Q. I am just now starting to finish my basement. When we built 2 yrs ago we had it prepped for a bathroom and a wet bar. We are starting at the bathroom, do we put the walls up first and have the plumber out before the walls go up? Do we want the sink/tub/toilet there for him or is that not necessary? I guess my question is what steps do I take and in what order? Thanks in Advance!!

A. Do your framing for the walls, then call the plumber to have him install the pipes that will be hidden inside the wall. The bathtub etc can also be installed at the same time. Install the water faucets after the room is finished/walls installed so they will not be accidentally damaged during construction. Hint: Tape the drains & cover the toilet while you work so construction material, nails etc won't fall into the drain. 1 nail lodged in the drain, add some hair/sludge equals a real problem to fix later.

Q. They remodel bathrooms by inserting a full bathtub acrylic finish ceiling to floor. I think they call themselves bath magic. How much would they charge for a standard bathtub? I am looking for a ballpark figure.

A. The company is called Bain Magique in French and Bath Fitter in English. Bath Fitter products are custom made for each individual bathroom so we offer free in-home estimates with no obligation. There are many different styles and shapes of tubs and we need to identify exactly the model in a home and match it to one of our more than 700 molds. Our products are made of high-gloss, high impact acrylic, the same material used in high-end spas. We offer a Lifetime Warranty. Our prices depend on a variety of factors and begin at $1,100. Please visit the www.bathfitter.com to design you own bathroom and/or find a location near you. You can also call the 1-800-892-2847 or email me at jpatry@bathfitter.com.

Q. Hi there! This is my first time so here I go... My husband and I are hoping to update our bathroom. We want to do it ourselves to save money. If we were to retile the floors and walls, replace our bathtub and add shower (we only have the tub now), replace toilet and sink (it's a pedestal sink now), and light fixtures. What would be the order in which to tackle these projects? Our home is old and I don't the walls are dry wall. I'd appreciate any help you can give us. Thanks!!!

A. Demo is always first. So demo everything that you don't want Then place your Pluming in the right places then flooring/tile work and do all wall repairs. Next in order is the tub and shower, paint/wall paper,Sink, toilet, Light fixture and mirror. If you try to do this a piece at a time it will take much longer and you take the risk of Damaging things in the process. Good Luck

Q. A few months ago my mom fell down while getting out of the bathtub. This worried me. She gets around pretty good except for a cane to walk. My dad is healthy and has no problems of moving around. They are on vacation and I would like to remodel the bathroom for my mom's saftey while they are on vacation. It has a standard tub, standard toilet, and pedistal sink. I don't want to change it too drastically because I am sure my dad would be really mad. Any ideas on remodeling the bathroom for the elder?

A. I have the same issue with my mother. Hand-graspers are great. They need to be attached to a stud and in the right place for them to be handy. If it's not too drastic, you might consider a step-in tub. If your mom prefers baths to showers, these can be a great addition to a home with aging parents. If that's not possible, maybe a tub chair -- it's a little stool that you can adjust the height on to sit in the tub and shower, and once the shower is finished it can be removed. If either of them have poor balance or find it difficult to stand to take a shower, the chair is a great asset. You might also think about a riser or comode to put over the toilet if they have trouble getting up and down from the toilet. You can even buy handles that attach to the toilet, so they have something on each side to help. It's tough when our parents get older and start having physical limitations, but there are so many wonderful product out there now to help them so that they can continue to live independent lives. Good luck.

Q. We moved into the house I grew up in. We're fixing it up and remodeling a number of things. The bathroom is the current project, and we don't want to put another tub in. From what I've been hearing though, I may not be able to sell the house without it. The house is 2 bedroom/1 bath. Is there anyway around this? Like maybe building in a tiled bench into the shower?

A. I don't think a tiled bench in the shower is the way to go, you might as well just put a tub in there. It all depends on how you do it. If the shower is just a regular shower and there is nothing special about it, it has curtains, etc, then that is the same as an apartment and will hurt people liking your bathroom I would say. If your shower is nice and big, with sanded glass door and panes around it, then I wouldn't see it being a problem with no bathtub. People don't really take baths anymore, usually for just small kids. I would say, if the shower is a cut above, a very nice shower, then go for it, you don't really need a bathtub. I wouldn't recommend a tiled bench, as this may be costly, timely, not turn out the way you thought, may collect mold, etc easily. Realistically, do whatever you want to do with the remodel unless you are possibly downgrading from what is currently in there. I know that the tub issue will hurt whether or not people like your bathroom or not, but as far as resale, people care about the NUMBER of bedrooms and bathrooms, not what they have, overall area of the house, area of the land, location within the community (safe, accessible?), year house was built, monthly fees. If someone doesn't like your bathroom they will just redo it the way that they want to. It's why artists paint their paintings and simply paint the sides instead of framing them, or they frame them in pretty generic frames. Because they don't want to waste precious money or time when the next owner may just change the frame themselves no matter how nice or expensive the original frame that came with the painting was.

Q. Ok so I have decided to remodel my bathroom. Most of it I will be doing myself. I am just wondering where I should start? Here is a list of things that will be done: 1. Take down old pink tile and put new tile in 2. Put in new bathroom sink/vanity 3. Put in new toilet 4. Convert bathtub to shower/tub combo ( there's pink tile around the bathtub as well) I will not be doing this myself. I am going to hire someone to do this. Any advice would be great

A. I attempted to answer, but there are things I do not know. What are you doing yourself and what are you hiring a professional for ? Is a plumber going to be hired for all the plumbing or will you do it yourself ? Do you have a second bathroom to use during the reno ? If not, then time is a factor and will affect the way you approach your project. Also, if you only had a tub before, you probably do not have an exhaust fan. I would highly recommend getting one installed if you are to install a shower to prevent moisture damage. Higher the sones, the quieter the unit & higher the price. You may need to hire an electrician if you cannot do this yourself. The more work you can take away from a professional, the more savings for you.

Q. The bath room is about 6x12. There was titlng place half way up the walls(the floor was not done. The rest of the walls were painted by the contractors), a new toilet, a new bathtub with sliding glass doors, a messager head for the shower, a new cabinet with 4 lights with it, a fan in the bathroom with a way for air to ciruclate out(with a light attached to the fan, a towel rack, a metal toilet paper dispencer and a metal robe hook placed on the bathroom door. That what was done. I do realise that it is difficult to estimated when there are other factors un-answered, but please give me a ball park estimate. I believe the current contractors are charging way too much money for a relativly simple project.

A. $4-6 thousand.

Q. I am wanting to shop around a little more after considering the steep price that a contractor wants to replace a toilet, sink, sink fixtures, bathtub surround, bath and shower fixtures, and reflooring for $4800. I asked him questions about the prices but never got any definite prices on things. Does $4800 sound steep for what I described above? There is no major remodeling just replacing tub surround, toilet, sink, flooring. If it is too steep, am I bound by the contract or can I call it off before they begin work???

A. If you signed a contract , then after the 72hr "grace" period, you may very well be. If this was an estimate and you didn t sign any thing , then no you are not held to anything. As far as the price goes,it depends on the size of the flooring and what is being used.The quality of the products being used also isn t mentioned It doesn t sound sky high but it isn t a low ball price either. Check around and definitely get some more quotes with the same materials and products the person is using. GL