Huntsville/Madison: wind, rain and freeze-thaw
Huntsville/Madison, the NOAA station near Decatur, sits about 15 miles east of town. For that station NOAA lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.5 inches per hour and about 40 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. Those figures are the station's.
A guide with no price tags
No one can price your bathroom from a web page, and this guide will not try. The total depends on the size of the room, what you pick, who does the work and what turns up once the old tile is off. What a guide can do is show how a quote is assembled, so that when three of them land on your table you can tell why they differ and which questions to ask.
Three layers inside every quote
Think of the bathroom as three layers, and ask each bidder to price them separately.
What comes out. Protection for the floors and air between the bathroom and the door, removal of fixtures and finishes, and hauling the debris away. Heavy items such as a cast iron tub or a mortar-set floor take more labor to remove than a fiberglass unit or vinyl.
What you never see again. Subfloor repair, framing, blocking for grab bars, drains, supply lines, the valve body, wiring, the fan duct, backer board and the waterproofing membrane. This layer is where hidden damage shows up and where shortcuts hide, so it deserves the most questions.
What you look at every day. Tile, grout, paint, the vanity and top, the faucet, the toilet, shower trim, glass, the mirror, lights and accessories. This layer is where your own choices drive the price.
A bid that lumps all three into one figure gives you nothing to compare. Ask for the layers, and within the hidden layer, ask for plumbing and electrical on their own lines.
Decisions that reshape a quote
- Moving a fixture or leaving it. A drain that stays put needs a new connection; a drain that moves needs a new route, slope and often an opened floor.
- Tub out, shower in. A conversion brings a new base, new wall waterproofing, a new valve position and sometimes a wider drain.
- How far the tile goes. Wet-area walls only, wainscot height around the room, or floor to ceiling. Each step up adds material and setting time.
- The size of the tile. Small mosaics and patterned layouts take longer to set and grout than large plain tile.
- Glass or a curtain. A curtain rod costs least; a framed door costs more; frameless glass more again, and it is measured after the tile is finished.
- Cabinet sizes. A stock vanity in a standard width costs less than a custom piece built to fill an odd wall.
- Electrical extras. A heated floor, a lit mirror, more recessed lights or a new fan circuit each add the electrician's time.
Ask for a base price and then each upgrade as its own add, so dropping one does not mean starting over.
When quotes disagree
Lay the quotes side by side, layer by layer. Look first at the hidden layer: does one bidder include a membrane and a flood test while another lists only "tile shower"? Does one price the subfloor repair the others did not mention? Then compare allowances, which are placeholder amounts for products you have not picked yet. A low tile or faucet allowance can make a quote look cheaper than it will end up. Ask each bidder what their allowance buys and what happens when your pick costs more or less.
Set your own contingency apart from the contract for things no one can see yet. Ask how a find behind the wall will be photographed, priced in writing and approved by you before work goes on.
Alabama's licensing rule, as the board states it
According to the Home Builders Licensure Board's newsletter, building, remodeling or repairing a residence in Alabama when the job costs more than $10,000 needs a license from the Home Builders Licensure Board. A limited license needs no exam and covers only a single-trade job contracted directly with the homeowner that does not affect the home's structural integrity. Other jobs need an unlimited license, which requires passing skill and business-and-law exams.
When you talk to bidders, ask what Home Builders Licensure Board license, if any, covers this job, and what the number is. Ask also which permits the work needs and who will pull them, and ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before anyone starts.
Draws tied to finished work
A draw schedule sets out when you pay. Tie each draw to something you can see and check:
1. At signing, a deposit stated in the contract. 2. After rough-in, once plumbing, wiring, blocking and the duct are in and any rough inspection has passed. 3. After waterproofing and tile, once the flood test is done and the grout is in. 4. At completion, after fixtures, glass and the fan work, any final inspection is closed and the punch list is signed off.
Write every change down, with a price, and sign it before the extra work begins.
The sequence on site
1. Selections made and special orders placed. 2. Permits filed by whoever the contract names. 3. Tear-out, with photos of anything that turns up. 4. Rough plumbing, electrical, blocking and the fan duct. 5. Waterproofing and the flood test. 6. Backer, tile, grout and paint. 7. Vanity, toilet, trim, glass and the fan set and tested. 8. Walkthrough and punch list.
The closeout folder
Keep the contract, change orders, permits and inspection cards, model numbers, the tile and grout names, warranty papers and photos of the open walls in one place. If a valve ever needs work, or you sell the house, that folder answers questions no one else can.