Re: Meeting with a decorator at Lowes !

casuallady · ‎03-09-2010

On 2/27/2014 ivey said:
On 2/18/2014 BLH said:
Be careful when buying from Lowe's. Everything is subcontracted. I would be cautious here.

But does Lowe's stand behind/guarantee the subcontractor's work?

Lowes does stand behind there contractor's work. I believe someone posted that they had something done by Lowes, and they sent another contractor to redo it. I am definitely not expecting that.

casuallady · ‎03-09-2010

We are meeting with the decorator tomorrow. My only concern is that we won't be able to afford it. I have money set aside, but have no idea the contractor's bid. We have an idea on the items. If we need to put a little on the card we are ok, but no Home Equity.

KathyPet · ‎03-09-2010

It should not be horribly expensive unless you are moving a lot of plumbing lines and stacks. that can get costly. Whatever price they give you add another 15% as a contingency in case of problems being encountered once they start.

Kathy19078 · ‎07-30-2010

casuallady, I did not know that Lowes provided this service. I am going to remodel my bathroom shortly and am in the process of getting estimates. I have a general contractor coming Saturday and another one on Monday to give me estimates. I will definitely check out Lowes. Exactly what did the decorator do? Did not know that I might need one. Please post your thoughts on the cost of this from Lowes. Did you get any other estimates? It sounded like you think it will be expensive. I do have a budget for this but I do want it done right. My bathroom is small, and all the fixtures will remain in the same place and be replaced with new ones. I also had a contractor here about a week ago and he told me to replace all the pipes under the floor. Did Lowes tell you to replace pipes? My house is about 70 years old and my bathroom is the original bathroom and it is falling apart. It is a mess. The ceramic tile floor is coming up and the finish is coming off the tub.

KathyPet · ‎03-09-2010

On 2/28/2014 Kathy19078 said:
casuallady, I did not know that Lowes provided this service. I am going to remodel my bathroom shortly and am in the process of getting estimates. I have a general contractor coming Saturday and another one on Monday to give me estimates. I will definitely check out Lowes. Exactly what did the decorator do? Did not know that I might need one. Please post your thoughts on the cost of this from Lowes. Did you get any other estimates? It sounded like you think it will be expensive. I do have a budget for this but I do want it done right. My bathroom is small, and all the fixtures will remain in the same place and be replaced with new ones. I also had a contractor here about a week ago and he told me to replace all the pipes under the floor. Did Lowes tell you to replace pipes? My house is about 70 years old and my bathroom is the original bathroom and it is falling apart. It is a mess. The ceramic tile floor is coming up and the finish is coming off the tub.

I contractor should not be telling you to replace pipes until he has pulled the floor up and looked at what is there now. That being said nothing lasts forever including pipes". If they are really old they may have to be replaced but that decision cannot be made until the sub floor is removed and they are inspected. I would be very careful about hiring a contractor who tells you that you need additional work done but hasn't pulled anything out to see what the behind the wall and under the floor looks like. Contractors love to pad the bill as much as possible so I would insist on hi me showing me and explaining why something like that needs to be done.

casuallady · ‎03-09-2010

On 3/1/2014 KathyPet said:
On 2/28/2014 Kathy19078 said:
casuallady, I did not know that Lowes provided this service. I am going to remodel my bathroom shortly and am in the process of getting estimates. I have a general contractor coming Saturday and another one on Monday to give me estimates. I will definitely check out Lowes. Exactly what did the decorator do? Did not know that I might need one. Please post your thoughts on the cost of this from Lowes. Did you get any other estimates? It sounded like you think it will be expensive. I do have a budget for this but I do want it done right. My bathroom is small, and all the fixtures will remain in the same place and be replaced with new ones. I also had a contractor here about a week ago and he told me to replace all the pipes under the floor. Did Lowes tell you to replace pipes? My house is about 70 years old and my bathroom is the original bathroom and it is falling apart. It is a mess. The ceramic tile floor is coming up and the finish is coming off the tub.

I contractor should not be telling you to replace pipes until he has pulled the floor up and looked at what is there now. That being said nothing lasts forever including pipes". If they are really old they may have to be replaced but that decision cannot be made until the sub floor is removed and they are inspected. I would be very careful about hiring a contractor who tells you that you need additional work done but hasn't pulled anything out to see what the behind the wall and under the floor looks like. Contractors love to pad the bill as much as possible so I would insist on hi me showing me and explaining why something like that needs to be done.

I will know today if the bill has been padded. Our house is 19 yrs old, so not sure about pipes. We are doing a mid sized master bathroom, removing a large Jacuzzi, removing a corner vanity and mirror and putting in a larger vanity and matching vanity. replacing the toilet, same location, adding a shower in different location. The decorator helped us with ideas on the glass shower, and tile on two inside walls. I pretty much knew which vanity and mirror, however she helped us with faucets, high rated toilets, and higher model,lights,...

ivey · ‎03-10-2010

Casuallady--I'm actually going to remove a Jacuzzi, too. My plans are to put a shower in its place. My question to you and them would be --How do they remove that Jacuzzi motor and disconnect the electricity to it. Would be interested in what they tell you. Thanks in advance.

(P.S. I should have done this sooner. I have blown a knee and having my bathroom redone would be a big help.)

casuallady · ‎03-09-2010

Well, We are not happy with the Lowes' estimate. The materials are just about what we anticipated. The Labor was much higher than hubby thought. In the old days labor was usually about the same as materials. The Labor on this mid sized bathroom was almost 4 times the materials. The demolitions was the big amount.