Hopefully by now, I have shared a what Snow and Jones does. We work with plumbers, builders, designers, architects, and homeowners on their plumbing, heating, water filtration, air conditioning, kitchen, and bath products. Our interactions with homeowners mainly take place in our Kitchen and Bath Solutions Showrooms in Norwell and South Yarmouth.
These showrooms feature large displays of faucets, shower heads, toilets, whirlpools and baths, vanities, kitchen sinks and faucets, and more. We have working steam showers, air baths, and fully functioning showerhead displays.
Here are some tips to make your showroom visit the most successful possible:
1. When visiting the showroom, it is helpful, but not necessary, to schedule an appointment. A dedicated showroom associate will clear time to help you make your selections.
2. Please bring any plans and dimensions that you have available. This includes both width and depth of your tubs/showers/vanities, and the width of your kitchen cabinets. There is no "standard" size and there are so many selection possibilities. It's time consuming for you when you select a 72x42" tub, tell your contractor, and realize you need to come back to change your tub size to a 60x32". Same with your kitchen cabinet- certain size sinks only fit in certain size cabinets. It is disappointing when you get your heart set on a 33x22'' double bowl sink, but only have a 30" cabinet. Measurements allow you to make selections you know will work, and save you from making a second trip for changes.
3. Ask your contractor when he needs the items on site. Product lead time vary, and knowing when you need your items may change the products selection choices.
4. If you have any magazine pictures or anything you really want, bring them in! We can help you create your design around inspirations that you may have.
5. Ask your plumber for the rough-in dimensions of your toilet. Measuring from the wall to the bolts on the floor will provide you with your rough-in dimension. 12" is standard, but older homes or some homes where there were special construction considerations may have 10" or 14" roughs. Also measure how long of a toilet you can fit. If you have a door swing or wall close to the toilet, you may not be able to fit certain toilets. For example, a lot of elongated toilets are 30" long overall, and that may not fit in your bathroom, allowing us to look for smaller toilets.
6. Consider any finishes or colors you may want to use in your bathroom. While Brushed Nickel and Oil Rubbed Bronze are popular, warm, finishes, they do add 40% to the cost of a faucet versus a Polished Chrome. Colors of toilets/tubs also run more than a white.
7. Pick 3 Priority Items for Your Project: You may have your heart set on having a beautiful cross handle faucet in your bathroom, a pot filler in the kitchen, and a nice handheld in your shower. By picking priority items, this allows you to know which products you want to make an investment. For example, that pot filler may cost $1,000, but we can find you very moderately priced, attractive, quality faucets for your childrens' bathrooms, to help you offset those expenses. Picking priority items allows us to work within your budget.
8. Share Your Budget: Building and remodeling can get pricey. Between the flooring, tile, moldings, hardware, etc., you have a lot to purchase in materials. By establishing a budget, you help your sales associate direct you to items that will fit your design, quality, and budget needs.
9. Ask your builder, contractor, or plumber who will be purchasing your items. Some builders/contractors/plumbers will handle the purchasing of the items for you. You will leave the showroom with a selection bid, and your contractor will call and order the items, handle the delivery, and often warranty the installation of the product. Others would prefer that you purchase the fixtures directly. Both of these are options in our showrooms, but knowing how your project will run will make this process run smoothly.
10. Know the name of your builder AND plumber: Often our clients know their builder, but not the plumber. The plumber often ends up purchasing the product, and we often end up needing to speak with your plumber to share your selections, lead time, and any specifications/installation information. So ask your builder who he will be using for a plumber!
Please stop by our showrooms and let us help you create the project of your dreams. In our next post, I will introduce our showroom staff and share with your how our plumbing expertise really provides a great additional resource for your project.
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