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February 13, 2008
No Fan of New Bathroom
Q: Hi, Ed. I love your column so much that I have two questions for you. We recently remodeled our master bathroom complete with a new bathroom fan. The contractor told us that the old fan just vented into the attic and that he needs to vent the new fan through the roof. He then told us that it would be an extra charge! This is not my fault; should this be an extra charge? Also, is it really necessary to vent bathroom fans outside instead of in the attic? Laura (California)
A: Laura, your first question brings up a point I make over and over in my book "Ed Del Grande's House call." My point is to "get everything in writing" before you start any remodeling job with a contractor. This will protect both you and the contractor from getting into a stalemate over a job issue that can slow things down and cause bad feelings with each other. I can see your contractors concerns about having to be paid for extra work, and I can see your frustrations about having to unexpectedly come up with more money! All it takes is to have a priced contract for the job and then a little line like; "Any unforeseen code problems behind walls, under floors, and/or above ceilings will be discussed, agreed upon, and billed as an extra. I admire your contractor for pointing out your fans venting problem, but getting things in writing should be as much the contractors responsibility as the homeowners. You may have also have had a contract that stated; "Total price includes any extra work to bring bathroom up to current building codes." In that case your fans venting problem would not have been an extra job. This is my exact point, not having a contract means that we don't know, and the two of you will have to work out a fair solution for the extra work. This leads us to your second question about bathroom fan venting. Yes, in my opinion and according to most building codes, your contractor is correct and the fan should be vented to the outdoors. Venting a fan into an attic may cause moisture problems in the attic and this may lead to other moisture related problems for the home. Remember, proper venting of both your extra work concerns and your bathroom fan will help make this a better job for you and your contractor!
A: Laura, your first question brings up a point I make over and over in my book Ed Del Grande's House Call. My point is to get everything in writing before you start any remodeling job with a contractor. This will protect both you and the contractor from getting into a stalemate over a job issue that can slow things down and cause bad feelings with each other.
I can see your contractor's concerns about having to be paid for extra work, and I can see your frustrations about having to unexpectedly come up with more money! All it takes is to have a priced contract for the job and then a little line like; "Any unforeseen code problems behind walls, under floors, and/or above ceilings will be discussed, agreed upon, and billed as an extra." I admire your contractor for pointing out your fan's venting problem, but getting things in writing should be as much the contractor's responsibility as the homeowner's.
You may have also have had a contract that stated: "Total price includes any extra work to bring bathroom up to current building codes." In that case your fan's venting problem would not have been an extra job. This is my exact point; not having a contract means that we don't know, and the two of you will have to work out a fair solution for the extra work.
This leads us to your second question about bathroom fan venting. Yes, in my opinion and according to most building codes, your contractor is correct and the fan should be vented to the outdoors. Venting a fan into an attic may cause moisture problemsthere, and this may lead to other moisture-related problems for the home.
Remember, proper venting of both your extra-work concerns and your bathroom fan will help make this a better job for you and your contractor!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at February 13, 2008 12:59 AM
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Comments
The problem here is common to professional drivers. Many, many times a judge will excuse a driving infraction by a non-professional driver that resulted in a minor accident, while "pinning a professional driver to the wall" for the exact same infraction. The courts' explanation is that "You are a professional and therefore should have known better than to have (done whatever led to the accident)."
In this vent situation, the contractor knew that the fan must vent to the outside and that some older installations did not do so and should have checked for existing plumbing before quoting the job. The contractor should be "pinned to the wall" on this one. This is not a case of the homeowner changing his mind after agreeing to specified work or ordering additional work.
Posted by: John Shelton at February 19, 2008 10:43 PM
We are having a problem with water pipes "banging" when you turn off water. There is a small expansion tank that was installed as part of radiant floor heating system in master bath. The problem is present whether floor heating system is running, or not. As far as I know, no arrestors were installed anywhere when the house was built. Is there an easy solution? Thanks
Posted by: minniedog at February 20, 2008 8:58 AM
Ed,
I agree that the home owner should have had a contract with the contractor. However I find it a little strange the the contractor all of a sudden remembered after the work was started the building code required the bathroom vent to be vented outside. That sounds like a bait and switch. Shame on that contractor.
Allen
Posted by: Allen Osborn at February 20, 2008 9:49 AM
Ed,
Your reply to this question represents one of the largest problems in many industries today, tip toeing around the truth and attempting to remain neutral and satisfying everyone involved. Any reputable contractor knows that the installation of a bathroom exhaust fan includes ducting the unit outdoors,no matter where the present fan is vented. In this case, and many others, the contractor should have inspected the job properly prior to submitting the price. In any case this should never have been billed as an extra and you should have had the guts to say so. I am only refering to this peticular job of course, there are instances in which extra costs are required and unforseen. Lets see if you have the guts to print my response! I read this in The New Jersey Herald, my local paper.
Posted by: Tony at February 21, 2008 9:39 AM
