Bathroom Renovation - Shower Saga

Did everyone forget about the bathroom renovation??? I wish I could. Honestly, it's hard to tell if we are just clueless, we had bad luck, or the whole project is doomed but it is our first renovation project and it's been a disaster. 

Here's a recap

August 2020 - move into house

October 2020 - stop using main bathroom standing shower due to leak in shower pan

April 2021 - we signed a contract with Bath Pros to demo our shower and soaker tub and install a new shower

July 2021 - demolition day and install.

See all the before in this post HERE.

Okay so after one day of demolition and install our bathroom had a nice new shower and an exposed subfloor and pipes. 

The next step in the process was to get the shower door measured (couldn't be done until after install). But the night of the demo/install I was sweeping up the loads of demo dust and I noticed things about the $$$ shower that I wasn't happy with. First, one side was a straight edge, not the finish bullnose edge like the other side. And further, that side was already pulling away from the caulk on the wall. Second, the caulk around the drain didn't really match. It's more of an off cream color instead of pure white and it is noticeable against the white pan/tile. Third, the shelves were not aligned with the tile lines. Fourth, the drain cover had globs of caulk all the way up to the edge.

 

We called and they said they'd send someone out to look at it. Then things got hectic here over the summer with Dan traveling and the family situation with his dad passing so there wasn't much we could do.

While Dan was away we noticed a NEW leak in our dining room ceiling under where my sink is. So I cleared out all our stuff from that bathroom. To me, what were the odds that the new leak wouldn't be related to the tub demo? 

So then the bathroom guy (different guy than the install one) came by and measured for the door. He informed me the shower pan wasn't level. Errrrghhhh. Look, I get the whole "you get what you pay for idea" but this wasn't cheap. Not even remotely and this business has amazing reviews online, like literally nothing bad. We didn't go with Home Depot or some pre-fab drop-in situation. So yeah, it's beyond frustrating.

Later that week (this was still in July), the install guys came back and I felt bad because I didn't want him to get in trouble and maybe he wasn't but like why would they install the shower without bullnose on both sides? I had to list off all the things to address and it was a difficult communication process. Fortunately, he fixed the bullnose issue by putting a trim around the whole shower wall and I was happy with it but it wasn't what it was supposed to be.

They "fixed" the pan level by shoving a shim in one corner. How is that a fix? And the caulk issue was fixed by globbing MORE caulk on. I was unable to get them to understand I still wasn't satisfied because of the language barrier so they left and I called and requested someone else come out to address the issues.

That same afternoon we had a plumber come to asses the leak and give us a quote for a toilet install, reroute the tub water/drain lines. He never found the source of the leak that caused the stain on the dining room ceiling. He said to use the sinks and assess if the leak got worse. Then he took one look at the shower and pointed out ALL kinds of issues, mainly the drain and how much caulk was used.

So I called the company and voiced my concerns AGAIN. 

A different guy came out and after a bit of gaslighting and treating me like I was a crazy woman, he relented and scraped out the caulk around the drain. Not to my satisfaction but I wanted him gone. He tried to tell me that mold only grows in showers with a leak. Excuse me? Ever seen pink mold? It grows wherever there is water left on a surface. Anyways, this is how he left it.

After he left, I went back and scrapped out the rest of the caulk myself. Honestly. It's not that hard. What happened to professionalism and craftsmanship? 

WEEKS pass with no progress. Maybe it was a month? The leak in the dining room remained the same, that's one small blessing. And then finally the door guys returned in September and installed the doors. They look very nice.

But, here's the catch. The doors have to be opened and closed exactly the same way or there is a large gap where water can get out. We called and explained the issue. He said one door is calibrated to be flush with the frame. The other door is calibrated to be flush with the wall. That was the answer. So, if you come to my house and use this shower, you must slide the doors precisely the specific exact way or you'll slip and fall on a wet floor coming out of the stall. 

Happy?

Then, at the end of September, after following-up multiple times with the company, they scheduled for the THIRD, different guy to come out to fix the caulk color issue. He had the audacity to tell me that "they don't use cream colored caulk, they only use white." 

EXCUSE ME???!!! I HAVE EYEBALLS AND SO DO YOU!!! 

The caulk was cream and PLEASE, the salesmen showed us all the wall varieties which included travertine and cream caulk so don't tell me you "only use white caulk." I was astounded at how easily all of these men dismissed what I was saying when they could clearly see with their own eyes that I was right. 

Do you think I'm crazy? Does this look white to you? And how about the application??? Does that look like a $10,000 job? Furthermore, THERE SHOULDN'T BE CAULK THERE!

Third guy removed the caulk and replaced it with white. Thank you very much. He couldn't fix the shelves or the gap in the door "calibration." I was so fed up I gave him the last payment and he left. 

 

Maybe you think I'm just whining or these are all just "cosmetic." But when I pay for a $10,000 shower, I expect it to be a quality project with proper installation. The cosmetic issues are just the things I could point to as visible issues. Some were big, some were small. God knows what problems are lurking under the shower pan that we don't know about. 

It's now October (a year since we used the original shower). We've used the shower about three days now. There are some things to get used to, I'll just leave it there. Next step, finding the money and a trustworthy and reliable contractor to demo and replace our floor.

So, here is my advice to you. DO NOT CONTRACT ANY WORK with Bath Planet of New Jersey. Buyer beware. There is so much more I didn't even share.