Yeah, I hear you on the eco stuff. I tried a “green” grout once—looked great for about six months, then started crumbling like feta cheese. Ended up redoing it with the regular stuff.
I get the frustration—nothing worse than having to redo work you already paid for. That said, I’ve had a bit more luck with eco-friendly materials, but I think it comes down to the brand and installer. The first “green” grout I tried was a disaster (chalky mess after a year), but the second time around I went with a different company and it’s held up for almost three years now. Maybe just a fluke, or maybe the tech’s getting better? Still, I always keep a little extra in the budget for when things go sideways.
On the cost side, $12k sounds about right for a full gut job, especially in an old house. Mine was closer to $10k, but I did a lot of the demo and painting myself. Honestly, sometimes I question if it’s worth skimping on materials to stay “green” if you just end up doubling the work. But then again, I know a couple folks who swear by those recycled tile options and haven’t had any issues. Maybe I just have bad luck with grout.
Old houses definitely have their own agenda... I found a surprise layer of ancient linoleum under my tile that added a whole week to the project. Never a dull moment.
- Totally get the pain of uncovering mystery layers in old houses—there’s always something hiding under the surface.
- On the eco-materials front, I’ve seen that quality varies a lot between brands and batches. Sometimes you just get unlucky, but sometimes it really is an installer issue (seen grout fail just from being mixed wrong).
- $12k isn’t out of line for a full gut, especially with surprises like ancient linoleum. Doing your own demo and paint definitely helps trim costs, but I’d say budgeting for unexpected setbacks is always smart.
- It’s tough to balance sustainability with durability, but I’ve noticed newer “green” products are improving. Worth keeping an eye on if you’re willing to experiment, but I wouldn’t blame anyone for sticking with what works.
Yeah, I hear you on the surprises—our “quick” reno turned into a full gut after we found some sketchy wiring behind the tile. We tried to save by reusing what we could and doing demo ourselves, but even then, costs crept up fast. Did you find any eco-materials that actually held up well? I’m always a little nervous about paying more for “green” stuff if it won’t last.
We ran into the same thing—thought we’d just swap out fixtures, then bam, water damage and ancient pipes. Ended up spending way more than planned. About the eco-materials, we tried recycled glass tiles for the shower and they’ve held up surprisingly well, even with two kids splashing around. I was skeptical too, but honestly, they’re as tough as the regular stuff. Some of the “green” paints chipped faster though, so it’s a bit hit or miss in my experience.
That sounds familiar—remodels always seem to uncover something unexpected, don’t they? I’ve had similar luck with recycled glass tile. It’s held up better than I thought, even in a busy bathroom. Paints are tricky though... some eco brands just don’t last as long. Still worth trying for the right project, I think.
