Yes, the niche is a bit hacked up, and a few places the tile is a bit off.

Would you have him redo the whole thing or fix some of the spots that are noticeably off?

Definitely fix the spots that catch the eye, everything else looks like they did a decent job as far as I can tell from this pictures.

It’s average. C grade. Not OMG awful. Not excellent. As long as the waterproofing behind it was done correctly, put up a shower curtain. You did verify the method of waterproofing and take in progress pictures?

What did you pay for the work? 7-9K? 5-7K? 3-5K? 1-3K? Under 1K? Cost has a direct relationship with skill and end result.

No you can't have him replace the worst tiles because that will screw up the waterproofing underneath. You do have waterproofing underneath, right?

Sorry, but I have to disagree with some of the comments above. The niche is more than a “bit hacked up” and I think the tile job is bad. I would be having them rip the entire thing out. And as cpartist mentioned, once you start ripping out certain tiles, you undermine your waterproofing. Also, maybe this is just a shadow, but it looks like there is a HUGE gap around your shower handle.

It depends on how the tile are removed and how the shower was waterproofed as to whether or not the waterproofing would be compromised.

I agree with comment above. I think the wall looks really bad. Like very amateur and I would be really upset about it, unless someone did it for free. What’s up with all those small slivers on the left side only? Also, based on other comments you wouldn’t be able to remove just some so you have to redo the whole wall anyway but I would take it as a loss and hire someone else.

@Joseph Corlett-The contractor laid down some waterproof sheet and then hardy backer. That’s as far as I’ve seen.

@nidnay thanks for pointing that out. We did notice the space between the wall and shower handle

Mr. K-

Three things:

1) Some of those tile issues you've flagged are due to the fact that at least some of the tiles appear to be warped, and this is not a defect that can be made to completely disappear when tiling unless those tiles are identified and not used. Purchased tiles sometimes do have warping, and the resulting lippage can be dealt with to some extent by using a different tile pattern than you have.

2) If no waterproofing membrane was applied to the walls, you do not have a waterproof shower. That will become a major problem in time.

3) I agree with the other posts here that do not think the overall appearance is workmanlike. Several of the tile cuts around the niche are unacceptable, and the layout on the back wall could have been easily been moved over to the left a bit to eliminate those tile slivers in the left corner.

The contractor laid down some waterproof sheet and then hardy backer.

Is there any waterproofing on the walls? Tile backer board isn’t waterproof in and of itself. There would either have to be plastic sheeting behind the board OR a waterproofing treatment (e.g., a roll-on membrane such as RedGard) applied to the front of the board. Did you take any in-process photos?

Here’s what was laid down under the hardy backer

Here’s the backer after waterproof

That product is NOT waterproof....it is water resistant....HUGE difference. Paper like that is normally used on exterior sheathing and not in a shower application for waterproofing.....because it is not waterproof.

Here are the specs for that paper from the website FYI....https://gmcpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ESR-2376.pdf

And sorry to say it, but the guy has no clue what he is doing if that’s the way he “waterproofs” his tile work....UNLESS there is plastic beneath that paper, your shower is not waterproof. What you have there are two permeable products..cement board and building paper.

Does spacers always have to be used when tiling subway tiles?

Depends on the tile and the experience of the tile setter. But again you have more serious issues than the tile having lugs (self spacing) or using actual spacers.

Plus your liner on the floor was not done correctly. Hate to say it but it’s a complete tear out now or in a year or two you will wind up with water damage

Sorry this is happening to you. Here's what I recommend.

Hire a certified tile professional to come and do an inspection and give you a written report detailing everything that was done wrong and what it will cost to fix it. If you have “in-progress” pictures, show them to the tile pro. And post them here.

Here are 2 organizations with search tools on their websites.
www.tile-assn.com
Click on “find a contractor” and enter your zip code. Let the miles radius be fairly large, like 50 miles or so. The excellent tile pro that built all my bathrooms was on that site in my area, but about 40 miles away bc he was near downtown and I’m in a suburb.
www.ceramictilefoundation.org
This site has lots of good information on it. I didn’t find my contractor on this site, but a lot of people have told me that they had luck with it.
Here’s where you click to find a contractor:
www.ceramictilefoundation.org/find-certified-tile-installers
Also, if you are a nerd like me and you like to read, you could download a digital version of the TCNA handbook. It’s less than $40. It’s over 600 pages, but you don’t have to read the whole thing. Read the introduction (about 50 pages) and then read the tub/shower chapters. You can skip all the other chapters such as swimming pools, etc. Reading this helped me to learn about the process and industry standards for water proofing and tile installation; it helped me to ask more informed questions, and helped a lot in my meeting with the contractor who messed up my shower.
www.tcnatile.com/products-and-services/publications.html
After the pro you hire for the inspection gives you his written report of all the things done wrong, have a business meeting with the contractor at the worksite and discuss all the problems. If it needs to be completely redone, ask them to do that, at their expense. They will either agree, in which case you give them a chance to redo it, or they will refuse, in which case they are effectively quitting. Confirm with them that if they don’t attempt to redo it, they are basically quitting; get them to acknowledge that fact. Don’t pay any remaining balance. After the meeting follow up with an email documenting that conversation, and asking for acknowledgement, so that in the future they can’t claim that you illegally fired them. In that email, say something like “We were so disappointed that you decided to quit the project rather than fix the [ list of problems ]. Because we have to have the shower rebuilt, we are requesting a refund in the amount of [$$$] in order for us to hire a new contractor and for the purchase of replacement materials.” They will probably respond to that email to refuse you the refund, but at least then you have an electronic paper trail that shows that you did not fire them illegally, that they quit instead. You can then go to small claims or district court to sue them if you want, but that’s a real PITA.
In the scenario where they agree to redo it, give them a chance. Take pictures of the demo process so you can see the layers under the tile. Also take pictures twice a day (at lunch break, and in the evening) of every step of the rebuild, including all the supplies and tools. Post them here. When/if they mess it up again (and maybe have the inspector come out a second time), then you can legally fire them in most states. That’s how it is in TX where I am. If you want to know for sure you can look up your state’s statues online and read the construction laws. If you aren't sure and you don't want to read the laws, just assume that you have to give them a chance to fix first before firing them. After you fire them, ask for a refund and hire a real pro to start over. Consider hiring the person you hired to inspect.
Sorry this is happening to you. It happened to me. It's far too common.

Maybe there are other tile training and certification organizations that pros on here know about in addition to the two I posted.

It's always best to refer to the manufacturers directions and your local building codes.

https://www.jameshardiepros.com/getattachment/98adb0c7-1bd1-49e7-a9d4-a8275d29ae4a/hardiebacker-installation-guide-english-spanish-hb1710.pdf

3 | Attach HardieBacker cement board to framing • For interior installations, the use of a waterproof membrane, vapor barrier or vapor retarding membrane is optional unless the local building code requires it. • If required by the local building code, install a code compliant waterproof membrane, vapor barrier or vapor retarder membrane, check with the membrane manufacturer for suitability for applicable conditions and follow the manufacturer's installation instructions for these materials. • Install boards 1/4 in above floor, tub or shower pan and caulk accordingly. • Fasten cement board with specified nails or screws (as listed in “Materials Required”) a maximum of 8 in on center at all supports. • Keep fasteners 3/8 in from board edges and 2 in in from sheet corners. • Set fastener heads flush with the surface, without overdriving. 4 | Tape joints prior to tiling • Fill all joints with mortar (see “Materials Required”). • Embed 2 in wide high-strength alkali-resistant glass fiber tape in the mortar and leve

Did your tile person do a flood test before tiling the floor?

There was no mention of a flood test from my contractor

Liner does not extend over curb to bath floor. Most likely laid flat without preslope beneath. ( can't verify from photo) Cement board nailed through waterproof liner on curb. Tile through niche did not follow the offset pattern set by wall pattern. Extreme lippage along vertical edge due to lack of compensation for flange of profile edge. Longer tiles are bridging onto it (probably 0 to minimal adhesive contact center tile) and cut tiles on flange and pushed into wall board where longer tile bridge. It's a DIY job at best but a failure none the less. Above comments have pointed out other issues so I will not repeat. I do not know what you paid but the current value is $0. Sorry. That's reality.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

Not the worst situation I've seen, but this is definitely not an A or even a B+ job. I love the look you are going for tho.

Thanks Altair. We’re new to this whole renovation thing so just trying to learn from all you experts