Shower Base Replacement

[dennisau]

Hi all,

I live on the 26th floor of a condominium apartment building. I need to replace my existing shower base (picture attached - as you can see it is quite a small space and several things need to be removed before the shower base can be removed).

I am in the process of budgeting how much I should be expected to spend on this project. I have a good understanding of labor rates and the cost of the shower base. What I don't know is a reasonable amount of time required to do the work. I have been advised I will need to hire two contractors to work at the same time.

Is a time estimate of a day (say, 8 hours or so) reasonable?

 

[oldognewtrick]

to House Repair Talk, hope you don't mind me rotating your pic...

 

[dennisau]

haha thank you sir!

 

[Snoonyb]

Hi all,

I live on the 26th floor of a condominium apartment building. I need to replace my existing shower base (picture attached - as you can see it is quite a small space and several things need to be removed before the shower base can be removed).

HhhhhhhhMmmmmm 26th floor.

How did you determine that the pan needed to be replaced? Is it from cracks and deterioration, or ceiling damage in the unit beneath you?

Do you have another bathroom in the unit?

I am in the process of budgeting how much I should be expected to spend on this project. I have a good understanding of labor rates and the cost of the shower base. What I don't know is a reasonable amount of time required to do the work. I have been advised I will need to hire two contractors to work at the same time.

I'd say, a B-General and at least two subs and 3 days. But you'll want to obtain 3 estimates.

The condo board should have a list of contractors who have conducted business in the complex, and are aware of the standards set by the board, for their conduct.

Showers in this configuration, which appears to be a 4 piece, have a pan with a lip that the walls overlap creating a waterproof seam, so all the walls and faucet trim will need to be removed, prior to the pan being able to be removed.

 

[dennisau]

Thank you!

The shower pan collects water on one side and so it was determined by the developer that the installation of the pan was not quite done correctly so the right fix would be to buy a new pan and rip out the old one.

Wow - 3 days for 3 workers sounds like a big investment. Any chance you know the going labour rate for a B-General and two other workers? I live in Vancouver, BC. I got a labour rate quote of 120$ per hour but that seems to be on the high side.

 

[nealtw]

Thank you!

The shower pan collects water on one side and so it was determined by the developer that the installation of the pan was not quite done correctly so the right fix would be to buy a new pan and rip out the old one.

Wow - 3 days for 3 workers sounds like a big investment. Any chance you know the going labour rate for a B-General and two other workers? I live in Vancouver, BC. I got a labour rate quote of 120$ per hour but that seems to be on the high side.

You do understand, replacing the base would include stripping the walls down to studs and starting over.

 

[Snoonyb]

Neal will be by soon, he's from BC.

Generals seldom get involved with time and material projects, they prefer a qualified bid for the entire project.

When I said 3 days, I didn't mean 3-8hr. days, but 3 days as encompassed.

Day 1;
The shower door assembly can involve two people and someplace to store it, either in your unit, or off site.

The faucet and drain trim are removed and the drain is temporarily capped.

The shower walls and pan, depending upon the method of installation, will/can involve some minor, to extensive wall damage.

Day 2;
Set the replacement pan and allow the base material to set.
Depending upon the extent of the wall damage, those repairs can be started/completed.

Day 3;
The shower walls are set, the wall repairs around the wall is completed, the faucet and drain trim are set, and the shower door enclosure is set.

What remains is the prime and paint, often left to the customer.

 

[Snoonyb]

If your condo board requirs permits, you can add at least 1 day.

 

[nealtw]

Neal will be by soon, he's from BC.

Generals seldom get involved with time and material projects, they prefer a qualified bid for the entire project.

When I said 3 days, I didn't mean 3-8hr. days, but 3 days as encompassed.

Day 1;
The shower door assembly can involve two people and someplace to store it, either in your unit, or off site.

The faucet and drain trim are removed and the drain is temporarily capped.

The shower walls and pan, depending upon the method of installation, will/can involve some minor, to extensive wall damage.

Day 2;
Set the replacement pan and allow the base material to set.
Depending upon the extent of the wall damage, those repairs can be started/completed.

Day 3;
The shower walls are set, the wall repairs around the wall is completed, the faucet and drain trim are set, and the shower door enclosure is set.

What remains is the prime and paint, often left to the customer.

Enough wall damage to get a new pan in unless you think you can slide it in with the toilet out but then you don't get to put mortar under it.:thbup:

And matching the tile may be difficult.

 

[dennisau]

Great, thanks guys. The real reason I need to get all of this information is because I would like fair compensation from the developer to NOT go ahead with the project. The shower base that was installed incorrectly was the developer's fault so they are liable for the fix. However, I would rather not have guys come in and tear my bathroom apart as it may compromise the integrity of my home.

I understand this project can take 3-4 days - but how much would a fair labor cost be? I have already been advised the shower pan itself will cost $1000, so the amount that I am aiming to seek as compensation from the developer will be $1000 + labor costs + GST.

Hope this makes sense!

 

[nealtw]

Great, thanks guys. The real reason I need to get all of this information is because I would like fair compensation from the developer to NOT go ahead with the project. The shower base that was installed incorrectly was the developer's fault so they are liable for the fix. However, I would rather not have guys come in and tear my bathroom apart as it may compromise the integrity of my home.

I understand this project can take 3-4 days - but how much would a fair labor cost be? I have already been advised the shower pan itself will cost $1000, so the amount that I am aiming to seek as compensation from the developer will be $1000 + labor costs + GST.

Hope this makes sense!

So you are willing to live with it for a few bucks.:thbup:

You don't want to beat him up to much so it would be cheaper to fix it.

But you will be signing off the warrantee for the shower. So if anything else goes wrong it will be on you.
With the liability that could go with that I would just let them fix it.
And expect to be in a mess for a week.

 

[dennisau]

Well the issue is that the water "pools" to the sides of the shower base. It's not a terrible thing to live with (we just brush it into the drain every now and then).

But if we were to assume 2 full days of work by two guys - it's not just a couple bucks, its about 5k right? This is factoring in the 1k cost of the replacement part.

 

[Snoonyb]

Get 3 estimates and subtract 35%, which is about what a contractor estimates as profit and overhead.

 

[slownsteady]

$1k for a shower pan?????

And how are you going to fit three guys in that bathroom at one time?