Ill be honest. My wife and I had consulted two, bathroom renovation companies and one contractor before we even considered that the Bathtub King might be an option. It was almost as an afterthought that we contacted them. We wanted to see what they had to say. What a fortuitous decision that was. We made an appointment, Frederick came down to see the bathroom late on a Friday morning, discussed with us and noted our requirements, and said he would get back to us with an estimate early the following week. On Tuesday we were invited to their showroom and Alisha, along with Frederick, had laid out three sets of options. Each had a suggested ceramic floor tile, cabinet and sink-top, and cultured marble for the shower. Unbeknownst to them, we had already picked out a floor tile. That was no problem, and they adjusted their suggestions to harmonize with our tile. Alisha is real expert decorator. She knows her stock well. We made our selection, picked out a faucet for the sink and shower hardware, Bathtub King prepared a final estimate, and we said we would think about it.
This was all done before we received estimates from the two renovation companies we had contacted earlier. One eliminated themselves when they said they wanted over $800 just to come to our home to take measurements and offer design suggestions. They also said the job would take four to six weeks. The other reno company did provide an estimate, but the choices given on a software program that only provided b/w photos were not of the quality we were seeking, and there was no breakdown of the construction costs. There was on the Bathtub King estimate. Two weeks after seeing our bathroom, the contractor still had not provided an estimate. We finally told him not to bother. What we really liked about the Bathtub King was that they broke down their estimate into component parts giving costs for the demolition and subsequent replacement materials. Most importantly, they dont schedule and start a job until all the material for the renovation is in-house. They start and finish a job without any delays.
Several weeks later, my wife and I went back to the Bathtub King showroom and discussed with Alisha some of the changes we wanted to make. We eliminated a few things and upgraded the shower fixtures. Gary, the project manager, prepared a new estimate. We booked them to do the job and gave them a downpayment that covered one third of the cost. They contacted us about a month later and scheduled the renovation for a month after that. They said the reno would take a week and a half or eight working days.
It is my understanding that Bathtub King has four different crews working for them. We had Ryan, the expert builder, Marco the plumber and Angelo the painter. None are employees of Bathtub King, all are subcontracted, but dont let that worry you. Bathtub King has kept Ryan so busy that he hasnt worked for anyone else for over twenty years.
Work started on a Monday morning. Ryan and a helper showed up and completely gutted the bathroom that first day. Our bathroom is small, roughly 4 ½ X 6 ½ feet, and the main reason for the reno was to remove the bulkhead and our original, 70-year-old, steel tub and install a walk-in shower. On day 2, Ryan installed the shower base and Marco roughed in all the plumbing. For the next five days, it was Ryans show, and what a job he did. He put up all the wallboard (Denshield) and prepared it for painting. Before the weekend he laid the tile floor so it could cure for a few days. He put up the cultured marble panels on the ceiling and around the shower area that were cut to precision. He installed the sliding shower doors, grab bar and shower seat, new floor moulding, a new wall vent, the medicine cabinet and the vanity with its quartz top. Most remarkable was what Ryan did to the window that was in the shower area. Not only did he reframe it in cultured marble, but he also framed the inside of the window as well. It was a piece of virtuoso craftmanship. People that have seen it since just shake their heads in astonishment.
Angelo painted the bathroom on the morning of day 8. He used his own primer, but we bought the paint we wanted to use for the final coat. Marco was supposed to finish the plumbing that afternoon, but he ran into a complication on the job he was doing. He apologized and asked if he could come early the next morning to install the toilet and hook up the fixtures, which he did. Gary dropped in several times to make sure that the work was progressing smoothly.
Ryan knows what he hopes to accomplish each day. If its done by 1:30, then that is it for that day. If it takes until 5:00, he stays until 5:00. One word of warning; Ryan does not like customers standing over his shoulder watching him work. If the bathroom door does not have to be removed, it will probably be shut. You can look at what he has done after he leaves for the day and on the weekend. Let him do his thing. You will be ecstatic with the final result. I dont care who it is, no one, and I mean no one, will do a better job. You cant improve upon perfection.
My wife and I could not be happier with our new bathroom. What was achieved in nine days was simply amazing. The quality of the materials and the craftmanship were exquisite. Dont make our mistake. Look to the Bathtub King first. Do your due diligence if you like, get another estimate or two, but I can almost guarantee that you will go back to the Bathtub King. The best testimonial I can give comes from my nephew who was also looking to have his bathroom renovated. When he saw our finished bathroom, he called the Bathtub King the next day and said: I want the same thing as them. Of course, he chose different patterns and colours, but the Bathtub King will be doing his bathroom sometime in the Fall.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $25,600.00