Bathroom Remodeling
Replacement Bathtubs done properly
Swapping a tub is more involved than it looks, because the surround and the wall almost always come with it.
What this work involves
Standard alcove tubs are a fairly consistent size, which helps, but the wall around them rarely survives removal. Once the old unit is out you are looking at studs, and that is the moment to deal with anything soft behind them.
We check the framing and the subfloor at the drain end before setting anything new. A tub that sits on a compromised floor is a problem you will meet again.
New unit gets set in a mortar bed where the manufacturer calls for it, the drain and overflow are plumbed fresh, and the surround is waterproofed properly rather than just tiled over.
The sequence on a job like this
- Old tub removal and surround demolition
- Framing, subfloor and drain inspection
- New tub set and plumbed, mortar bed where specified
- Waterproofed surround, tile or panel, fixtures and trim
What we look at before quoting replacement bathtubs
Every replacement bathtubs job starts the same way: we look at what the new work has to sit on. New unit gets set in a mortar bed where the manufacturer calls for it, the drain and overflow are plumbed fresh, and the surround is waterproofed properly rather than just tiled over.
Doing that early protects the number we give you. A quote built on a quick glance tends to grow once walls come down, and we would rather spend the extra time at the start than hand you a change order later.
Worth knowing
The thing that usually goes wrong
Setting a new tub without a mortar bed under it. It flexes, the caulk line opens, and water gets behind the surround.
You can only see about a third of a finished remodel. The rest is behind drywall and under tile, and that hidden two thirds is what decides whether the visible third still looks right in ten years. It is also where corners get cut, because nobody is going to check.
A free walkthrough is the easiest way to find out where yours stands. Book one at (678) 665-7771 or through our contact page. Igor does them himself and does not dress up the answer.
Other bathroom work
All of it is on the bathroom remodeling services page.
Where we do this work
Six counties, all within reach of our Roswell base: Cobb, Cherokee, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett. Woodstock, GA, Alpharetta, GA and Marietta, GA are among the places we work, along with thirty-nine other cities you can find on the service areas page.
Have a look at the gallery for finished work, or call (678) 665-7771 and we will come out.
What moves the number on a job like this
We quote after we have walked the job, never before. Posting a figure here would just give you a guess. What we can do is lay out the handful of things that really decide what a project costs.
Start with the plumbing and electrical. If they stay put, the job is mostly surface work and finish. If a drain or a circuit has to move, we are opening the house up and scheduling trade work around it, which adds time and money.
After the layout question, look at the age and upkeep of the house. Water damage or patched framing behind the finishes will add more time than upgrading a faucet or a tile line.
Who you will be dealing with
You deal with the same people from the first walkthrough through the final punch list. There is no handoff from a salesperson to a project manager to a crew who have never seen the file.
Igor runs the jobs from the site. If something needs a decision, it gets made by someone standing in the room looking at the actual condition.
We keep the number of simultaneous projects deliberately low. It is the entire reason the company exists and it is not something we are planning to grow out of.
How long this takes
The honest answer is that it depends on scope and on what the house has been hiding, but that is not an excuse for a vague schedule. After the walkthrough you get dates.
We sequence around lead times rather than starting demolition and hoping. If the cabinets are eight weeks out, we do not tear out your kitchen in week one.
When something does change, you hear it from us the day we know. The worst version of a remodel is the one where the homeowner works out the schedule has slipped by noticing nobody showed up.
Keeping it right afterward
Most early failures we see trace back to maintenance nobody knew was needed. Sealant that dried out and was never replaced is the classic one. Water that sheets off a clogged gutter against siding is another.
We walk you through what your specific project needs and how often. Some of it is annual, some of it is once every several years, and most of it takes minutes.
Notice something off with work we did? Give us a call. Nobody understands how it went together better than we do, so we are the right people to look at it.
Questions people ask
Does the wall have to come out?
Almost always. The surround rarely survives removal, and once it is off you can see whether anything behind it has been getting wet.
Do you set the tub in mortar?
Where the manufacturer calls for it, yes. A tub without proper support underneath flexes, the caulk line opens, and water gets behind the surround.
Can you convert a tub to a walk-in shower?
Yes, and it is one of the more common requests we get. The work involves the drain, the waterproofing and usually some framing, which is why it matters who does it.
What happens if you find something unexpected?
You hear about it the day we find it, with photos and a plan. Nothing gets covered back up without you knowing what is behind it.
Do you handle permits?
Yes. You will not be asked to go down to the county office. When the work needs a permit, such as an addition, a structural change or most plumbing and electrical moves, we pull it and handle every inspection.
Who is actually on site?
Igor, along with the crew that started your job. He works on site instead of managing a dozen projects from a phone, which is the whole reason the company is kept small.
Let us take a look at your replacement bathtubs project
Send a note through the contact page or call (678) 665-7771. Igor will look at the space, hear what you have in mind, and give you a plain answer on scope. If we are booked, we will say so up front. Taking on more than a crew can do well is exactly what went wrong at the company he left.