Tough bathroom renovation jobs

Anyone with experience in the renovation business can tell a story or two about the pride of finishing a particularly tough job. At Bath Fitter, it’s no different. While our one-day bath remodeling process is smooth and professional, there are some homes where it’s inevitable that our estimators and installers are going to have to go the extra mile to get the job done. And at the franchise we’re featuring today, Burlington, Vermont, the weather also plays a decisive factor.

The Burlington territory extends to Lake Placid in the west; Lebanon, New Hampshire to the east; the Canadian border in the north; and stops just short of the last two counties in Vermont to the south. Some days, there is a three-hour drive to the job, each way. Last winter was especially rough.

At that time of year, “There are places in Vermont that we can’t get to,” says Charlie, the franchise manager. On one particular installation, Charlie reports, “We tried four times to get to a job.” The installers eventually had to wait until June – not only for the snow to melt, but for the muddy tracks to dry out enough to allow a vehicle to pass.

Of course, there is also the New England challenge of installing tub liners, shower bases and wall-systems in very old homes. Often they encounter what Charlie calls “George Washington plumbing.” Despite that, there are very few jobs that Bath Fitter cannot do. Charlie’s estimators and installers have extensive training and experience. They use all the resources available. “Skip,” an estimator – like all his co-workers – will take detailed photos and measurements of the space where the new Bath Fitter fixtures will be installed. If he encounters something in a home that looks unfamiliar, he can share this information with any of the other 165-plus Bath Fitter locations in order to find the product that is the perfect fit.

The Burlington franchise, opened in 1984, is one of Bath Fitter’s oldest, and it’s fair to say that over the years there’s probably very little that these guys have not seen. Charlie tells the story about a home where the staircase was so narrow that it was impossible to climb it while carrying the seamless wall-system that they needed to maneuver into place. So Charlie went outside, climbed to the top of a ladder, had his partner pass him the wall-system, and then Charlie hauled it inside through the third-floor balcony.

Sometimes installers find a home in which the bathroom wall is built of plaster stuck to chicken wire. All of this needs to be removed before they can replace it with Bath Fitter’s tough and elegant acrylic products. Needless to say, our “before” and “after” photos often show a dramatic change. We look forward to sharing some of these photos with you in future posts – not to mention more great bathroom renovation stories.

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Bath Fitter in Commercial Properties

A lot of people already know that Bath Fitter can install a new tub liner, shower base or wall system in residential properties such as houses, apartments, or trailers. What fewer people know is that our company can also renovate bathrooms in much larger properties. Bath Fitter’s commercial work has been a great fit for hotels, motels, clinics, and schools; one of our franchises has even done work on an oil tanker at sea!

Large, multi-unit installations are actually what put Bath Fitter on the map almost 25 years ago. Upscale hotels were the first to benefit from our fast but high-quality bath remodelling process. Since those early days, Bath Fitter has grown enormously and residential customers now represent the biggest part of our business. Nevertheless, there is a resurgent demand for our services from non-residential customers, too, and because our products are custom-made for each situation, we we’re always happy to take on a unique and challenging job.

For large scale remodels, the Bath Fitter advantage is exactly the same as for our hundreds of thousands of satisfied home customers. We don’t compromise on the durability, elegance, or professionalism of our work. Whether we’re installing one tub liner or one hundred, you can always count on our expertise.

When commercial customers call on us, they’re getting the benefit of a company that has the resources of a nationwide network of experts. We’re at over 200 locations and still growing.

Bath Fitter’s commercial division helps coordinate multi-unit installations. Over the years, we’ve been glad to help out medical clinics with our tub-to-shower conversions, which helps them better serve mobility-impaired patients. Best of all, we’ve been able to get the work done quickly, which minimizes disruption. Similarly, at hotels – where many customers see an elegant bathroom as integral to their overall experience – we’ve been able to refresh the tub, shower and wall-system, and help management provide guests with the highest standards in comfort and style.

In an increasingly competitive world, we can help any business maintain their bottom line by ensuring that remodelled bathrooms are ready to use the very next day. That’s a fraction of the time of a traditional renovation.

It’s no wonder, then, that more and more businesses and institutions are trusting their bathroom renovations to Bath Fitter.

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Bathroom solutions

Over the last few weeks, we’ve covered the basics of Bath Fitter’s products and services, including the installation of a tub liner, shower base and wall-system. But Bath Fitter can go well beyond the basics. During our twenty-five years of business, we’ve learned to tailor our bathroom solutions to fit almost any home. We’re going to discuss a few of those more unique situations today.

Freestanding tubs or showers

As many customers already know, Bath Fitter has made its reputation by installing a brand new tub over the top of the old one. But sometimes, customers need something a little different. On occasion, we’re asked to install a tub or shower where there has never been one before, or where the old one might need to be removed entirely. For these situations, we offer a durable and elegant free-standing tub or shower. We can build the appropriate supports so that your new fixture will stand the test of time.

Corner panel

A new tub liner can sometimes present a challenge in tight spaces. Let’s say your new bathtub is too close to the toilet, or impedes the movement of the door. Bath Fitter’s product development team came up with an ingenious solution. They created a corner panel so that when installers need to cut a small portion of the tub to allow for added clearance, the new panel fits over the top, providing a smooth and professional finish.

Window trim

Our seamless wall-system is well known for keeping water at bay and for adding a touch of sophistication to a tub liner or shower-base installation. We can install our patented wall-system even in spaces with windows – of almost any size. Our skilled installers will measure the space, make an exact cut in the wall-system, and finish the job with a window trim that is solid, water-proof and elegant.

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