Your First Bathroom Consultation: What to Bring and What Happens

The first consultation is where a bathroom remodel turns from an idea into a defined job. It is also your first look at how a company works: whether the person listens, how carefully they measure, and whether they explain what they see under the sink and around the tub. A little preparation makes the visit far more useful, and knowing what should come out of it helps you judge the company that came.

Before the visit: what to have ready

You do not need a design or a drawing. You do need answers to a few questions, because they shape everything the remodeler will propose.

If you are still sorting out the basics, start with where to start with a bathroom remodel and bathroom remodel levels, which help you describe how much change you have in mind. For a first sense of budget, our Vancouver bathroom cost page gives JDI's planning ranges by bathroom type and finish tier.

During the visit: the conversation

A good consultation starts with questions for you, not a sales presentation. Expect to be asked:

• Who uses the bathroom and at what times of day, and whether two people need it at once
• Whether you bathe or only shower, and whether anyone in the house needs a tub
• What you would change first if you could change only one thing
• Whether you are open to moving the toilet, shower or vanity, or want to keep the plumbing where it is
• How long you expect to stay in the house
• What finish level you have in mind for tile, vanity and fixtures
• What you are comfortable spending and how you plan to pay for it

Answer the budget question honestly. Holding the number back does not get you a lower price. It gets you a design aimed at the wrong target.

During the visit: what gets measured and checked

The remodeler should measure the room, not pace it off: wall lengths, ceiling height, door and window positions, and the centers of the toilet drain, sink and shower or tub. Photos of every wall are normal. Beyond the dimensions, an experienced visitor checks what limits the design:

• The plumbing wall and floor. Where the drains run, whether the bathroom sits over a crawl space or a slab, and whether there is room to move a drain or recess a shower floor for a curbless entry.
• Signs of water damage. Soft floor at the toilet, loose tile, stained ceilings below, and the condition of the wall around the tub valve.
• Ventilation. Whether the fan exists, whether it is ducted outdoors, and what route a new duct could take. Washington's residential code requires bathroom exhaust fans to be ducted directly to the outside.
• Electrical. Where the receptacles and lights are, and whether the panel can take any new circuits the design needs.
• Materials that need care. Old sheet vinyl and its adhesive, textured ceilings and painted walls in older homes. Under the Southwest Clean Air Agency's rule, flooring, mastics and textures count as suspect asbestos materials regardless of the year installed.
• Access. How a new tub, shower base or vanity gets through the hallway and door.

A visitor who measures the vanity wall and never looks under the sink or at the fan is pricing fixtures, not a remodel.

What you should receive afterward

What comes next depends on how the company works, so ask before the visit ends. In general you should expect one of these:

• A written range with a described scope. Fine at an early stage, as long as it says what is assumed about the tub, shower, tile and layout.
• An itemized estimate. A breakdown by category, with allowances and exclusions listed.
• A design proposal. A layout or 3D design with a price tied to it.

Before the visitor leaves, ask what you will receive, roughly when, and whether anything costs money from this point. When the document arrives, read it with our guide to comparing bathroom remodel estimates beside you.

What you should learn about the company

The visit runs both ways. Notice whether the person:

• arrived when they said they would;
• asked how you use the room before talking about products;
• pointed out problems, or said everything would be easy;
• raised permits, lead paint and asbestos without being asked;
• sent the follow-up when promised.

How a company handles a free visit is a fair preview of how it handles a paid project. Our list of questions to ask a bathroom contractor covers credentials, schedule and money.

How a JDI consultation works

JDI Construction's consultation is free and takes place in your home. From it we prepare an itemized plan and a 3D design layout, so you can see both the bathroom we are proposing and what makes up the price, and we send a firm written quote, typically within a week of the visit. The 3D renderings are free when you schedule a bid; the free 3D bathroom design explains what you get. Denise Lacquement, our designer who specializes in bathrooms, plans the layout and guides material selections, and what a JDI bathroom remodel looks like walks through the steps after the consultation. If you only want a shower replaced or a tub converted, say so; see shower-only remodels. To arrange a visit, contact us or call (360) 309-9571, and see our process for the stages that follow.