What Matters Most
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You have a contractor in mind, but you’re concerned about whether they can do the project you want. That’s a fair concern. Not every contractor can do every project.
Shugarman’s Bath has completed more than 6,000 tub and shower remodels in San Diego and Orange County. While we take pride in our work that’s made homeowners happy, we know we aren’t for everyone.
In this article, we'll walk you through six reasons Shugarman's Bath might not be the right fit for your shower remodel, and how you can find a contractor that fits your needs.
Table of Contents:
- Is Shugarman's Bath the Right Fit for Every Shower Remodel?
- You're Looking for the Least Expensive Shower Remodel Option
- We Might Not Have the Color You're Looking for
- We Don't Change the Structure of Your Home
- We Don't Install Customer Supplied Materials
- We Don't Install Freestanding Bathtubs
- You Want to Remodel Your Bathroom All at Once
- Who Is Shugarman's Bath the Right Fit for?
- Not Sure Where to Start? Here Is How to Find the Right Contractor
Is Shugarman’s Bath the Right Fit for Every Shower Remodel?
While we take pride in our work, we recognize that we aren’t the right fit for every homeowner.
Here are six reasons Shugarman’s Bath might not be the right fit for your project.
1. You’re Looking for the Least Expensive Shower Remodel Option
If your primary goal is to find the lowest price for a shower remodel, Shugarman's Bath probably isn't your company.
Less expensive options exist. But when a price comes in significantly lower, corners are getting cut somewhere. That means a contractor might be using lower-quality materials, have limited (or no) warranty coverage, or have low-quality workmanship. In a few years, you’re paying for another shower remodel.
Shugarman’s Bath treats every shower remodel as an investment for your home. We back it up with a true lifetime warranty.
If cost is a concern but you still want a high-quality remodel, any reputable contractor will have financing options available.
2. We Might Not Have the Color You’re Looking for
Color options are a common reason homeowners choose not to move forward with us. Shugarman’s Bath has over 500-600 color and design combinations. Even with that much variety, we might not have what you’re looking for.
While we may not have a specific color you’re looking for, take a look at our project gallery to see our completed projects. You might find a color or combination that works better than you expected. If our colors and combinations still don’t work for you, that’s okay.
3. We Don’t Change the Structure of Your Home
Shugarman’s Bath works within the existing footprint of your tub and shower area. We don’t move any load-bearing walls or take on projects that require relocating plumbing elsewhere in your home.
We can change up your tub and shower area. There are ways to make your space feel bigger without moving the walls. But if you want a project that requires pushing into another room or moving a wall, you may need a general contractor or architect for that work.
After the work is complete, we can still handle your tub and shower area.
4. We Don’t Install Customer-Supplied Materials
It might be tempting to purchase your own materials and hire a professional to install them. However, we don’t do that. We handle every remodel from start to finish, including ordering materials, installation, and a lifetime warranty post-installation.
We know our materials like the back of our hand. They're high-quality, low-maintenance, customizable, and loved by many. Plus, materials and labor are covered under our true lifetime warranty.
If you have your heart set on material we don’t carry, we aren’t the right fit.
5. We Don’t Install Freestanding Bathtubs
We install tubs into the walls of your bathroom. We don’t install the freestanding type you would see on four legs. If that's the look you're after, you'll want to find a contractor who specializes in that type of installation.
6. You Want to Remodel Your Bathroom All At Once
We understand that you want to renovate your full bathroom. However, you need someone familiar with the tub and shower area to handle that work.
The tub and shower area is the most complex and failure-prone part of any bathroom, let alone the whole home. The area is in direct contact with multiple gallons of water per use. Waterproofing failures and plumbing issues can impact the rest of the home.
A contractor who treats it as one item on a long list may not give it the attention it needs. If you want to hand the entire project to a single contractor from day one without starting with the tub and shower area, we may not be the right fit.
Read our article on how to plan a full bathroom remodel without wasting money to see how starting with the tub and shower area makes the rest of the project easier.
Who Is Shugarman’s Bath the Right Fit for?
The right fit is a homeowner who wants a quality tub or shower remodel. People who treat it as an investment in their home rather than an expense to get through as cheaply as possible.
One of the strongest endorsements Shugarman's Bath has ever received came from a homeowner who didn't hire us. That homeowner referred a friend specifically because they wished they had chosen Shugarman's Bath the first time.
Most contractors point to industry guidelines to define what's acceptable. With Shugarman's Bath, the job is either right or it's wrong. If something doesn't look right to you, we won’t ask you to pay until it's to your satisfaction. You should walk away happy with what you pay for.
Not Sure Where to Start? Here Is How to Find the Right Contractor
If Shugarman's Bath isn't the right fit for your shower remodel, that's okay. We still want to make sure you can find the right contractor for your project.
Start by checking a contractor's reputation on Google, the Better Business Bureau, and Yelp. Pay attention to how they respond to negative reviews. A contractor who argues with customers or places blame is a red flag.
Verify their license through the California Contractors State License Board. Look for a B - General Building license. A Class B license means the state has approved that contractor to touch structural areas of your home, such as studs, joists, and framing. A B-2 license only covers cosmetic work and doesn't allow a contractor to work on or repair structural elements within the tub and shower.
Also, confirm that they carry general liability insurance and Workers' Compensation. Having these protects you if something goes wrong during the project.
When you sit down with a contractor, ask for a written warranty, whether they use subcontractors, and whether the bid price is a final number or a rough estimate. Our buyer's guide covers all of this in detail, including 16 questions to ask any contractor and answers to look for before you sign anything.
What Should You Do Next?
Not every contractor is the right fit for every homeowner. That includes us. If your project falls outside of what we do, use what you learned here to ask the right questions before signing a contract with anyone else.
Look for active licensing, insurance, and a strong review history as your baseline to help narrow your search.
If you’re curious to learn more about Shugarman’s Bath, read our article that goes over our tub and shower remodeling qualifications.
Think we might be the right fit for you? Schedule a free consultation with Shugarman’s Bath to learn about your remodeling options, answer all your questions, and get a quote down to the penny.
FAQs about Shugarman’s Bath:
Q: What materials do you use for your tub and shower products?
Our products are mainly composed of a material called BP-Cor2. It's a high-tech polymer made up of 15% acrylic and 85% ABS, the same material used to make football helmets. It's a step up from traditional tile and standard acrylic.
We can laser-etch grout lines into the material to give it the look of tile without the cleaning and maintenance that comes with it. We call it New World Tile.
Q: How much does a tub or shower remodel cost with Shugarman's Bath?
Every remodel comes with a lifetime warranty. Most projects are completed in 1-2 days, though larger or more complex projects can take longer. Here's how we break down our pricing:
- Refresh ($12,500-$16,000): Clean, white, and easy to maintain. Includes custom accessories and a basic sliding door or curtain rod. 56% of our projects fall into this category.
- Elevate ($16,001-$22,000): Custom colors or patterns, shower seating, a wall niche, and 2 shower heads. 36% of our projects fall into this category.
- Indulge ($22,001+): A larger shower, tub, or Cali combo built around your style with all the accessories. 8% of our projects fall into this category.
Q: Do you remodel the whole bathroom or just the tub and shower area?
We're specialists in the tub and shower area. That's where our focus stays. For other parts of your bathroom, we work with trusted contractors regularly and can refer you to the right people at no extra charge. That referral can save you 10-20% on a larger project.
