Thursday, October 1, 2026
A. Bathroom floor damage makes me flush, and is caused by something underfoot. The root of your dilemma is the floor structure's inability to remain rigid. The most common cause is either lack of support or de-construction, where the plumber blissfully cut through floor supports to install large pipes needed to flush away waste.
The word blissfully is associated here with ignorance, as in the cliché, "ignorance is bliss." One of the common problems in residential construction is lack of regard for other building parts by tradespeople who cut through anything to install their work, and it stems from a lack of coordination, communication, and supervision by the contracted builder overseeing the project. Many homeowners believe that either the architect will be there, magically, at critical times to point out or troubleshoot damage, or that the contractor and each tradesperson communicate fluidly and automatically perform to the highest level of quality. Some do, but others don't, and can ruin your home and everybody's reputations. Caring contractors and plumbers really resent the "bad apples" who spoil it for the rest.
Your floor, if it is taken apart and examined, will probably reveal something like I witnessed last week, when I met with a plumber I actually had enough faith in to recommend, only to listen to him defend the damage he had done. He even had the nerve to tell the contractor and me that he had passed the plumbing inspection and that was all he cared about. The floor joists were cut so badly that I photographed it for my record. When I referred to the building code, written verbatim on the front page of the construction plans, he scoffed, saying, "I don't need to look at plans, and you're an [expletive]."
Name-calling aside, it's hard to recommend professionals of any kind for this reason. Inheriting the problems from a "pro" with a bad attitude, just for giving the contractor his name, is unacceptable, and that's why the many calls and letters I get asking for recommendations are answered with the qualifying remark that you must decide for yourself whom to trust, as in "caveat emptor," Latin for "Let the buyer beware." It may not give you confidence, but it should make you concerned and wary enough to look at the work being done and scrutinize. You need to ask questions, and not be afraid, especially at critical times, such as before the work is covered. Once it's hidden, you only have telltale signs, like the cracked tile, to provide clues.
