Considering the underlying issues that were found during demolition, everything went remarkably well!
First, as noted elsewhere, Wes does charge $75 for a rough estimate. However, it was well worth it. Not only did he show up exactly on-time for the estimate, he spent a good hour or so going through many of the details with me. He told me upfront that there were likely more significant issues going on behind the wall -- and, boy, was he correct. At the time, he recommended that we replace the entire shower, estimated at around $10,000 plus tile.
Several months later, I decided to formally enlist S&W Tile's services. Wes again visited us conveniently on a Saturday to walk through the job in even more detail. We spent almost two hours planning out the job and refining logistics. He suggested I plan ahead and buy new seals for all the plumbing fixtures and shower doors, which turned out to be a very good idea given their lead time. He then gave me a firm date of when he would start (approximately four weeks later) and estimated that the job would take four-to-five days. At this point we made a down payment of $3,000.
Sure enough, a week and a half before the job was to begin, Wes contacted me to let me know that he had a cancellation and could start the job a week early, if it was convenient to us. We agreed, and Wes arrived on time the following Monday morning to begin. With his prior guidance, we had the area thoroughly prepped for his work.
On Monday afternoon, Wes called to give me a status update and sent me videos of some of the demolition progressed. As alluded to earlier, he found significant problems. Within five years of the initial installation, the structure of the shower seat had completely rotted away. Furthermore, the copper drain pan that we had installed (which we thought was a good idea) had been installed incorrectly, preventing water from draining. When Wes got to the pan, he found about four inches of stagnant standing water in the pan. The level of rot found and some added difficulty in saving the existing granite bench resulted in a relatively small change order of $1500.
As the week pressed on, things went a little smoother. On Day Two, we had to purchase some additional tile, but Wes was kind enough to pick it up for us. We also had to coordinate debris removal separately, which S&W Tile did not provide but assisted with. Throughout the week of their work, I came home to a very clean and organized job site. Tools were neatly put away, drop clothes were removed, and all the areas were swept clean. Very high marks for cleanliness!
All in all, we are quite happy with the process, the workmanship, and the results.
