When we interviewed people for our Real People, Real Remodels section, we received a great deal of interesting and insightful information about bathroom remodeling. But as with all articles, we couldn’t include every last quote from our remodeling subjects. So here are some of our favorite “deleted scenes” from the interviews we conducted. This Q&A was with Melissa Andres. Read her entire story here. 

Were there any products or services that had a price that surprised you?  In general, I was pleasantly surprised to find that if I was persistent enough—i.e. willing to spend hours and hours searching things out on-line— I could find reasonably priced products. I had my heart set on a cast iron tub and was initially worried that my budget would not permit it but was delighted to find a basic Kohler cast iron model at Home Depot. The price differential between this model and the all the other cast iron tubs was extreme.

I was also lucky to receive some very good advice, tips and contacts from the friend’s dad who does rehab. Thanks to him, I was able to get a lot of my questions answered and not have too many surprises in terms of pricing of products and services.

Did you attempt to do any of the labor aspects of your project?  No, my participation was limited to the planning, shopping, overseeing and occasional handwringing.

The color palette you chose seemed fairly safe. Was there any temptation to do something a little bolder?  No, I was aiming for something fairly neutral for a variety of reasons; a) I wanted something classic and elegant—possibly a reaction to the original purple and yellow color palette, b) it is a small space and I thought that the lighter, neutrals would make it feel more spacious, c) I wanted the flexibility that neutral materials (tiles, vanity, etc.) offered as they go with any wall color.

What is the one thing about your remodel that you would do over if given the opportunity?  I’m actually very pleased with the remodel and wouldn’t make any major design changes if I were to repeat the process. In terms of the whole experience, I guess what I wish I could have a do-over on would be the way I interacted with the contractor and crew. I would like to have been less concerned with their feelings. Though, based on other people’s experiences, it would seem that it isn’t a real remodel if there aren’t communication issues.