Master Suite: Contractor Nightmare

Before we moved in, we agreed that the master bathroom would need some work. Everything was white and completely uninspiring.

After we moved in and started using the bathroom, we decided we were going to tackle the bathroom. And so began our first BIG project in the house.

Our wishlist:
- remove the tub (we never would have used it)
- put shower where tub is, would require turning the plumbing around to the other wall
- create an open shelved linen closet out of old shower space
- replace window with frosted glass (although our neighbors do not have any windows on that side of their house, it would just be weird showering in front of a clear window!)

We decided to check out the summer Home and Garden Show for some ideas. We left with a consultation appointment with one of the companies that was at the show. A few days later, they came, drew up an estimate and we decided to go with them.

From that point on, it was an awful experience. We were told they would have everything they needed in 6-8 weeks and it would only take 1 day to install. After 8 weeks, we called and they said they were waiting on the window. A week later, they finally came to install everything. They worked like dogs and got it finished in 2 days:

Before

Lunchtime - Day 1

End of Day 1

Lunchtime - Day 2

End of Day 2

That window they said they were waiting on...was the wrong one. It had clear glass instead of frosted and it looked like it was the wrong size. They said it would take a few days for a new window to come in, and installation would only take an hour or so.

Two weeks later, we called to see what was going on, but our contact did not return our calls. One time he picked up and then hung up right away. So we called a different contact and he said that they had the window and they would come install it the next day. The next day, he called us again and said the window that he found was actually the original window that had the wrong glass. He came back out to our house to remeasure the space for the window and said it would take a week for the new window to be ready.

A month later, we were getting extremely frustrated. I just wanted to use my new shower! We called again trying to get some answers. We finally got in touch with the right person and he said they had the window and would come install it:

A project that was supposed to take 6-8 weeks, ending up taking 4 months. Are we pleased with how it turned out? Yes. Would we do it all again? Definitely not. From now on, we are self-declared DIYers.