ReBath Revisited!

I blogged earlier about having ReBath redo our tub/shower area.  They called last week and scheduled the installation for Friday, Sept. 19th.  Tomorrow at 7:30 AM (ouch)!  So today, Thursday, Sept 18,  I tore into the bathroom, stripped old paneling off of the walls, ripped up the carpeting, and removed the lavatory, all of which we are replacing. 

I was working on the paneling, and ReBath called and said they would be late - 9AM.  That's OK.  Better for me.  

So right after I removed the lavatory, and the vanity, essentially making the bathroom unusable except for the toilet, ReBath calls again.  They just inspected the tub insert for my installation and found a manufacturing defect!  

My options are:

a) wait 2 weeks for a replacement insert to be made (in Mesa, AZ!)

b) They will install a replacement tub, which is actually a new tub, not an insert.  They say this is a more expensive option, but they won't charge me any more money.  

OK, no brainer on which way to go there!  It'll be interesting to see how the get a new tub into this bathroom which is only 5 feet by 6 feet!  The tub, which is 5 feet long, fits in the 5 foot dimension, of course, and takes up 28 inches of the 6 foot dimension.  Yes, it is a tiny room, but it works for us - for overnight company, not so much!  We have a half bath in the basement.

Friday morning Bert and Ernie from ReBath show up.  We go through the project together, and they seem like good guys, friendly and accommodating.  I ask to see the replacement tub to make sure it is something we want - it's fine.  

They start tearing off the old shower surround and removing fixtures while I'm working on stuff in the garage, when it happens!

Bert comes out, talking on the phone and asks me if the house is a modular home - it is, mostly factory built in 1956.  The old tub is a non-standard size narrower than normal.  The new tub won't fit.  It's not too long, but too wide - 33 inches!  There won't be room for the vanity if the try to put it in.  Rats!

We discuss it for a while.  They apologize all over themselves for the mistakes (made by the office) and offer to do all kinds of things to make me happy.  We decide that the best thing would be to wait for the replacement for the liner to come from AZ - a minimum of 2 weeks.  They put the fixtures back and calk the open corners of the exposed old shower paneling with all the glue lines on it from the surround plastic I put over it.  It is serviceable, but ugly.  

So we'll be roughing it until the 2nd week of Oct. anyhow.  I told WonderMom I would put the lavatory back for the duration and she says, "Don't bother.  I can brush my teeth in the kitchen!  Just make the shower work."  Isn't she wonderful?

I'll follow up on this when it happens, so check back.