Saw a "luxury" bathroom reno at a friend's place in Portland and honestly thought the tile work was worse than my budget job

I mean, my buddy just finished a $15k master bath remodel with some high end contractor. He kept bragging about the custom marble hexagon floor and the heated tile. I went over last weekend and noticed the grout lines were totally inconsistent. Some spots had wide gaps, others were nearly touching. And the edges around the shower niche looked like they just eyeballed the cuts. For that much money I'd expect perfect work. Maybe it's just me but I feel like people get tricked by expensive materials and forget the basics matter more. Has anyone else seen a pricey reno that had sloppy execution?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_martin19h ago

Nope, you're spot on. Fancy materials don't fix bad hands.

flores.emma1d ago

Start looking closer when people drop big names on tile or countertops. I went to a house party in Portland last year and the owner kept pointing out her "handmade Spanish tile" in the bathroom. My first thought was how the grout was cracking in a straight line down the middle of the wall. Not even a month old and it looked like it was settling weird. The floors were nice but the whole room felt off because the little details were a mess. You can buy the most expensive stone in the world but if the person laying it has shaky hands and no patience it will still look like garbage. People get blinded by fancy materials and forget that labor is what makes or breaks a job. It's sad because they spent all that cash and now they have to live with crooked cuts and uneven lines.

the_jake1d ago

Came home from my sister's place in Seattle last month and her kitchen reno was the same deal. She paid some "design build" firm like 20 grand and the backsplash tile was literally crooked in spots. I could see it from across the room. Her contractor bragged about the handmade Italian tile but the cuts around the outlets were jagged and one piece was actually chipped. I did my own bathroom with floor tile from Home Depot and it looks cleaner than that mess. People pay for names not skill I guess.