When it comes to a home-building project of this size, we recommend you get your buns to the store. For a couple of reasons. So many Web sites sell toilets, bathroom fixtures and lighting “at a discount.” If you go to a specialty bathroom/plumbing supply store, the online prices will look like “steals.” But, if you’re smart and ask for the contractor/plumber prices (ask your family’s plumber or a friend with a contractor’s license to vouch for you), you’ll find that those prices are much lower than Web prices. In addition, you get to place an order with a reputable store, which will back quality, deliver it for free and even provide counsel on which fixtures and brands to actually go with. We went to a plumbing supply store, where a bathroom designer chose a number of high-end fixtures for us and advised us on our bathroom layout. I fell in love with their "advice" and felt they were all 100% essential for creating the vintage 1920s master bathroom we want to create. Check ‘em out:
First, the Symmons Carrington cross-handle faucets with porcelain - perfect complement to the Clawfoot tub!
Our plumber was adament that we get a Symmons shower valve. He says they are the most reliable but, unfortunately, they're the ugliest IMHO....
Except for the Symmons Carrington line - but the complete Carrington shower valve kit was much more expensive. So we got the most basic Symmons valve (pictured above - likely what you'd see in the showers at a YMCA), and then we got the Carrington valve trim, pictured below. Essentially, we will use the "guts" of the ugly shower valve and dress it up with the Carrington - valve trim only.
We'll also ditch the showerhead that came with the cheapo Symmons kit and sub it out for the multi-function Kohler Bancroft handheld showerhead (see below). The handheld piece gets attached to a 60" shower hose and hung on a Grohe handheld holder, which screws into the shower arm that came with the cheapo Symmons kit. Ya with me?
As for toilets, this was Chris' department. He really wanted comfort height elongated Toto Drake toilets.
We got one of them. We also got a rounded seat, comfort height Toto Drake because our guest bath doesn't have a ton of space between toilet and tub. And then we opted for the Kohler Bancroft toilet for the master bath because, well, it's prettier. And, yes, this falls into the category of things I didn't know or have an opinion about before this project began. But admit it, the toilet is pretty. I really like Kohler products, btw.
But, oh, the retail price of all these items when a sales person first recommended them to me!
Just when I was feeling discouraged, I asked the sales person if she would honor contractors’ prices. Score – they did! It brought the prices down by about 30%. Then I shopped around those discounted prices to three other plumbing supply stores that also honored contractors’ prices. And then I made a spreadsheet that had each store’s price for every item we wanted. I put a star next to the cheapest items, and chose the store that had the most stars. But, before placing the order, we asked that store – let’s call it F.W. Webb for argument’s sake – to honor the prices of the 2 items “in our cart” that were offered at other stores for cheaper. I can proudly say that we got all items (pictured above) for the cheapest possible price in the area, with free delivery.
Bottom line: Save the online shopping for golf clubs, Russian brides, and shoes. (And if you do need to shop online, make sure you never ever buy anything from Jackpot Plumbing, some sorry excuse for a plumbing supply company Chris went with on Google Shopping for our three bathroom fan/light combos. Wouldn’t you think if someone placed an order and it wouldn’t be available for 60 days, they’d inform you? I’d like the three hours back that I used chasing packages, re-buying bathroom fans that hadn’t arrived yet, and trying to return the duplicates. Terrible customer service to boot. I wouldn’t recommend them to my worst enemy... But I digress...)
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