Q.

A. You can search easily from internet best bathroom remodeling contractor in Huston. Many of them are good remodeling and renovation service provider in Huston. One of my friend also live in Huston, he tell me about http://www.everhartconstruction.com/. He was saying that they provide very good service of remodeling and renovating.

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Q. A few weeks later I received a call from a cabinet maker, who built the custom cabinets saying he has not been paid for the cabinets that the contractor ordered. They want to come after me for payment even though I had no contract or contact with them only with the contractor. Can they place a lein on my property? Don't they have to go after the contractor who ordered the cabinets?

A. They may be able to put a lien on your property in the nature of a "materialman's lien" in order to recover payment. However you would have a defense of "accord and satisfaction" if you have proof that you paid the general contractor in full and that your agreement with the general contractor included the kitchen cabinets. If you are sued by the cabinet maker or if a lien is placed on your property, you would have a right to "join" the general contractor and ask the Court to order the contractor to pay the cabinet maker. When you paid off the contractor, was there any kind of "indemnification" or "hold harmless" agreement or release that the contractor guaranteed, not only his work, but that all his subs and suppliers were paid off? It's always a good idea to have something like that when work is completed and the final bill is paid.

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Q. I have a house that i would love to keep, the location is great but the house layout is not working for me. i dont know where to begin - what kind of contractor should i look for? do i hire an architect first? here is what i want to do: 1. tear down walls and recreate spaces - including moving windows where necessary 2. move an upstairs bathroom 3. create a master bedroom suite with new bathroom space 4. move laundry room upstairs 5. finish off basement 6. create an open floor plan down stairs by removing walls where possible 7. open up the foyer from front door 8. expand on existing sunroom and construct a new one 9. concrete porch repairs 10. brick driveway i estimate the house construction will take approximately 6 months to a year to complete. i plan to move out of the house and rent an apartment for the duration of the project. i want to 'go green' as much possible. the location is 15 minutes east of philadelphia. any one with experience? been through a renovation of this kind? all knowledge and tips on how to start and what to look for would be great! thanks!

A. You have two avenues: manage everything by yourself or hire a general contractor. I'd suggest the latter, they have had way more experience and have a ton more contacts than you. Interview tons before deciding on one. Have them work up an estimate, ask for references on prior jobs, maybe find an architect you like and ask them for referrals. I'd go at it from every angle to find the right one. It will be very helpful you are willing to move out for the process (esp when moving/changing bathrooms and the kitchen this is a life saver). During the most major remodel I did, my favorite part was having a detail-oriented contractor who did such a nice finishing job that I could not have come up with better solutions for tricky small details. From start to finish, he did everything. Another contractor (friend) I hired wanted the get through the work and preferred the heavy work but wasn't detail oriented so now, years later, I'm still finalizing the finish work myself (painting, etc). MOST IMPORTANT: Get in writing what the estimate will cover, ie: dump runs, product/supplies, paint, finish work, cleaning, labor, prep, etc. Both parties should sign it. Don't pay for full amount till project is done. Ask for contractor's license number. Follow the rules! For resale and safety purposes, don't work-around permitting. Good luck!

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Q. I've heard horror stories about contractors promising to do a job (i.e. remodel a kitchen or a bathroom or a deck, an extra room addition) by a certain time and at a fixed price. But as time goes by, they need more money to finish a job. Usually, the home owner goes broke and/or job never finished. My parents remolded their entire home. The work was promised to be finished w/in 6 month. It's been a year and the house is still uninhabitable. We have a contract and everything has been paid for as scheduled. We have a lawyer now. But what can cause an established contracting company to fail on their word/contract? Is there a legitimate reason?

A. The situation your parents have found themselves in is awful. Unfortunately, we hear more of these stories than of the ones where homeowners are totally thrilled with the outcome, and the process taken to get there. Here are some of the most common reasons for these renovation nightmares: 1) Project was too large or complicated for the contractor and he is having a nervous breakdown or depression of sorts. 2) His workers are not properly skilled or he does not have enough skilled workers on his team. 3) He has very poor organizational skills & now got himself into a jam he doesn't have the faculties to get himself out of. 4) Domino effect -- the project prior to your parents' home took much longer than expected & instead of telling them he would have to start 6 weeks late he tried doing a balancing act and any project that runs longer than planned for costs more (workers have to be paid by the hour, not by the job) so money from your parents' job went toward finishing the previous job and he is now stuck in a catch-22. 5) Personal problems -- death or serious illness in his immediate family, or maybe even he himself is facing medical problems. Many people feel ashamed to admit to a client that they need 2 weeks (or whatever amount of time) to grieve or recover their own health. None of these things are excusable; contractors are supposed to conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner, but it is easier than most people would imagine for them to land up in these types of situations. Often it takes one bad client (for instance a homeowner holding back $5000 because a door doesn't operate smoothly) to put a contractor into a bad situation that can require months to recover from. Not everyone has what it takes to get through this type of mess without making it worse. You mention your parents hired a lawyer. Make sure the lawyer has experience with this type of case because construction law is quite different from other civil matters - a case like this, if it goes to court, will delve into issues beyond contracts not being respected. Depending on your location, there is probably an association for licensed contractors, and this association might have mediation services available for a minimal cost to your parents, information about such situations and how to handle them, or at the very least a department where a complaint can be filed so that this contractor doesn't put another family into the same situation your family is going through. Good luck!

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Q. The laminate floor in my bathroom has dye/paint on it and I don't know how to get it off. The color came from the dye/decoration on a plastic bag that got wedged under a hamper and got wet. The ink transferred to the floor and now I don't know how to get it off. The flooring is not the best, and I know that if I use a scrubby on it I'll just damage the floor. Any suggestions? The floor is off white, so something that would bleach out the color without damaging the floor might work, but I don't know anything like that either (regular bleach will not work). Thanks!

A. I wish I knew. Sixteen years ago, my step-son and I were dying Easter eggs and some of the dye spilled on the flooring. I am the guru of cleaning, but I have found no solution to this problem. Good luck.

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Q. I am set to install porcelain tile flooring in a bathroom where the house currently has carpet. Provided it is in good condition (which I am assuming it is), is it OK to install the porcelain directly on the floor? Do I need to prepare the floor? If anyone has any pointers, I would appreciate it! Thanks!

A. First things first.. Is the floor concrete or wood? If it is concrete: Take up the old carpet, pad and tackstrip. Scrape and clean the floor. Check the concrete for any cracks and prepare them with a good crack supression system ( I recommend Protecto Wrap ). After this you are ready to install the ceramic. If the floor is wood: Follow the above with the added steps of a sturdy cement type backerboard, Wonderboard, HardiBacker or DurRock are just a few name brands. Wood floors need this in order to reduce the flex felt in a wood floor. I have known some installers to nail/screw this down without thinsetting ( tile morter) it down with good results. The correct way is to thinset the board down and then nail/screw it. The reason for this is to bond the board to the floor to reduce movement and thereby reducing cracks in the grout and tiles themselves. I hope this helps, Good Luck.

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Q. A customer of mine has got someone to put ceramic tiles down in their upstairs bathroom. He has told them to rip up the floorboards and lay 12mm thick waterproof ply instead. Floorboards should be no less than 18mm thick, so whats he going on about?

A. Floor boards need to be screwed down in all cases. You can lay on boards with timber fix also use as grout (slow buts works). You can ply floor sealing the rear and edges of the board before screwing at 12" centers. You can level floor and fix wedi board. Fix tiles with flex andhesive and flex grout. over 35 years in trade and still at it.

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Q. Right now there's vinyl flooring there and I want to put down this laminate that looks like stone. I just don't know if I have to remove the toilet to put it in or do I cut around it and caulk? I want it to look as professional as possible. I just don't want it to scream "AMATEUR".

A. If you are going for the pro look you will certainly want to pull the toilet to install your floor. When you go to reinstall the toilet you will more than likely need to add a spacer flange as well as a wax ring w/ horn to the original flange to accommodate the new floor height. Make sure you follow the laminate flooring manufacturer's installation instructions for wet areas. Regards, Indy

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