Jim and Barb reached out to us after meeting with a few of those “one-day” bath companies. Jim, a combat veteran, lost a leg in service to his country. Though it’s been years since he served, he’s still dealing with the lasting effects. Getting in and out of their existing fiberglass tub enclosure had become a struggle, and they knew something had to change.
After speaking with his local VA (Veterans Affairs) office, Jim learned he might qualify for a HISA (Home Improvement and Structural Alterations) Grant to help cover part of the cost of a more accessible shower. If you’re a homeowner reading this and have come across offers for “free” grants or programs to remodel your bathroom—bad news: they’re almost all scams. As of this writing, to our knowledge, the HISA Grant is the only legitimate program available for this type of work, and it’s only for veterans. Even then, it only covers part of the cost.
Jim and Barb had moved into their country home a few years earlier and were finally ready to move forward with their remodel. They weren’t impressed with the plastic and acrylic options other companies offered. So, Tom Wolff drove out to meet them, bringing samples of the Onyx Collection for them to review. Barb instantly fell in love with the product—so much so that she took seven samples into the bathroom! It’s okay, that’s a good sign. If you’re looking for the perfect shade or a very specific color scheme, Onyx offers over 49 stone samples to choose from.
The couple put down a deposit, we filed the necessary paperwork with the VA, and we got them on the calendar for two months out, hoping to squeeze them in before Christmas.
As usual in Central NY, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate. We had to push the job back a few days due to multiple state-of-emergency declarations for whiteout conditions. Because we were a little overbooked, we sent our traveling team, Ricky and Stacey, and put them up in a local Airbnb. Once the weather cleared, the installation started smoothly. Day one, as usual, was all about demolition. Removing the existing tub is typically straightforward, but in this case, we discovered that the header (the framing above the shower enclosure) was structurally insufficient and had to be removed. No big deal. Normally, we charge for this kind of work, but since it was completely out of everyone’s control, we pushed on without adding any extra cost.
Murphy’s Law: On the second day of the job, Ricky stopped at a gas station just six minutes away when he witnessed a truck veer into oncoming traffic, collide with a box truck, and flip. An Army veteran with advanced medical training, he immediately ran over and pulled both the driver and passenger from the wreckage. The driver was in bad shape, and Ricky had to apply a tourniquet to his leg. Yes, this really happened!
Within minutes, State Troopers arrived, shutting down the road to make way for a helicopter evacuation to a nearby hospital. Thankfully, everyone survived, and we’re beyond grateful Ricky was there—but the incident set us back almost a full day. These are your installers, folks!
Anyway, once we started cutting and fitting the stone, it became clear that removing the header had created an unexpected issue—the stone would no longer reach the full height of the wall. Jim and Barb both understood it wasn’t our fault, but Barb, in particular, really wanted the stone to extend all the way to the ceiling. As it stood, we would be about four inches short.
After discussing the options with them, they decided they wanted to reorder the stone to ensure a full ceiling-height installation. Even after we explained that the lead time could be up to six weeks (since all of our showers are custom), they insisted. So, we finished up the plumbing, placed the reorder (splitting the cost with them), and returned six weeks later to complete the job.
This was the longest job from start to finish we have ever completed at Bath Pros. Normally, we promise 3-5 days, and that’s for a reason! Weather, accidents, injury, shipping delays, all are realistic scenarios in construction, but you hire a company that promises to make it right. That’s who we are and that’s the reputation we want to maintain. For anyone dealing with the prosthetic department of the VA — Susan is an absolute angel! She has been so instrumental in helping these veterans get the showers they need. Jim & Barb are absolutely thrilled — the pictures speak for themselves, and we are so proud to have been a part of making Jim’s life a little easier moving forward. Call 315-217-1151 today for a very frank conversation and a free consultation on your bathroom remodel today.