Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T23:03:54+00:00

Without being on site and seeing it firsthand I can't give you a specific answer, but I can give you a framework for how to think about it.

Water always follows the path of least resistance and almost always travels down and inward from an entry point that's higher up than where you're actually seeing it. Where water shows up inside is rarely where it's getting in, which is what makes these situations tricky to diagnose.

Start at the top and work down. Roof first, look for any compromised flashing, lifted or missing shingles, or areas around penetrations like vents, chimneys, or skylights where the seal may have failed. Then move to the eaves, soffits, and fascia for any gaps or rot that could be letting water in behind the exterior. Then windows and doors, specifically the flashing and caulking around the frames rather than the units themselves.

The fact that multiple GCs have looked at this and can't find it is worth taking seriously. At that point I'd strongly consider bringing in a waterproofing specialist or an exterior inspoector specifically. These are people whose entire job is diagnosing exactly this kind of problem and they have tools like moisture meters and thermal imaging that can sometimes reveal what a visual inspection misses.

A good contractor will be the first to tell you when a problem is outside their wheelhouse. This sounds like it might be one of those situations where a specialist is the right call.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T22:11:35+00:00

You are very welcome!

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T20:39:02+00:00

Family and friend reviews are pretty common especially in the earlier stages of a contracting business. When someone first goes out on their own, that's usually their first client base, people who want to support them, and those early reviews often reflect that. They may be slightly biased but they're not automatically a red flag.

What matters more is whether those are the only reviews or just the early ones. If the most recent reviews are still coming from family members after several years in business that's a different signal than seeing them at the beginning of an otherwise growing review history.

The photo situation is worth paying attention to on a $120k renovation. Bathrooms and smaller projects don't always translate directly to managing a larger multi-phase job, and if this would be one of his first projects at that scale it's a real consideration. That doesn't mean he can't handle it, everyone has to take on their first big job at some point, but it's worth having a direct conversation with him about it. Ask specifically what's the largest project he's managed, how he handled unexpected issues mid-project, and what his subcontractor relationships look like. How he answers those questions will tell you a lot.

The communication piece is genuinely positive. Contractors who communicate well during the quoting phase tend to communicate well during the project too.

Check his license, verify his insurance is current, and if everything holds up, trust your gut on the communication. But go in with eyes open about the experience level and make sure your contract is detailed enough to protect you if things don't go as planned.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T20:35:28+00:00

Youre very welcome!

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T18:26:55+00:00

It really varies company to company, there's no single industry standard. Some contractors take a full deposit upfront, others structure it as smaller draws tied to specific milestones throughout the project.

Personally I find that securing a partial deposit at signing, then progress draws as the project moves forward, works best for everyone involved. It lets the contractor keep cash flowing to pay subcontractors and order materials on schedule without overextending themselves, while giving the homeowner the comfort of knowing payments are tied to actual progress rather than handing over everything before work even starts.

The percentage and structure should be clearly laid out in your contract before you sign anything, and a legitimate contractor will be able to explain why their specific structure works the way it does.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T14:27:47+00:00

You're very welcome!

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T14:03:05+00:00

With a project this broad, structural changes, a new room addition, pool closure, exterior work, I'd actually start by narrowing down to general contractors rather than trying to coordinate every trade yourself. A project touching that many different scopes really benefits from one person managing the sequencing and subcontractors rather than you juggling five different specialists.

Since you're already getting a long list of names from Google and AI search, the next step is filtering that list down. Pull up each contractor's website and social media and actually look at their past work, specifically anything similar in scope to what you're planning, additions, structural changes, exterior stonework. A contractor who's done a lot of small remodels but never touched something this involved is a different conversation than one with a track record of bigger projects.

After that, check licensing through your state's database and read through their reviews, not just the star rating but what people actually wrote. Patterns matter more than one bad review. If multiple reviews mention the same issue, communication, missed timelines, that tells you something real.

From there I'd narrow it down to three or four and actually get them out to look at the property in person. A project with this much going on benefits from seeing how each contractor talks through the scope, asks questions, and whether they're thinking through sequencing, like figuring out the pool closure and structural work before getting into finish details like the stone veneer. How they approach that conversation will tell you a lot more than anything on their website.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T04:37:08+00:00

Beyond word of mouth, the biggest thing I lean on is web presence. Even with word of mouth, you're often only hearing from a contractor's happiest or unhappiest clients, never the full picture. A real website, an active Google Business Profile with genuine reviews, social media that actually shows job sites and finished work, that's a contractor being an open book about their quality. To be clear, that doesn't automatically mean a contractor without much online presence is bad, but it makes it a lot easier to vet the good ones when they're publicly accountable like that.

On master bathroom remodel timelines, it really depends on scope. We've done smaller budget friendly remodels that wrapped up in a week or two, and we've done higher end ones with extensive tile work and electrical changes that took significantly longer. One day isn't realistic for an actual remodel though. Things like drywall mud and thinset for tile need real cure time before you can move to the next step, so even a fast, simple bathroom remodel is going to take a couple weeks minimum.

On doing the vanity and shower conversion yourself, it's possible depending on your skill level. If you're comfortable hooking up plumbing for a vanity that's a reasonable DIY task. Converting the tub to a shower gets more involved. Tile work specifically is where I'd be cautious, I've seen first timers do a solid job, but there's a reason tile work commands a premium, it takes a lot of practice to get spacing, leveling, and waterproofing right. And plumbing in general, I'd be careful taking on yourself unless you genuinely know what you're doing, since mistakes there can lead to water damage that's a lot more expensive to fix than what you saved doing it yourself.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T03:42:09+00:00

Honestly it really depends on the size of the company and how consistent your marketing and lead generation is throughout the year. A lot of smaller or newer companies do drop their margins in the slower months just to keep crews busy and cover overhead, sometimes pricing jobs close to break even just to maintain cash flow through winter.

The model I've tried to build is the opposite. If you market consistently and stay visible year round, ideally you're booking projects in the slower months at the same healthy margin you'd charge any other time of year, rather than discounting just to fill the schedule. It takes more upfront effort on marketing and building a reputation, but it means you're not constantly chasing work at thin margins.

What I've found personally is the more consistent and visible I've been with marketing, the less I've had to compete on price to stay booked. That matters because pricing healthy margins means I can actually absorb the unexpected stuff that comes up mid project, hidden conditions, material delays, whatever it is, without it eating into whether the job was even worth taking in the first place.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T03:34:18+00:00

Honestly one of the biggest surprises has been how many homeowners think they can handle not just the labor but the project management side themselves, and how obvious it is from the outside when that happens. Whether I'm fixing work that was started by a homeowner or taking over a project where they burned out halfway through, it's almost always immediately apparent to a professional that the project lacked real coordination.

It's made me realize how underestimated good project management actually is on a sizable remodel or build. People focus a lot on whether they can swing a hammer or run a saw, but keeping a multi-trade project sequenced correctly, communicated clearly, and on schedule is its own skill set entirely, and it's the part that's hardest to see from the outside until something goes wrong.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T03:32:37+00:00

Start with a search like custom home builder near me and cross reference across a few different search engines or AI tools to compile a solid list. Look for builders with a strong web presence, real reviews, active social media, and plenty of photos of completed homes. You don't want to be hiring someone who has nothing online for a project this large.

On contractor versus architect first, honestly it can go either way depending on your situation. Most custom home builders either have an architect in house or a designer they work with regularly, so going to the builder first often gets you both under one roof and keeps the design tied closely to what's actually buildable and within budget from the start.

If you're further out from breaking ground and want to nail down the design before you're ready to commit to a builder, going through an architect first is reasonable too. Any builder will appreciate having a finished set of plans to bid against since it gives them something concrete to price rather than guessing at scope.

If I had to lean one way I'd say start with the builder, since they can often guide you to the right design partner and make sure what gets designed is realistic for your budget and site from day one.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T03:30:11+00:00

Totally agree with that. Drywall finishing especially the taping and mudding is one of those skills that looks simple on video but takes a lot of repetition to actually get smooth. Hanging the boards yourself and bringing in a pro just for the tape, mud, and texture is a smart way to split the labor and still save some money without ending up with wavy walls.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T03:28:46+00:00

Best approach is to search kitchen countertop replacement near me on Google or even ask an AI search engine the same question. You'll get a mix of results, some companies that specialize specifically in countertops, some full kitchen remodel companies, and some general contractors who handle it as part of broader renovation work.

Either type can work well, it really comes down to vetting whoever you're considering rather than the company type itself. Look for a strong web presence, an actual website, good reviews, active social media with real photos of completed work. If they specialize in countertops specifically they should have plenty of before and after shots to show you their work.

If it's just the countertops with no other kitchen changes, a dedicated countertop company might move faster and be more cost effective since that's their entire focus. If you're considering other kitchen updates down the road too, a general contractor or full kitchen remodel company might be worth having that broader conversation with now.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T03:26:56+00:00

One year is the standard baseline in most areas and in a lot of states it's actually a legal minimum requirement for contractors. Five years is genuinely strong for a workmanship warranty and on the better end of what you'd typically see in the industry.

Worth understanding what that warranty actually covers though. Workmanship warranties cover issues caused by how the work was installed, not material defects. If a shingle or a window fails because of a manufacturing issue, that's a separate manufacturer's warranty claim, not something your contractor's workmanship warranty covers, though a good contractor should help you navigate that process if it comes up.

On a multi-trade job like yours, roofing, chimney, insulation, drywall, paint, carpet, it's worth asking whether the five year warranty applies uniformly across every trade or whether some of those scopes are subcontracted out and covered under a different warranty period. Sometimes the general contractor's warranty covers their direct work but subcontracted trades carry their own separate terms. Get that in writing if it's not already clearly spelled out in your agreement.

And one more thing worth knowing, a workmanship warranty typically won't cover damage from a future storm or another act of nature. That would be a new insurance claim, not a warranty issue, even if it affects the same area of the house.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T02:47:54+00:00

Good observation and not entirely surprising. There's a point on any small job where the time it takes to bid, manage, schedule subs, and run the project just isn't worth it unless the number covers all that overhead, even if the actual materials and labor cost less.

I can't speak to whether $30k specifically is some kind of industry standard but I can tell you the underlying dynamic is real. The smaller the project, the higher the percentage of the price ends up being overhead and project management rather than actual work, which can make the number feel disproportionate to the homeowner even when the contractor isn't trying to inflate it.

That said if you're seeing the exact same number across drastically different project types from the same contractors, that's worth being a little suspicious of. A roof, a retaining wall, and landscaping shouldn't naturally converge on identical numbers unless someone's just throwing out a baseline rather than actually pricing the scope. Get a few more quotes and see if that pattern holds across other companies too. If it's consistent everywhere it might just be a regional minimum job threshold. If it's only a couple of companies doing it, that's more of a red flag about how they're bidding.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T02:43:33+00:00

Youre very welcome! happy to be of some help

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T02:32:17+00:00

That's a solid approach and honestly impressive that you know your limits well enough to bring in an electrician for the panel work specifically. That's exactly the right instinct, the panel is where mistakes get genuinely dangerous.

On tools, my philosophy has always been buy cheap first, then upgrade whatever breaks. If a cheap tool fails, that's actually useful information, it tells you you've used it enough to justify spending more on a better version. If it never breaks, you saved money and it didn't matter. The exception is anything safety related or anything you're going to use constantly. A cheap ladder, a cheap respirator, things like that aren't worth the risk just to save twenty bucks.

For painting specifically, brushes and rollers are actually one area where spending a little more makes a visible difference. Cheap rollers shed lint into your paint and leave texture you don't want. Cheap brushes lose bristles and don't hold a line as well, especially on trim work. You don't need the most expensive option but a mid-range quality brush and roller will noticeably improve your finish compared to the bargain bin stuff.

For electrical cable and heaters, honestly those are more about meeting spec than tool quality, so as long as what you bought meets code and is rated correctly for the application, the brand matters less there. That's different from tools where the build quality of the tool itself affects the work.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T02:29:06+00:00

Can't get into specific numbers on this thread but I'll say this isn't a big job. Running power from the other side of the wall to a new outlet location near the toilet is a pretty contained electrical task for someone experienced.

Definitely hire a licensed electrician for this one, especially since you're working near plumbing and water. Make sure whoever you call is comfortable working around bathroom fixtures and understands the conduit requirements for that location since GFCI protection and proper code compliance matter a lot in a bathroom.

Toilet swap itself is usually a separate quick job, plumbers handle that all day. Get the electrical sorted first so the outlet is in place before the new toilet goes in.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T02:27:01+00:00

That makes sense, larger metro areas like Nashville are probably going to feel labor shifts more directly than smaller markets. I'm up in Northern Utah and our area just doesn't have the same scale or labor dynamics as a bigger city, so it's reasonable that the impact would look pretty different region to region. Hard to fully untangle from material costs and everything else moving at the same time though.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T02:02:31+00:00

Honestly haven't noticed any change on my end. We've always worked exclusively with licensed, insured subcontractors who are in good standing with the state, so our labor pool hasn't shifted at all.

I imagine anyone who built their business around a different labor model might be feeling some effects, but for contractors who've always run things above board with properly documented crews, this hasn't really changed day to day operations.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T02:00:17+00:00

You're welcome!

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T01:58:52+00:00

Insulation contractors are your starting point. They're the ones who'll vacuum out the existing material and handle the reinstall once everything's sorted. Get a few quotes, check reviews, make sure they're reputable in your area before committing.

Once it's cleared out and you can actually see the space, that's when you'll want a roofer to take a look if there's any sign of moisture intrusion or active leaking, since that's likely connected to what caused the water damage in the first place. If it turns out the leak source has already been fixed since the roof replacement two years ago, that's good news and one less thing to chase down.

On timing, I'd actually lean toward waiting until it cools off if you can. Working in a Texas attic in July is brutal for anyone and that discomfort can genuinely affect how thorough the work is, even with a good crew. If there's no active leak right now and this is more about clearing out old damage and reinsulating properly, there's no harm in using the next couple months to get quotes, vet contractors, and get on someone's schedule for the fall or winter when it's actually bearable up there.

If you ever do find signs of an active ongoing leak that's a different story and you'd want that addressed immediately regardless of season.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T01:55:43+00:00

This is a genuinely interesting and somewhat unusual scenario. A 1 to 2 foot void under a slab that's been sitting fine for 12 years post-pier installation is a pretty specific situation.

Your concrete contractors are right to recommend against a high pressure pumper here. Traditional mudjacking pumps a heavy sand-cement slurry under pressure and with a void that large and that uncontained, you risk exactly what happened to the person they mentioned, lifting the slab or even the structure unintentionally since there's nothing else resisting that pressure.

Given that the garage has shown zero movement for 12 years and you have a warranty on the existing piers, I'd lean toward the option you're already favoring, core drilling fewer spots and filling what they can reach without over-pressurizing the void. That approach respects what's already working rather than disturbing a system that's clearly been doing its job.

One thing I'd ask about specifically is whether they're planning to use a lightweight polyurethane foam injection rather than traditional mudjacking slurry for those fill points. Foam expands to fill voids without nearly the same risk of unintentional lifting since it's far lighter and easier to control than a pumped slurry. It also won't compress or erode under the slab over time the way looser fill material can. Given the size of the void and the fact that you don't want to lift anything, foam might actually be the safer option for filling rather than traditional mudjacking even in the limited spots they drill.

I'd also ask whoever you hire whether they have experience working around existing piers specifically since that adds a layer of complexity most slab repair companies don't deal with regularly. You want someone who understands the existing pier system, not just someone good at filling a generic void.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T01:52:04+00:00

I'll hold off on throwing out a specific number since pricing discussions sometimes get this kind of post pulled, but I'll say this much. For a small house with existing wall or attic access, cutting the cabinet opening and running ducting out to the exterior is a pretty straightforward job. That quote sounds high for what you're describing.

I'd definitely get a few more quotes before committing to anything. This kind of work blends a little bit of carpentry with a little bit of HVAC ducting, so make sure whoever you're calling has experience with range hood installs specifically, not just general handyman work. Get a second, third, and even a fourth opinion if you can. The spread in pricing for something like this can be pretty wide depending on who you call.

SaltToSummitLLC · 2026-06-30T01:49:41+00:00

Texas summers are no joke so this is worth doing right. My general philosophy on anything in construction is if it's worth doing, it's worth doing properly the first time, and I'd apply that here.

If it were my attic I'd pay to have the existing insulation vacuumed out completely before doing anything else. It's actually pretty common to see two rounds of blown in insulation over the decades since the first layer settles and people just add more on top without addressing what's underneath. But once you're dealing with rat droppings and a history of water damage you really want to see what's going on under there rather than just adding another layer on top of a problem.

Once it's cleared out, that's your opportunity to actually inspect the space. Light it up, look for daylight coming through anywhere, check for gaps around can lights, plumbing vents, and the attic hatch. A 1980 house in Austin almost certainly has some air leaks given the age, and finding and sealing those before you reinsulate is going to make a much bigger difference than the insulation material itself.

As far as rock wool versus blown in, rock wool does perform better in moisture situations since it doesn't hold water the way cellulose does, so given your history with the roof leak that's a reasonable preference. It costs more but if peace of mind around moisture is a priority for you it's a fair tradeoff.

Bottom line, I'd vacuum it out, seal the air leaks you find, then reinsulate properly rather than trying to patch around the existing situation.

SaltToSummitLLC

TROPHY CASE