Current Mood: Confused

One of the selling points of my house was “remodeled bathroom.” This is generally a strong selling point. and if I were coming in to look at the house as a buyer, I would take this into consideration! However, with living in the house, I have really paid attention to how cheaply things have been done here. The bathroom remodel, for example.

At first glance, the bathroom looks bright and fresh. The oak on the under-sink cabinet matches the  oak floor trim,  window trim,  and door frame. The toilet is new, the sink basin and the tub match. However, looking closer, the room was done poorly. Here’s a prime example of what I’m talking about, with the window trim:
Glancing at it, it looks fine. Taking a closer look, however, you will see that the trim is offset. It is so cheap that the wood veneer is coming off. It’s like this on several of the corners of the wood trim, it was like this when I moved in, and this house hadn’t been lived in since the remodel. Strike two for the window: The mini blinds. The blinds are generic ones that you can buy anywhere, which is fine, but these are the type that the excess can be removed so it fits the window properly. The instructions are on the package.

The medicine cabinet has the lovely vanity lights built in. However, there’s also an overhead light fixture… that doesn’t work. Were the wires just re-routed from the overhead light to the vanity lights? Would it have been so difficult to remove the overhead fixture? Perhaps put in a fan?

The nice new toilet wasn’t installed properly, and it leaks around the base. It’s been “fixed” twice, and it still leaks. The seat that it came with doesn’t open all the way.

The sink doesn’t sit properly on the cabinet, so there’s a giant gap between the sink and the cabinet.

Now, with all this said, this house costs under $80k and it is “move-in ready.” However, this house sat on the market for three years with only one offer. A Realtor I am not, but common sense dictates that you get what you pay for. If you aren’t going to pay for installation, at least get decent quality stuff that is easily installed properly! Take the measurements, have the hardware store cut it for you. And if you’re paying someone in beer to get the job done, at least make sure that they have done this before, and that they haven’t had the beer BEFORE the installation!

Oh, and when I asked for permission to put up a toilet paper holder and a couple of towel racks, I got heat. As though I am going to make the bathroom look worse!