It’s a point of pride to invest in your home. Not only does this take a little financial might, but design prowess, and the time it takes to make sure that this project turns out right. Of course, even those of us that have experience with home renovations or even construction find it important to use the best bathroom remodel companies we can - just for peace of mind.
But as you’re typing ‘Bathroom remodel companies near me’ in your search engine, it’s important to consider why investing in a fully licensed, properly registered, totally transparent service is crucial for a good outcome.
While it is relatively rare, it’s not too uncommon for otherwise innocent people to be taken advantage of when failing to do their due diligence. This is especially true of homeowners who hope to cut costs at every angle, as the service that provides you the cheapest quote will almost never provide you the best value.
In order to understand just what problems can occur when choosing a home remodeling service not up for the task, we have decided to list ten of the scariest and most frustrating outcomes that can take place. These range from general annoyance all the way up to encountering truly damaging work that requires even more money and time to put right. As we can see with bathrooms and their intimate access to your plumbing network, a bad job poorly undertaken may imply true difficulty for your home going forward.
It’s important to stay informed, so let’s consider the ten scariest things that could really take place:
Working with unqualified and unlicensed electricians and plumbers can, unfortunately, leave all the work you do at risk of being completed poorly, dangerously, and without the legal protections, you may otherwise have when protected by large-scale regulation.
Not only this, but as Houston is one of the biggest cities in the world, it inevitably has a certain population of undocumented workers being exploited by a range of trade firms. It’s important not to support practices like that, and so it’s very important to make sure your bathroom remodeling company has all the necessary documentation as well as a currently active business registration.
Having incomplete or damaging work applied to your home is not only frustrating and may require further effort to fix, but paying for a bad job is a feeling that hits you in the gut. Unfortunately, it’s true that you may have little recourse to overcome this if you used a firm with little online presence or you haven’t a contract that was set in stone (or more preferably, writing).
There are many ways to feel scammed. Sometimes, you may pay for the job in advance and the job won’t be completed on time or at all. Other times, you might pay for certain materials only to receive off-brand alternatives. Or, because of your lack of home renovation experience, you may be convinced of paying over the odds for a job that, anywhere else, may have been half the price. You may only realize this when you compare home renovations with someone you know. That’s not a fun time.
Of course, paying for a bad job is one thing, but having to pay a better firm to repair everything that was damaged and THEN pay for another remodeling job can burn a hole in your wallet, your jeans, your undergarments, and perhaps even your wellbeing for a time.
From damaged sinks and basins to toilets that won’t flush (this isn’t fun to find out), a damaged bathroom can really affect just how happy you feel preparing for the day and preparing for bed at night.
You don’t need to hire a “bad” bathroom remodeling service to encounter a bad result. It might just be that you find a company is not necessarily keen on what your input is as a client, they just wish to do their own thing or apply the routine they are most comfortable with. It’s not hard to see how this can lead to a difficult result.
How can you avoid this? Schedule time for proper appointments and make sure you’re on the same page before you sign anything or agree to any form of quote. Make sure the service seems sharp and interested in what you have to say. Get everything in writing. In this way, you can be sure that communication won’t be as much of an issue.
Poor renovation firms or those operating on the questionable side of the law are keen to perform as little work as possible for as much recompense they can get. This is the goal of any firm for the most part, but it’s true that many firms know that professional standards, care and diligence, and client support will help them secure this in the long run, and they aren’t afraid of hard work anyway.
Without getting everything in writing, it’s not uncommon for bad tradesmen to continually need more and more money for a job undertaken. They might put you in a difficult place by stripping the bathroom and then suggesting they need more money for materials before continuing the job. The cost should be the cost quoted to you from the offset - so don’t give any firm your money unless you have a strict contract with them. If they’re not willing to provide you with one - run for the hills.
It’s not uncommon to see the unfortunate fact that sometimes, renovation firms just aren’t as good as they could be. That’s why it’s important to check work and a website portfolio before hiring them. This way, you can get a feel for what kind of remodels they have committed to in the past, and the standards they hold close to their heart.
Often, companies will have some kind of clause where they will help you if you’re not happy with the standard of the work completed. It can be healthy to ask them about this just to know what that process may be.
Some unreliable companies aren’t necessarily incompetent from all angles. They may be great at hiding the shortcuts they’ve taken while remodeling your bathroom, so that everything seems great on the surface and you pay for the job outright.
It might be, however, that problems start revealing themselves going forward. From peeling surfaces to badly applied grout to leaks and other safety issues (in some cases, electrical and plumbing issues can show up in a truly damaging maner), it’s not hard to feel annoyed when you notice these problems.
Of course, the company happy to leave this standard of work is unlikely to come back for repairs and answer your calls once you raise an issue. That’s why it’s good to utilize firms that are happy to come back within a set amount of time if you encounter an issue and fix the problem as necessary.
Bad electrical work and bad plumbing integration can not only damage your property, but they can also put those who live in the home at risk. We need not dwell on just how damaging at harmful this can be, but horror stories are not necessarily impossible. A damaged plumbing network can quite literally cause hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage if not dealt with immediately.
As mentioned above, reviewing the licenses and safety standards of firms you use can prevent these problems from taking place. Furthermore, paperwork you have proving who performed this job can help you with legal recourse should you need it, although to be honest, just having a good bathroom is reward enough.
All of the above problems can occur, or perhaps just one of them. Maybe you’ll just be worried that your pursuit of cutting costs to the degree you could will have opened these possibilities more readily.
No matter what happens, it’s simply not enjoyable, rewarding or interesting to be taken advantage of and to be left with a terrible bathroom. Having to use a different bathroom in your house, or wash out of the sink for a few days, or deal with a destroyed bathroom that hasn’t been remodeled properly is a pain, and it doesn’t feel great. You don’t need that kind of motivational kick while you’re trying to define a properly you love, and you especially don’t need to pay for the privilege.
The truth is that all of the above can be avoided. With the best remodeling services in Houston, properly vetted and contracted, you’re likely to enjoy a great job that truly gets the best of your creative intent and applies it, with no utility undermined, to your bathroom. This can help you avoid kicking yourself or feeling as though your lack of diligence contributed to a tough need for a recuperative solution.
With this advice, you’re sure to avoid all of those unfavorable outcomes.
Proud father and husband. A big comic book nerd and sweets are my kryptonite. I fell in love with the remodeling industry in 2008 and it's held a tight grip on me ever since.
