Wet-bulb hours at Flint/Bishop
NOAA's engineering weather data lists a station named Flint/Bishop. In an average year there, NOAA counts about 172 hours when the wet-bulb temperature is above 73°F and about 789 hours when it is above 67°F. Those are the station's published counts, given here as NOAA reports them.
A week of notes on the room
Everything else on this page concerns one room: the bathroom in your own house. Before any remodeler walks through the door, keep a small notebook in that room for a week. Each time something about it bothers you, write it down. Entries might look like these:
- the mirror fogs and stays fogged after a shower;
- towels hang in a heap because there is only one bar;
- the door bumps the vanity drawer when both are open;
- someone has to step around the toilet to reach the tub;
- the light over the sink casts a shadow across your face;
- there is nowhere to set a phone, a razor or a cup.
A list like this turns a vague wish for "a new bathroom" into a set of problems a remodeler can solve. It also gives you a way to judge proposals: does each one fix the items on your list, or only replace what is already there with newer versions of the same?
Which fixtures stay put
The plan starts with a simple choice for each fixture: leave it where it is, or move it. Write that decision down for the toilet, the sink and the tub or shower. Keeping a fixture in place lets the crew reuse the drain and supply lines that already serve it. Moving one can mean opening the floor or a wall to reroute pipe.
If you are not sure, ask each remodeler to show you both versions on paper. Ask what moving the toilet a short distance would involve in your house in particular, what sits under the floor at that spot, and whether a joist or a heating duct stands in the way.
The tub question
Some households want a deep tub for soaking or for bathing small children. Others would trade the tub for a roomier shower. There is no correct answer, only the one that fits your routine. Points to talk through with a remodeler:
- Is this the only tub in the house, and does that matter to you?
- Would a walk-in shower need a curb, a low threshold or a level entry?
- Where would a hand shower, a niche or a bench sit?
- How would the glass or curtain be arranged so spray stays inside?
Ask each bidder to sketch the shower or tub area at full size on the wall or floor with tape, so you can stand in the outline before deciding.
The layer behind the tile
Tile and grout are what you see. The part that keeps water out of the wall is a membrane, a coating or a board system with sealed seams, installed before any tile goes up. Ask each remodeler to name the product they plan to use and to point out where it begins and ends. Ask how the corners, the valve opening and any niche will be sealed, and whether the shower floor will be filled and left standing before tile is set. If they offer a dated photo of that test, keep it with your papers.
Getting shower vapor out of the house
As general advice for any bathroom, an exhaust fan helps only when its duct carries air all the way outdoors. Ask each remodeler:
- What airflow and sound ratings does the fan they propose carry?
- Where does the duct end, and what cap closes it?
- If the duct crosses an attic, will it be insulated, and how is it sloped?
- Would a humidity sensor or a timer keep the fan running after the shower is off?
Listen to the fan model in a showroom if you can. A quiet one is easier to live with.
Light and power at the mirror
Wiring choices are easiest to change while the walls are open. Talk through lighting on both sides of the mirror instead of one fixture above it, a fixture over the shower rated for that spot, and outlets where you charge a toothbrush or use a hair dryer. Ask the electrician what outlet protection the code the city applies calls for near water, and whether a heated floor or a towel warmer would need its own circuit.
The floor underfoot
A bathroom floor takes splashes, drips and cleaning products. Tile, sheet vinyl and luxury vinyl plank each have trade-offs in feel, grip and how seams handle water. Ask to hold samples, wet them and step on them in socks. Ask what the remodeler will do if the subfloor turns out to be soft near the toilet or the tub, and how that repair would be priced.
Grab bars and blocking
Even if nobody in the house needs a grab bar now, solid wood blocking inside the wall lets you add one later without opening the tile. Ask whether blocking can go in beside the toilet, inside the shower and near the tub while the studs are bare, and ask for photos of where it went.
Questions for each remodeler
Put these to everyone you are considering and ask for the answers in writing:
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits does this remodel call for, and who applies for them and books the inspections?
- Will the plumbing and electrical be done by your own crew or by subcontractors?
- Can you send proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before the job starts?
- What does your written warranty cover, and for how long?
For questions about your own homeowner's policy during the work, call your insurer.
One scope sheet for every bid
Turn your notes into a single sheet and hand the same copy to each remodeler. Include:
- a sketch of the room with measurements, the door swing and the window;
- which fixtures stay and which move;
- tub, shower or both, and the type of entry you want;
- wall and floor finishes, by product name if chosen;
- vanity, top, faucet, toilet and shower valve, by model if chosen;
- the fan and where its duct should end;
- lighting, outlets, heated features and blocking for grab bars;
- who handles permits, debris, daily cleanup and final cleaning.
Ask each remodeler to price the sheet in the same order and to mark anything left out. Matching sheets make the proposals easy to set side by side.