Globe Bath & Kitchen Remodeling

They refuse to stand behind their work.
Globe Bath & Kitchen remodeled our bathroom in 2007. Two years ago we started having water leak from the shower pan into the hallway. I called Globe to come take a look and provide an estimate to fix the problem. They refused to even come out and look. Globe’s contract specified that they would pull plumbing permits. I checked with the City and was told no plumbing permit was issued; hence no inspection was done to verify that the shower pan actually held water.
Don’t make a $ 12,000 mistake by hiring these people.

I chose GBK for my bathroom renovation over the winter of 2014 – 2015 due to rave reviews from a friend (whose bathroom I love), their detailed proposal, and general research which said they were a solid company. Sadly, they did not live up to the hype and we ended up throwing a lot of money at the problem to simply be done with a sub-​par project.
Problems started after all features were chosen and the contract was signed. We slowly learned that GBK did not measure the room accurately and even wrote incorrect products into the contract. This too after selecting specific models in their showroom and having several conversations about sizing needed for items such as towel racks and bath vanities. Despite escalating this to the manager (our contact was let go) the errors resulted in a lot more added cost to us.
As if that initial headache wasn’t enough, problems persisted. For example, after learning we had to reorder the vanity due to our original contact’s errors, GBK refused to discount or comp this additional cost. They claimed it was a «custom» piece since granite was cut to go on top of a generic base. (Note to reader– this makes all vanities «custom» since there are no off the shelf options.) Once the new vanity arrived we then learned upon installation that the manager also ordered the wrong base resulting in shelves being located precisely where the plumbing was supposed to go. This after conversations in the showroom with both him and the project manager about the location of the shelving. Subsequently we had to pay (again another added fee GBK wouldn’t take ownership of) to relocate the pipes so we wouldn’t have to order a third vanity.
Needless to say, a headache! Now I live with a bathroom that looks good superficially but doesn’t have the bathtub faucet completely attached (you can spin this around as I learned when giving my child a bath) which worries me about leaks into the floor down the road, has a medicine cabinet that won’t fully open since it’s blocked by a light fixture, and many other little things. Sadly, I’d rather live with the imperfections than work with GBK again to solve them.

Eric and his team were fantastic. We met Eric in the showroom and he took the time to go over every aspect of the bathroom and helped us pick tiles, faucets and everything in between. The estimates he provided were very detailed with links to the products and a full explanation of the requirements. The work started on time and finished on schedule with no surprises. The team was responsive, organized and clean. We would definitely use Globe again for another remodel!

GBK did outstanding work and provided reliable, professional service for our bathroom renovation project in November 2013.
After visiting several remodelling businesses (including Reico Bath), my wife and I decided to go with GBK for remodelling the master bathroom (about 6×8 feet) in our townhouse. Due to shoddy work by a different contractor, our bathroom had water damage due to a misinstalled shower door.
Eric Swipe (
) was helpful in providing general advice about bathroom renovations without any pressure. I liked the fact that the GBK showroom was not overwhelming. GBK is great for folks who do not mind paying a little more for a high quality contractor (instead of negotiating cut-​rate fees with non-​specialists), but prefer to avoid the «high-​end» designs and exhorbitant rates charged by Reico Bath for custom projects.
I would recommend going to a tile shop (e.g., Mosaic Tile) and look at tile patterns and designs to get ideas BEFORE you come to GBK. We found it helpful to pick a general color and tile pattern before obtaining an estimate. Once we selected a tile color and design (white subway tile for the shower interior; porcelain white floor tile that resembled marble), Eric and the president of GBK came to our house to do an initial assessment and develop a cost estimate.
We asked for a second cost estimate (about $ 4,000 cheaper) after deciding to keep our double sink and vanity unit. GBK was flexible in adapting to our change requests. GBK prefers an initial deposit of 40% of the total cost to start the project, with milestone payments of 30% each upon completion of the shower tiles, and the entire bathroom. They asked us to select faucet /​light fixtures and a paint color for the wall. GBK has a preferred list of products (e.g, Kohler) where they get favorable rates from Ferguson. Also, they work closely with Mosaic Tile (in Fairfax) and get a contractor’s discount from them.
But the highlight of the project was the timeliness of work and high quality of the contractors — Calixto (lead foreman) and Victor did an outstanding job of removing the old shower and tile, cleaning out the pipes, fixing the water damaged areas and repairing the drywall, explaining what they did, and clarifying details. Calixto has worked with GBK for at least 6 – 7 years and is reliable. Eric was accessible by email and responded in a timely way to our questions during the project. I would strongly recommend GBK as a place to consider for a bath remodeling project!