about contract remodeling costs. The only type of person you will get to come in for $1,000 and remodel a bathroom is likely a fool, or desperado who is probably not licensed, will pull none of the required permits, will use unlicensed electricians and plumbers, and more importantly, will probably do a hack job on your bathroom. If you are looking to remodel a bathroom in a NYC co-op for $1K-$5k, you are going to be disappointed.
See my post above for more info.
Jstic
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 8:22a
grex23 said: Actually the opposite is true plus the materials needed for a 5 by 7 bathroom is minimal. We have a service elevator for all materials so its super easy to get stuff inside. Just have to be licensed and bonded and I just need to hand in the documents to the management office.
I love how people make up stuff to justify or gouge someone in price. The only thing in a co-op building at times is the water valve shutoff in case valves need to be changed so the super has to shut those off and the super has to know that in advance in older buildings like mine where there is no in unit total shutoff valve.
Have received quotes way lower than the ones you quoted for a total makeover from quality contractors.
There is always going to be a slow contractor who is struggling for business who will do it for $1000 labor cost which is very fair. Not everyone has other jobs they can do that earn them more money.
Anyone who would charge 5,000 more just because its a co-op wouldn't get my business. To me that is extortion. Co-op rules at least here only require that you provide proof to them the contractor is licensed and bonded.
Good luck, I hope it works out for you.
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 8:22a
Not at all. Licensed contractors are always struggling for work. Plus in my case, its just pretty routine and basic work. It is a tiny bathroom and only is requiring one modification, an extra outlet with a GFCI circuit.
$1000 is just labor cost, not the whole job including parts.
BEEFjerKAY
Pics?
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 8:23a
Jstic said: Nothing personal, but you are clearly not very knowledgeable about contract remodeling costs. The only type of person you will get to come in for $1,000 and remodel a bathroom is likely a ...
Party pooper.
You're just ruining the opportunity for the rest of us to enjoy a good follow up thread ... "Help. I paid $1k to have my bathroom remodeled"
EvilCapitalist
Broke Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 9:08a
grex23 said: Not at all. Licensed contractors are always struggling for work. Plus in my case, its just pretty routine and basic work. It is a tiny bathroom and only is requiring one modification, an extra outlet with a GFCI circuit.
$1000 is just labor cost, not the whole job including parts.Remember the thread where you argued that dealers never offer cars below cost and you were explained that it is the package that they are selling where they lose money on some lines and make it back on the others?
No licensed and insured contractor will deal with a Co-op for $1k.
grex23
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 10:04a
EvilCapitalist said: grex23 said: Not at all. Licensed contractors are always struggling for work. Plus in my case, its just pretty routine and basic work. It is a tiny bathroom and only is requiring one modification, an extra outlet with a GFCI circuit.
$1000 is just labor cost, not the whole job including parts.Remember the thread where you argued that dealers never offer cars below cost and you were explained that it is the package that they are selling where they lose money on some lines and make it back on the others?
No licensed and insured contractor will deal with a Co-op for $1k.
Totally false. $1000 is a lot of money for labor costs. A lot of people are struggling financially right now and the competition amongst contractors is super high for licensed contractors.
A contractor who doesn't have any business has to eat and co-op requirements here don't require anything out of the ordinary for requirements. A contractor just has to show they are licensed and bonded. Just pop it in the management office for the copies of the insurance in case there is damage to the building so it is covered.
Thats all that is required unless the water has to be shut off in the basement which has to be scheduled in advance for any work required.
You act like contractors who are licensed and bonded actually do something special. All they really do is take an easy licensing exam and maintain insurance and post a bond and credibility checks and the like.
And since this is a co-op, the insurance and licensed requirement is in force. Thats all it means. Any contractor who thinks co-ops have issues are totally mistaken and trying to turn something into a special situation so they can profit unfairly. But the contractors I have contacted which I know to be legit have never had any price premium put on co-ops or treated them any differently in terms of cost to the consumer.
Btw I just got an offer for the $1000 already and am going into contract. A licensed contractor and I have agreed to terms. Only restriction is that he wants me to allow others to see my bathroom so he can use it as a showpiece. That was quick.
ClaimsGuy
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 10:50a
We need a Grex containment thread..... off FWF.
EvilCapitalist
Broke Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 10:51a
BEEFjerKAY said: Jstic said: Nothing personal, but you are clearly not very knowledgeable about contract remodeling costs. The only type of person you will get to come in for $1,000 and remodel a bathroom is likely a ...
Party pooper.
You're just ruining the opportunity for the rest of us to enjoy a good follow up thread ... "Help. I paid $1k to have my bathroom remodeled"Based on everything he says, I'm sure we are in for lots of entertainment.
EvilCapitalist
Broke Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 10:58a
grex23 said: EvilCapitalist said: grex23 said: Not at all. Licensed contractors are always struggling for work. Plus in my case, its just pretty routine and basic work. It is a tiny bathroom and only is requiring one modification, an extra outlet with a GFCI circuit.
$1000 is just labor cost, not the whole job including parts.Remember the thread where you argued that dealers never offer cars below cost and you were explained that it is the package that they are selling where they lose money on some lines and make it back on the others?
No licensed and insured contractor will deal with a Co-op for $1k.
Totally false. $1000 is a lot of money for labor costs. A lot of people are struggling financially right now and the competition amongst contractors is super high for licensed contractors.
A contractor who doesn't have any business has to eat and co-op requirements here don't require anything out of the ordinary for requirements. A contractor just has to show they are licensed and bonded. Just pop it in the management office for the copies of the insurance in case there is damage to the building so it is covered.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are going to have priceless entertainment here. Our own Ggggrex23 (who does not even know that the contractor would have to add a rider to their insurance to cover that specific building) is going get schooled by someone from CL at a cost of $1k.
As someone who went through this in NYC in both residential and commercial units I cannot wait for the future fun posts.
mwa423
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 10:59a
EvilCapitalist said: BEEFjerKAY said: Jstic said: Nothing personal, but you are clearly not very knowledgeable about contract remodeling costs. The only type of person you will get to come in for $1,000 and remodel a bathroom is likely a ...
Party pooper.
You're just ruining the opportunity for the rest of us to enjoy a good follow up thread ... "Help. I paid $1k to have my bathroom remodeled"Based on everything he says it I'm sure we are in for lots of entertainment.
I'll give green if his username, or FWF is tiled into the bathroom walls and pics are posted. If I owned a dwelling and got my bathroom remodeled for a grand, I would do it.
qwerty12345otron
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 12:03p
ClaimsGuy said: We need a Grex containment thread..... off FWF. I still after all this time can't tell if Grex is an idiot, troll, or alcoholic.
mikef07
Senior Member - 4K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 12:23p
Just got 3 different estimates to redo 3 bathrooms.
Master around $14,000 Jack N Jill - Around $5000 Hall bath $4000
For Hall bath (which is probably similar to yours in size this included
Remove countertop, mirror, fixtures, tile on bath, light fixture
Install new granite countertop, retile with nice ceramic tile with an inset tile, new shower glass door 60" x 72", framed mirror, new sink fixture, new light fixture
grex23 said: Only restriction is that he wants me to allow others to see my bathroom so he can use it as a showpiece. That was quick.
Ohhhhh yesssssss!
Not just a random azz CL contractor, but a parade of his CL tirekickers.
Quikboy4
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 2:07p
grex23 said: Btw I just got an offer for the $1000 already and am going into contract. A licensed contractor and I have agreed to terms. Only restriction is that he wants me to allow others to see my bathroom so he can use it as a showpiece. That was quick.
Sounds like you can't lose! Good job!
vrovner
Addicted Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 5:24p
55sq. ft of tile for shower? That's an awfully small shower!
mikef07 said: Just got 3 different estimates to redo 3 bathrooms.
Master around $14,000 Jack N Jill - Around $5000 Hall bath $4000
For Hall bath (which is probably similar to yours in size this included
Remove countertop, mirror, fixtures, tile on bath, light fixture
Install new granite countertop, retile with nice ceramic tile with an inset tile, new shower glass door 60" x 72", framed mirror, new sink fixture, new light fixture
vrovner
Addicted Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 5:25p
What exactly do you need them to do for 1k? If this is just replacing fixtures, I'd say $1k is a bit too much. If you want them to re-tile (and they have to remove old tile), you are underpricing the amount of labor involved; that is unless you have a very very tiny bathroom, and even then 1k is on the low side. How many days do you figure it will take someone?
grex23 said: Need some advice:
Need a bathroom remodeled. Original bathroom in NYC in a highrise co-op building.
I tried some websites like servicemagic but didn't like any of their offerings or providers. They even had Sears on their list who I would never use.
I tried some local places who wanted outrageous prices. Working on one which gave me a lowball price but I am not sure of their experience with highrises, plus they claim that an exhaust fan is not required by code. They had 5 good reviews on the internet and were licensed and the credentials checked out so far. I just need more references from them for NYC CO-OPs and highrise work they did since highrises have their own set of issues which are different than ordinary homes.
What are the best websites to check for the best contractors to get a good price. In the NYC Metro area there are boatloads of contractors and most of them are licensed and its easy to weed this information out, but I guess I am looking for the diamond in the rough. The one with the best price and combination of service which has previous NYC Co-op experience.
Is there a best way to find such folks such as Angieslist which actually costs money or other such review sites like Google Reviews or Yelp? Am I missing anything else?
Service Magic's ratings did not correlated to offsite reviews and they have some really lousy contractors on the list I would be very afraid of.
The recommended local folks wanted way too much and so did other random inquiries I did but this one lowballed me but may not have appropriate co-op and highrise experience. He had videos of his work on homes on youtube.
I am starting to think Angieslist may be worth the fee and that could be a good way to find someone.
Czechmeout
Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 6:23p
grex23 said: Only restriction is that he wants me to allow others to see my bathroom so he can use it as a showpiece. That was quick.
I'm pretty sure I'd be willing to pay a little extra so that I don't have to show it to random strangers at the whim of a craigslist contractor. Have fun with that.
Tiggerlgh
Member
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 8:35p
I love how The Home Depot contractors are not good enough but some random contractor on CL is.
glxpass
Senior Member - 5K
posted: Mar. 9, 2012 @ 9:15p
grex23 said: Not at all. Licensed contractors are always struggling for work. Plus in my case, its just pretty routine and basic work. It is a tiny bathroom and only is requiring one modification, an extra outlet with a GFCI circuit.
$1000 is just labor cost, not the whole job including parts. Did I miss your answer to the poster who asked you what the bathroom remodeling job consisted of? If not, will you provide those details? Pardon my skepticism, but based on your posts in other threads, my guess is that the answers are "No" and "No." For all we know, people will come from miles around to see your new GFCI outlet, LOL.
Every time I've used some cut-rate contractor I've wound up regretting it. There's a reason that some contractors have good reputations, charge higher fees and have clients booked now through the summer. The reason is less hassle and a job well done for you.
Unless the job is so simple that you just need an extra "pair of hands" to help, I would go with a pro.
Jstic
Senior Member
posted: Mar. 10, 2012 @ 7:39a
vrovner said: 55sq. ft of tile for shower? That's an awfully small shower!
mikef07 said: Just got 3 different estimates to redo 3 bathrooms.
Master around $14,000 Jack N Jill - Around $5000 Hall bath $4000
For Hall bath (which is probably similar to yours in size this included
Remove countertop, mirror, fixtures, tile on bath, light fixture
Install new granite countertop, retile with nice ceramic tile with an inset tile, new shower glass door 60" x 72", framed mirror, new sink fixture, new light fixture
mike07 also does not say where he is located or what kind of home he is remodeling. If he is living in the backwoods of Kentucky, those are prices don't really compare to doing a bathroom remodel in a high rise in NYC. Licensed plumbers & electricians in NYC and surrounding areas get $75-$100/hour for their labor. And the estimate for the hall bath is questionable, how do you charge for 20% of a dumpster cost?
As far as the OP, those like me who up until now had not responded to any of his threads in the past should take a look at his history, it may save some wasted time.
Skipping 71 Messages...
VBMcGB (Staff)
Replacement Moderator
posted: Mar. 14, 2012 @ 3:56p
I don't see this going anywhere productive. I think it's time for us to move along now.
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