Bathroom Renovation

Has anyone used this company for a bathroom renovation? Input much appreciated!

http://www.newyorkgeneralcontractor.com/index.html

No, but please let me know what you learn ... Good luck.

I've thought about this same topic for a while and we had a similar discussion a few weeks ago in the thread "Kitchen and Bath Stores or General Contractor?".

After visiting more than a few kitchen and bath stores and spending many hours reading kitchen and bath magazines, I've come to the conclusion that I would want to use a designer to work with me and a general contractor for a kitchen and/or bath renovation. Whether or not a person would want to employ a designer or instead work directly with a contractor or kitchen and bath store might depend on a few factors including (1) how much time and money you can spend on a renovation project, (2) how much you really know about designing a kitchen or bath and (3) how comfortable you would be working directly with a contractor without the assistance of a designer.

There are alot of details and choices to make in a bathroom renovation. Do you have a clear sense of what you want the bathroom to look like? Are you familiar with the various product lines for sinks/vanities/tubs/tiles/toilets/medicine cabinets? Is it a chore for you to work on this project or is it something interesting for you? How comfortable are you with making the style decisions and how comfortable would you be making those decisions working solely with a contractor and not working with a designer?

There seem to be alot of decisions to make with a bathroom renovation in terms of design. How far up the wall should you tile? Where should you place the lighting - on the sides of the mirror/medicine cabinets or above, should you place a light in the shower, should the medicine cabinet have a night light component? Do you need to reconfigure the space to put in a double sink? Where should the storage be in the bathroom and how do you allow for enough storage without making the bathroom look too cramped? And my personal favorite when I view apartments is trying to figure out what functions 6 knobs in a shower serve?

Hello Grunty,

You might have found a contractor already, which would be great. Most of my clients do not use a designer for a bathroom. You can go into most tile stores and they are fully capable of designing one for you. I have heard both good and bad things about my home. I think it depends who you get, hit or miss. There prices are generally what they should be

If you want a great designer - www.francoistenenbaum.com

Works with General Contractors.

We went GC only - he brought in plumber, electrician, etc. I think if you have a small NYC b-room, your "design" options will be limited to selecting hardward, commode, sink, faucet, floor/wall tiles & wall color. A designer will add the following value: they will reduce the above choices to 3-5 that you will select from, rather than having to sift through 100's at a store. We enjoyed making our own decisions, but if you are really pressed for time, a designer may work for you. Otherwise, go by a design store that has some catalogs and the sales people will be able to help guide you. If you want a good GC that works only in Manhattan and is super coop-savvy, email me at otnyc1 at gmail dot com.

OTNYC, sounds good ... what did total labor come to on your bathroom job, excluding any architect/permitting/coop costs?

Our labor cost for a 10 X 6 bathroom came out to just over $12K - about a third of this went to a plumber as we moved the tub from one end of bathroom to the other and added a washer/dryer. This was alongside a kitchen renovation which was a little higher in labor cost. Not the cheapest option, but the whole project (kitchen + bathroom) was done in 4 weeks, and no issues at all with the contractor - complete gentleman.

Thanks, OTNYC -- you've got mail. And I apologize for accidentally addressing you as "OTC" in it!

one advise to you. do not go with a cheap contractor without making plans with an architect. it's hell. we did and it costed me
16'000 usd. we ended up having a bath tub with no pressure, the wrong heater, a cheap glass for our shower that exploded in
my face one morning and almost killed me.
spend 5000 $ more and make sure they do it within deadline they can respect and have some plans from an architect.
aslo check if the contractor is licenced.

StJohn - have heard similar horror stories. One area you do NOT skimp is with a GC. We called 10 references before signing a contract, and our building manager reviewed all licensing/bonding docs to ensure currency. We also googled the guy, and searched BBB.

2 years in, no major issues (had a minor caulking issue which was repaired in 24 hours at no cost by the contractor, 8 months after the project was complete).

Alan, will get to your email this evening.

OTCNYC who did you use?

I will say this much, if you used a licensed general contractor for a full gut bathroom with a licensed plumber for 12k I would love his number too. Most of the high end bathrooms I do I have to charge about 18k, my plumber alone costs me about 5,000.00.

Great insights all. One question - can a high end GC create the detailed plans that need to be submitted to the city and Coop board?

grunty, usually the board does not request detailed plans just to renovate a bathroom. The only time that would be necessary if you are moving the toilet or tub to a new location, which most buildings in manhattan do not let you do. A company like mine usually will charge for drawings and we have people on staff that can do it but again I do not think your building will require it.

Thanks Primer05. In this case, we're moving the tub and toilet so plans would be required, I believe. What are the options, assuming some may be better than others? GC crafts? Designer/architect?

I would 1st check with the building to make sure that they will let you move the fixtures, if you have a concrete slab they might not let you. Drawings for this do not have to be elaborate and should not cost a fotune. Personally I would use Gary Eisner from Builtin Studio
(862-432-7362) They are very reasonable and great to work with.

Grunty: We specialize in kitchen and bath design. Take a look at our website: www.EastlandKitchenandBath.com Would be happy to help you. Contractors build what we design; they don't design. 212.737.0166.

Feel free to check our website as well if you wish. Contractors in Lowell are scarce but we mange and you might just see something you like.