Have you ever called a bathroom products supplier and immediately their tone on the phone made you feel like you (a potential customer) was ‘bothering’ them? Maybe your job was too small. Or you aren’t very knowledgeable. It was obvious they wanted to ‘punt’ you (and stop answering your long list of questions) ASAP! They had ‘bigger fish to fry’ – so to speak – and you weren’t feeling like an ‘important fish’ to them!

Often the bigger the…

Whether you’re a design/build contractor, a general kitchen and bath contractor, or home access contractor (who focuses on ‘needs-based’ remodels due to health challenges) the reality is it’s different selling an accessible or age in place bathroom.

People who ask for an accessible or age in place bathroom have different needs (whether it’s due to a health challenge or age).  

People influencing this purchase (adult kids, caregivers,…

To quote Mark Twain….

“To a man (or woman … I’m going to modernize this saying) who only has a hammer, everything he/she encounters begins to look like a nail.’

And how true this is in life, and in the bathroom remodeling business.

For example, if you ONLY install tile – you think every customer should want a tile shower.

And if you’re only selling ‘bath-in-a-day’ acrylic wall panels (or 24” wide laminate wall panels) – you think every project…

It’s not easy to make a buck in the bathroom remodeling business these days.

Inflationary material prices are not ‘your little ‘Fre’ (as Tony Montana – from the bloody movie Scarface would say).

Finding quality installers to do time-effective installations can be a ‘needle in a haystack experience.’

Scrounging up leads has become harder and harder (and MORE EXPENSIVE).

And if your bathroom remodeling business IS NOT as profitable (or as large) as…

Who can be ‘over the moon’ about a safe (and simple to maintain) age in place or accessible bathroom which still looks institutional?

Sure – making a bathroom someone can bathe safely (and independently) in can be life-altering.

And making it simple to maintain can save time and reduce the risk of injury while cleaning.

However, should that be ‘the best you can do’ to make your clients and customers ‘bathrooms great again’ (OK – sorry…

Two months ago, I moderated a panel titled How to Make Accessible Bathroom Remodeling Work for You at the Building Opportunities Summit. This conference was hosted by VGM Live at Home (which is a member services group of accessible remodeling contractors and their suppliers).

Since the largest number of falls occur in the bathroom, and given that this group of contractors (which also includes companies who sell and rent medical supplies and…