Find Top-Rated Lowell Kitchen And Bath Remodelers

This part of Don's answer follows my thoughts exactly: 

"You want to deal with a professional person that is selling you a bath that was not working as a cashier a few months ago."

 

Do you go to the gracery store and ask for someone to cook your steak?  Of course not.  So why would you go to a building supply store and ask for someone to remodel your bathroom?  Rarely will you see a legitimate contractor take jobs from a retailer.  Why?  Because they don't pay much.  Speed is the most important thing to them, along with getting it done cheap so they can maximize profit.  About 10 years ago I worked on a few contracted structures (sheds, garages, etc.) from Home Depot.  They contracted to another company who then contracted people to build them.  At that time they paid a flat $250 for a contractor to pick up the supplies, build the structure on site, paint it, and use their own tools.  By the time the cost of a helper, fuel, tools, etc. was factored in there was nothing left for the contractor.  Anyway, the point I'm making is that the guy who will eventually show up to do the work will be so far down the line that everyone else has already taken the profits (Home Depot, ReBath, possibly someone else, and finally the guy working) that he probably isn't going to care what kind of job he does for you, quality or not.  He likely won't have much experience due to a high turnover rate and any experience he does have will probably be limited to his teachings at that job.  He probably can't answer any building code questions or identify other hazards once things are taken apart and he certainly won't do anything he doesn't have to while it is apart. 

 

Another problem I've heard of repeatedly is that if (when) there is a problem there is always someone else you need to speak to.  You might have to talk to 4 or 5 different people before you can even get to someone that can address the problem.  Now multiply that due to having (at least) two separate companies involoved.  "You need to call ReBath."  "No, you need to call Home Depot."

 

You hire a general contractor for a reason.  We learn, understand, and keep up on building codes.  We are the one point of contact for all questions and issues on a project.  There is no manager in some other store, state, etc. to call.  You contract a GC and deal directly with that GC, or a site supervisor in some cases.  There isn't a huge chain of command to get through to reach the main decision maker for the business.  In a bathroom remodel you need someone who can do the plumbing, repair and/or move any electrical, install tile/flooring, drywall and paint, trim carpentry, and someone to coordinate all of that.  Sometimes you can find a qualified contractor to do all of those things and sometimes he will sub-contract out certain components (especially due to licensing laws) but you will always have that one definitive person to go to for any questions or issues.  A salesman in a store doesn't visit your home throughout the project to check on the status.  Even if he did, he likely wouldn't now what he is looking at.  The same goes for a retail manager.

 

Hire someone who specializes in taking care of your home.  Hire based on reputation & knowledge/experience.  You are right that not every customer can be happy so an occassional bad review can be found on just about any business.  Read the reviews, not the grades (they are always biased).  Look to see if the contractor attempted to rectify the problem, not ignore it.  Lastly, unless you want cheap, sloppy work and a whole heap of other troubles, don't hire based on a low price.

Hair spray is one of those things that is really bothersome.  We've run into this alot unfortunately.  And NOTHING we've found will actually clean it off.  The problem is that if you just paint over it, you still see shiny spots wherever the hairspray was.

Our companie's policy is to prime the area with any bonding primer.  This will seal the hairspray in and not let it affect the next coat of paint.  It would also be a good idea to lightly sand the area first.

Our recommendation for primer would be Zinsser's BIN Spray (red can) and can be bought at most paint stores or home improvement stores.  Other than that, any thing that specifically says "bonding" for a primer should be adequate enough. 

What I always ask my customers regarding this question when remodeling bathrooms is how good they will be about maintaining and cleaning the new bathroom, especially when the old bathroom is obviously neglected.  If you are one of those people who wipes the glass down after a shower and cleans your bathroom every week or two you really don't need to spend the extra money.  If you are at the other end of the spectrum and clean it when it finally bothers you enough it may not be a bad investment.  I've had customer tell me they can tell a difference compared to their old glass without it and others say it made no difference at all.

Todd Shell
Todd's Home Services
www.thomeservices.com

Your basic rights and protections under law are probably outlined by your state and city's laws. In most states, the easiest way to look up your basic rights and privelges as a consumer would be to visit your state's attorney general website - you can usually find lots of great tips to protect yourself as a consumer there, too. Here's the National Association of Attorneys General's national listing, which includes a link to each state's attorney general website: http://www.naag.org/current-attorneys-general.php

Beyond those basic rights under the law, your expectations of a contractor during, on and after the completion of a job should be explicitly outlined in the estimate and contract. Although it can be a pain in the butt, ALWAYS read the estimate and/or contract before sign it! I cannot stress this enough - frequently the cause of someone's negative experiences with a contractor can be traced back to too few details in the contract.

We've covered contracts, and what you should expect to see in them, here: http://www.angieslist.com/contractor/signing-a-contract.htm

Good luck!