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Here’s another scenario: what if during your bathroom renovation you decide that you want a standing shower instead of a tub. That should be a simple change, right? Wrong. Even seemingly small changes will take time to order the new materials — not to mention potentially messing with the schedule of the sub trades involved in the job.
In either of these scenarios, your contractor should prepare you a change order, which outlines an updated timeline of your project, including the new materials, and revised costs.
When Cheap Materials Fail
A contractor is at the mercy of the limitations of the material the homeowner chooses. Here’s an example I hear about a lot: A homeowner is redoing their bathroom, and opts to order cheap fixtures online to save a few bucks. Sometime within a few months of installation the fixtures begin to leak or otherwise fail. Is that the contractor’s fault that you chose a bad finish? No. Ultimately, a homeowner is responsible for the materials they choose for their project.
Now, a good contractor should give you a few options to choose from. They might provide a selection of low-end, high-end, and mid-range materials for you to choose from, plus walk you through the pros and cons of each. But if they’ve done that, and you still choose the cheap option to save a few bucks, well, I’m sorry, but you’ve got to live with the consequences. That’s not on them.
