ᐅ Overwhelmed by Bathroom Tiling Options – Any Alternatives?
Created on: 17 Aug 2016 12:20
K
Knallkörper
Hello forum members,
In our new build, we have an 18 m² (193.75 sq ft) bathroom with a sloped ceiling and a 4.7 m² (50.6 sq ft) guest toilet. The main bathroom is planned to include a large walk-in shower measuring 1.20 x 1.00 m (3.9 x 3.3 ft), a stylish V&B bathtub, a double vanity, and an elegant toilet. The fittings for the shower and bathtub will be concealed-mounted.
The guest toilet will not have a bathtub and will only have a simple washbasin, but we want a slightly larger, attractive shower and a nice toilet as well.
We have received a quote from our general contractor’s preferred plumber. They want nearly 25,000 euros extra for the sanitary installation. Of this, 13,750 euros are for the “washbasin unit with mirror cabinet” in the main bathroom.
When I compare the largest material items in the overall quote with prices found online, I could save about 8,000 euros by purchasing the materials myself. For example:
V&B Squaro Edge 12 bathtub 190 x 90 cm (6.2 x 3 ft)
Installer’s quote: 1,655 euros (delivery only, plus installation)
Online price: 850 euros including shipping
The biggest discrepancies are with the individual parts of the Keuco “washbasin unit,” with price differences of over 100%.
Now I’m considering what to do. Ideally, I would decline the entire offer politely and source (almost) all parts myself and install them. Negotiation seems pointless since my idea of a fair price appears far from the plumber’s expectations.
So far, our own contribution to the whole house has been “only” laying all the flooring and doing all the tiling. If I install the sanitary fixtures myself, I wouldn’t have any scheduling conflicts with the general contractor. My plan is to have the GC’s plumber only make the connections at the correct positions. They can keep their standard fixtures. Then I would buy the bathtub, etc., at a better price and either install everything myself or hire another company for the installation.
Could this work? What should I consider regarding drywall work — is it done before or after the installation of the sanitary fixtures?
I would appreciate any suggestions or experience reports related to this kind of project.
In our new build, we have an 18 m² (193.75 sq ft) bathroom with a sloped ceiling and a 4.7 m² (50.6 sq ft) guest toilet. The main bathroom is planned to include a large walk-in shower measuring 1.20 x 1.00 m (3.9 x 3.3 ft), a stylish V&B bathtub, a double vanity, and an elegant toilet. The fittings for the shower and bathtub will be concealed-mounted.
The guest toilet will not have a bathtub and will only have a simple washbasin, but we want a slightly larger, attractive shower and a nice toilet as well.
We have received a quote from our general contractor’s preferred plumber. They want nearly 25,000 euros extra for the sanitary installation. Of this, 13,750 euros are for the “washbasin unit with mirror cabinet” in the main bathroom.
When I compare the largest material items in the overall quote with prices found online, I could save about 8,000 euros by purchasing the materials myself. For example:
V&B Squaro Edge 12 bathtub 190 x 90 cm (6.2 x 3 ft)
Installer’s quote: 1,655 euros (delivery only, plus installation)
Online price: 850 euros including shipping
The biggest discrepancies are with the individual parts of the Keuco “washbasin unit,” with price differences of over 100%.
Now I’m considering what to do. Ideally, I would decline the entire offer politely and source (almost) all parts myself and install them. Negotiation seems pointless since my idea of a fair price appears far from the plumber’s expectations.
So far, our own contribution to the whole house has been “only” laying all the flooring and doing all the tiling. If I install the sanitary fixtures myself, I wouldn’t have any scheduling conflicts with the general contractor. My plan is to have the GC’s plumber only make the connections at the correct positions. They can keep their standard fixtures. Then I would buy the bathtub, etc., at a better price and either install everything myself or hire another company for the installation.
Could this work? What should I consider regarding drywall work — is it done before or after the installation of the sanitary fixtures?
I would appreciate any suggestions or experience reports related to this kind of project.
Knallkörper schrieb:
We have now received an offer from the general contractor’s regular plumbing installer. Try talking to your general contractor and mention these additional charges. Maybe they have another plumbing installer they can recommend.
P
Peanuts7417 Aug 2016 14:18HilfeHilfe schrieb:
I don’t feel confident enough to do it myself, although I’ve built garden sheds, planted hedges, and handled landscaping on my own. But those aren’t really “fine” crafts. If a wooden beam is a bit crooked or the panel is slightly too high, you just tap it back into place. If the thuja hedge is crooked, you straighten it.
With plumbing tasks involving expensive materials, you need more than just basic DIY skills.As I said, I had never done it before either, and the things we have done turned out quite well, I would say. I tend to be rather perfectionist (according to my wife). I didn’t mean to imply you have two left hands or even ten thumbs, but maybe as an engineer you can have a more relaxed attitude toward it than someone who only works at a desk.
P
Peanuts7417 Aug 2016 14:25Knallkörper schrieb:
Hello Peanuts74,
thank you for your assessment. That gives me some encouragement. I think I can handle the installation myself. Maybe in the end, I’ll get a great bathroom at a good price. I still don’t really want to do it myself, because sooner or later I run into conflicts with other commitments (work).
@HilfeHilfe: The standard units don’t appeal. The pieces at that price are definitely quite a difference, even if I don’t think the total cost is justified. Yes, the contract is signed, and the shell structure is half completed.Depending on which washbasin it is (yours is extremely expensive), it can be installed in 2–3 hours, and a toilet as well, if the unit with the cistern is installed. That was part of the pre-installation done by the company in our case.
Getting the bathtub perfectly aligned with the drain and everything else is a bit more fiddly, but you can take your time with that.
Installing the faucets was no problem at all using good old hemp!
Just don’t use that modern tape, because if you unscrew it even a little, the connection becomes leaky again.
By the way, our standard was from Villeroy & Boch, though from the more affordable Omnia series.
We considered upgrading to Subway, which would have added at least 5000 (about 5000) to the cost. With bathroom furniture, they wanted roughly 13000 (about 13000), but online we paid between 7000 and 8000.
@Knallkörper
Try using the search function to find other threads on the same topic. Using Tapatalk, I can only find the one from two days ago by @Miliz.
Your question seems to come up almost every week.
The additional charge from the installer also includes, among other things, the warranty.
Otherwise, I would also suggest double-checking whether you might have chosen a price range that is too high during the selection process.
Everyone wants something nice and aesthetically pleasing. You see something special, which costs a lot, but you could also get something attractive for a fraction of that price. You can also have too much of an extraordinary design, especially when it comes to the main bathroom. Many special features are not exactly easy to maintain and sometimes even require more intensive care, such as exposed faucets in areas with hard water buildup.
Try using the search function to find other threads on the same topic. Using Tapatalk, I can only find the one from two days ago by @Miliz.
Your question seems to come up almost every week.
The additional charge from the installer also includes, among other things, the warranty.
Otherwise, I would also suggest double-checking whether you might have chosen a price range that is too high during the selection process.
Everyone wants something nice and aesthetically pleasing. You see something special, which costs a lot, but you could also get something attractive for a fraction of that price. You can also have too much of an extraordinary design, especially when it comes to the main bathroom. Many special features are not exactly easy to maintain and sometimes even require more intensive care, such as exposed faucets in areas with hard water buildup.
K
Knallkörper17 Aug 2016 22:42ypg schrieb:
@Knallkörper
Otherwise, I would also suggest checking whether you might have gone too far price-wise during the material selection. Everyone wants something nice and elegant. Then you see something special, which costs a lot, but you could also get something beautiful for a fraction of the price. You can easily go overboard with extraordinary design, especially when it comes to the main bathroom. Many special features are also not very easy to maintain or may even require more intensive care, such as open faucets that are prone to limescale buildup.
Hello ypg,
we checked everything online beforehand. There, the Keuco vanity cabinet costs 827 euros gross. The installer charges 1890 euros net. I would be willing to pay for the warranty, but not a markup of over 100%. We set a budget limit of 15,000 euros. All the items are rather classic and not extraordinary at all.
I’ll keep your advice about the search function in mind. Sorry.
P
Peanuts7418 Aug 2016 07:26The warranty for the cabinet itself is usually provided by the retailer anyway. And mounting a base cabinet to the wall is really not rocket science, so it certainly doesn't justify an extra charge of over €1000 just for the materials.
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