7 Reasons Why You Should NOT Use One-Day Shower Installers

We’ve all seen them, the one-day shower installers that promise to build a beautiful shower in one working day, but are they really worth it? We think NOT, and here’s what you should know before you pick up that phone………

1. You’re Paying For Their Advertising

You heard that right! All of those commercials running on tv get very expensive very quickly and flooding the internet with ads can cost 10’s of thousands of dollars per month. With tv commercial placement starting around $20,000/month for 3 months the cost adds up quickly. If you’ve ever owned a business then you quickly realize that marketing is going to be one of your biggest expenses, and rightfully so.

Should that cost the consumer though? The answer is NO. Bathroom remodels and kitchen remodels are two of the largest expenses in a home, but a shower remodel alone shouldn’t start at $18,000, then the price decreases by small amounts until your finally agree to sign.

In fact the materials alone for some of the 1 day bathroom remodelers only cost somewhere around $3,000, and 1 day of labor only runs a few hundred bucks. So don’t be suckered in and be sure to look at other alternatives. Tile is always the better option when installed correctly. Schluter Systems is the latest technology in the tile industry and comes with a lifetime warranty. Solace Showers in Clayton, NC only uses Schluter Systems for all shower remodels & new shower installations.

2. Very Limited Options

The 1 day bathroom installers typically only have 5 or 6 wall options all being plastic of some kind, very limited floor options that all include fiberglass or acrylic, and very few accessories to choose from. On the other hand with a tile shower you have hundreds, if not thousands of different tiles to choose from, and usually around 26 different grout colors are available in sanded or epoxy options. Seating options include floating benches, mounted seats, triangular corner benches, rectangular benches, and some plastic options are available.

The 1 day bathroom installers highly restrict your options on trim colors and finishings because it costs too much to warehouse all of that material so you may receive 2 options including brushed nickel, and chrome which are the cheapest. With Solace Showers you receive 8 different trim colors to choose from including Oil Rubbed Bronze, Matte Black, Venetian Gold, Brushed Nickel, Chrome, Brushed Gold and Satin Nickel.

Shelving is usually attached to the plastic panels using an adhesive and finished out with caulk. With a custom tile shower you can do almost anything. Built-in niches help preserve some of the space in your shower adding more room to move freely. Niches are flat with the tile on the wall and usually fall between a stud cavity. Shelving is also available with sleek stainless steel that is only 1/8 of an inch thick so they fit right in between the grout joints between the tile.

3. No Personalization

If you give 100 different people a blank Christmas tree and tell them to decorate it however they want to then you will end up with 100 different trees all unique from the last. Showers should be the same way.

With the 1 day bathroom remodeling, its guaranteed that you will have the same shower as 50 different people. However, with thousands of tile options, 20+grout options, 8 different shower trim colors, 6 different seating options, and an endless supply of mosaic floor tiles, the chances of anyone else having a shower like yours is slim to none.

Glass options are also a huge aspect of cute tile showers since you can customize glass to fit any shape, size, length or height. Although a little on the pricey side, custom glass creates a barrier that is impenetrable to water while having a sleek and frameless look.

4. ADA Compliant? Forget About It…

Elderly, disabled and handicap people between the ages of {55-85} are 47 times more likely to fall in the bathroom according to the CDC than anyone else. Making sure they have every tool they need to have a safe showering experience should be high on the priority list when considering altering your home for aging changes. Consider a few different options other than the 1 day bathroom remodel showers with fiberglass or acrylic floors.

1. Curbless Showers: Curbless showers have no threshold to step over into the shower making entry and exiting much easier and safer.
2. Non-Barrier Showers: These types of ADA showers have no walls or glass to block entry into the shower making exit and entry more user friendly for an elderly or disabled person. Children with Multiple Sclerosis may need help with bathing from a parent or caregiver, so the absence of walls or glass may helping the person less of a daunting daily task.
3. Low Threshold Showers: A threshold is the raised up curb that. keeps water inside of the shower . Lowering or even eliminating that curb helps with entry and exit, but extra carpentry and waterproofing is typically required increasing cost but parallelly increasing safety.
4. Transfer Showers: Patients and elderly that are in wheelchairs or have decreased ambulation may need help getting into the shower. Transfer showers are built with this in mind and typically include stable seating, low or no threshold to step over, grab bars for stability, and hand wands to help bathe the individual.

5. Water Resistant. Not Waterproof!

Water is one of the most powerful things on earth and has many uses from powering hydro-plants to keeping us alive, but it can also be very damaging in your home if not controlled. The 1 day showers are built with plastic walls, held up by construction adhesive and sealed tight with silicone. They are great for the first couple years after construction but then we start to see failure. First mold will begin to discolor the joint slowly, followed by the silicone coming off in chunks typically between 1/2 and 3 inches long. After a while the only thing keeping the water from running out onto your subfloor is gravity, but if water can find even the slightest pinhole to slip through it will!

Unfortunately most people don’t know what to look for and when the damage is already done its too late. The entire shower must be torn out and replaced including the subfloor underneath like the picture below. Annual shower inspections are always suggested to keep your home from significant damage.

6. No Increase To Home Value

Home builders put in fiberglass or acrylic shower bases, walls, and bathtubs because they are easy to install, cheap, and lets be honest…..no one notices, but cheap always comes with a price tag.

According to Angi.com, bathroom remodels usually have the highest return on investment (ROI) with the average national ROI on a bathroom remodel coming in at 72.7%. Swapping out a standard bathtub and shower combination for a large walk-in shower can really add to the appeal of your primary bathroom and your home as a whole increasing in the value of your home.

The 1 day shower installations are comparable to the standard tub/shower installations that home builders install retaining no increase of value. Add Value not plastic!

7. Over Priced, Under Promised

With the one-day shower installers and bath remodel price tags averaging over $9500 while using acrylics and fiberglass its like buying a plastic bowl for $25 when you could get a stainless steel bowl for $28. Were not comparing apples to apples here, but instead apples to apple pie!

One customer even stated that a one-day shower company in Raleigh, NC quoted her $20,000 for an acrylic shower, and after numerous No’s the price suddenly dropped to $11,000??? That 9k in pure profit!

Lesson here…..be cautious with who your spend your money with and make sure that you are a name in their books, not just another number.

FREE IN HOME CONSULTATION

At Solace Showers, we've built our business on helping clients bring their wildest renovation dreams into reality. Contact us to book a consultation for your custom tile shower design. We look forward to working with you!