this is what it looked like when I entered the bathroom after the guests checked-out. How were they able to turn the hot water on for 8 days? Iām so confusedā¦
You are being ripped off that is not a $750 repair.
RR
They stuck the knob back on pushed in and turned.
@RiverRock you are absolutely right, itās a ridiculous price, but I have no choice as I need the work done; I have to get the work done so that I can continue to host my booked guestsā¦ I wish I had someone I trusted who was handyā¦
Thatās really terrible. What the heckā¦ they just ripped that off?! People are terrible.
The valve is broken. In order to repair that, if thereās no access to the valve from behind, the tile will have to come off. It sounds like the valves only come in pairs and in order to do it right and make them match, both will have to be replaced. You canāt just cut a hole in the drywall there either to do the work because this is durarock. So youād have to replace the durarock stud to stud which could mean up to 8 or more of those tiles could have to be removed. If youāve ever tried to remove those then you know its basically impossible without breaking them. So matching tile will have to be ordered and itāll never match exactly because the old tile has yellowed a bit. The grout color will certainly never match because you can tell its a bit old.
You could do a ārepairā for $750 but it wonāt look nice. Iād just remodel the whole bathroom and install some cement board panels and a new tub. Redo the plumbing with pex.
If I were to do that i would skip the tub and make a big shower.
I would have to see the rest of the parts to understand it completely but I am skeptical of the price she has been quoted. I think you can replace the guts of the valve and re-attach
RR
@RiverRock, @Mexican I wish I could just redo the bathroom by removing the tub and installing a walk-in shower, but in Miami, Iād be like to find a contractor that would bother with a āsmall jobā, and even if I did, the contractor would take forever, miss deadlines, and so on.
You have small saucers. 
The photo isnāt all that good, but that looks like the valve is broken, not the handle, and that the valve has a cartridge that can be replace from the outside, again, not totally sure from the details of the photo. If thatās the case, the handle would be able to be re-used if itās not damaged in some other way. Did the plumber take the old handle? Kinda looks like it could be about $20 in parts to me (assuming the handle is still good).
@Mexican I think you are absolutely correct in your assessment; the plumber is going to cut the tiles and install a metal plate with the faucet and a lever to adjust the water. It looks simple but apparently it isnāt. So, do you think the plumber is correct when he says that a large adult had to have supported himself on the water handle and broke the handle and valve by putting too much weight on it? It doesnāt look like normal wear and tearā¦
I feel for you. Iād try to get a second opinion if you can. Seems like worst case is replacing both valve cartridges and both handles to get everything to match, but no work on the tile or wall. I wouldnāt think that would be anywhere near $750.
Yeah. If you just pulled on it, it wouldnāt have broken off but if you look at how far the handle sticks out from the wall, if you leaned on the knob, thereās quite a bit of leverage there. I think it just snapped the valve at the base. Random guess but this might be why they use the levers now instead of a knob because if you slipped and yanked on the lever, it would just rotate or flip etc instead of breaking off. I donāt know much about plumbing, just my experience from basically the same things happening at my place.
Itās a tough call. From the photo, it looks like the part thatās broken is plastic and fairly old. If the calk had already started to come loose around the handle trim plate, then it might not take much.
LOLā¦no actually you are not being scammedā¦most plumbers suggest the one handle shower now and we have a few properties that we have had to go from two handle to one with a metal plate to high the holes. It is actually worked out well for us. They really donāt make the two handled shower fixtures anymore that are worth a dang.
I think it all depends on where she isā¦ prices are higher/lower depending on where you live and what the union rates/nego. rates are in her building for repairs. I paid $450 for a repair similar to this and we did all the tiles work on top of it. My plumber is on the cheaper end.
Vicegrip pliers! Or maybe they just pushed in real hard on the handleā¦?
I have never (nor would) pursued any minor damage but this sounds significant and you are well within your rights to file a claim. I am sure you have taken photos and got the plumber to sign something that shows his expert opinion as to how this damage occurred. Good luck.
On the other hand, someone could have taken a tumble and hurt themselves. That would have been horrible.
Somebody confused Kohler taps with a weight bearing support. At this point my first concern is safety, not culpability or stupidity. I would look at reinstalling and reinforcing taps that donāt look like handles. Better hotels have extra supports.
No worries! Your next guests could be lawyers.
@justMandi Mandi, I care about the safety and well-being of my guests; there is a metal safety grab bar to ensure guests enter and exit the shower/tub safely.
As for your comment that ābetter hotels have extra supportsā, do you run your property like a hotel?
Mandi, why such antagonistic comments? You must have had a difficult dayā¦I came here for support and guidance and not for you to chastise me and make me uncomfortable by your comments such as āNo worries! Your next guests could be lawyersā.
You must be a unique host who doesnāt care about damages by your guests and that can pick up the tab on the pricey repairs caused by your guests.
No maāam. My intentions were truly helpful. I apologise if you were offended as it was not my intention.