There is no single right company for every bathroom. What you can do is ask every remodeler the same questions and compare the answers side by side — in writing, before you sign anything.
These are the six questions on Showerly's free checklist. They work with any contractor in Raleigh, Durham, Cary or anywhere else in the Triangle, and you are welcome to ask us the same six.
1. Is the price in writing before I sign — and can it change after?
Why it matters: a number said out loud at your kitchen table is not a price. What protects you is a written scope, a written price and a clear rule for how either one can change.
A clear answer looks like: "Here is the written scope and the total. After you sign, it changes only through a written change order that you approve first."
How Showerly answers: every service has a published price range on our pricing page before anyone visits. At the free in-home visit we measure, and your quote is built from those measurements. Your scope and price are written and signed before work starts, and the number changes only through a change order you approve in writing. If demolition uncovers something nobody could see — rot or water damage behind the old tub, for example — work stops, it is photographed, and you decide on a written change order before anything continues.
2. Are materials included in that price, or quoted separately?
Why it matters: two quotes can look far apart simply because one includes tile, fixtures and waterproofing and the other leaves them for later.
A clear answer looks like: a line-by-line list of what is included, what is not, and what is quoted separately.
How Showerly answers: each package lists what it includes, and your quote comes out line by line. Our published ranges: Smart Start $3,500–$5,500, Tub to Walk-In $7,499–$12,500, Crafted Tile $7,800–$12,000+, Smart Bath $790–$4,990 and Finish My Bath $229–$7,900. Glass and accessible showers are custom-quoted in writing after a free measurement, so they are never folded into another number.
3. Who will actually be in my home — your crew or subcontractors?
Why it matters: most bathroom remodels involve several trades. You want to know who does each part, who coordinates them and who answers to you.
A clear answer looks like: the trades involved, whether plumbing and electrical are done by licensed contractors, and one point of contact for the whole job.
How Showerly answers: the person who measures your bathroom writes your quote — there are no sales reps. Plumbing and electrical work is performed by NC-licensed plumbing and electrical contractors, and glass by a specialist fabricator, all coordinated by Showerly under one contract. When a plumbing or electrical permit is required, the licensed plumber or electrician who does that work pulls it, and we coordinate the process and the inspections.
You can look up a plumbing or electrical contractor's North Carolina license on the state licensing boards' websites before work starts.
4. How are payments split, and what is each payment tied to?
Why it matters: payments tied to real progress keep the work and the money moving together.
A clear answer looks like: each payment, its percentage and the event that makes it due.
How Showerly answers: three milestones, printed in your contract. 40% when you sign — materials are ordered after your 3-day cancellation period ends. 30% the day demolition starts (or the day work starts, on jobs with no demolition). The last 30% after your final approval of the finished work. Showerly does not offer financing.
5. Will I see photos of the waterproofing before it's covered?
Why it matters: the waterproofing behind the tile is the layer nobody can see once the shower is finished — and the one that keeps water out of your walls and subfloor.
A clear answer looks like: "Yes, you'll get photos of it before anything covers it."
How Showerly answers: yes. Your project is photographed for your Proof Pack as the work moves forward, and the waterproofing/prep stage cannot be marked complete in our project system until at least one photo of it is in your Proof Pack. Read what we check at each stage for the full sequence.
6. What does the labor warranty cover, and for how long?
Why it matters: "warranty" can mean very different things. Ask what is covered, for how long, when it starts and who handles material defects.
A clear answer looks like: a written warranty you can read before you sign.
How Showerly answers: a 1-year labor warranty on our installation workmanship, which starts the day you approve the finished work. Manufacturer warranties on materials pass through to you on their own terms, and work done by others is not covered by our warranty. The full terms are on our warranty page.
A few more things worth checking
- Your cancellation right. For most contracts signed in your home, federal rules give you 3 business days to cancel. The contract should explain how.
- Same scope, side by side. Compare quotes only when they describe the same work: wall system, waterproofing, fixtures, glass and haul-away.
- Answers in writing. If an answer matters to you, ask for it in writing.
Ask us the same six
Ask us these six questions at a free in-home visit, or ask Mat-Black, our AI agent, any time — in English or Spanish. We serve 12 Triangle towns: Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Wake Forest, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Knightdale and Clayton.