April 20, 2026 • 29 mins
• Bathrooms as modern retreats → how design has shifted from pure function to comfort, privacy, and relaxation
• Guest: Jim Zanovik (Nulook Baths, San Diego) → 40+ years in construction and bathroom remodeling
• Why specialization matters → focusing on bathrooms leads to better quality, speed, and consistency
• Inside a remodel → plumbing, electrical, flooring, cabinetry, drywall, lighting, ventilation
• In-house crews vs subcontractors → more control, fewer delays, tighter timelines
• What homeowners should ask → recent references, process, and realistic scheduling expectations
• Common hidden issues → dry rot, water damage, and why experienced builders plan for the unknown
• Timeline reality → prep and planning take weeks, but on-site work can be completed in days when done right
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp the
House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio app. Today.
On the show, we're going to be attacking just that
subject by talking about bathroom remodels. That's what I want
to spend the next three hours discussing with you, remodeling
your bathroom and to do it. I have a very
(00:21):
very special in studio guest, Jim Zenovac from new Lux Baths,
one of my favorite guys from one of my favorite
contracting companies. New Lux bas based in San Diego, San
Diego County, California, and New Lux is one of an
(00:41):
exceptional bathroom remodeling company for a number of reasons which
we'll get into. I want to use them today kind
of as the litmus test for you understanding your own
bathroom remodel because they do what they do so well.
Sitting across the table from me, somebody I can literally
reach out and touch. There she is, Uh is your
(01:04):
Michael is your Mike on? I think I'm on. You're on.
I can hear you. Okay, Tina is here. Welcome home.
My life partner, my business partner, my my pretty much
everything partner in all things, co owner, co founder of
House Whisper and my best buddy in all the world.
How you do it? I feel so far away from
(01:25):
you today. I know, we're like way far away from
each other. So for technical reasons, we're actually broadcasting from
the La iHeart studios and instead of our cozy little
studio at home. And so yeah, I can't even I know,
so far away. Yeah, on the other side of the room.
It's all right, it's all right. We're getting it worked out.
(01:48):
By the look on Tony's face, we're still trying to
figure out the connection. And so we'll get it worked out.
We'll get it worked out. So bathroom remodels. Here's the thing.
Bathrooms have become a massively important feature in our homes.
(02:08):
Not from the utilitarian standpoint. They've always been that, you know,
you gotta go, you gotta go, you gotta have a
place to wash up, got a place to go, got
a place to bathe. But in the last couple of decades,
specifically the last couple of decades, bathrooms have really taken
on in residential architecture and design. A sense of retreat.
(02:34):
Another reason why Jim is with us today because New
lux does such a good job of turning ordinary bathrooms
into these beautiful spa like retreats. But that's really a thing,
and I think that was inevitable. I think it was
an inevitable evolution of the bathroom to in American culture,
at least to arrive at that place when you think
(02:54):
about baths and guys. As soon as you get Jim's
Mike's working, just jump in, Okay, just jump in and
interrupt and say hi, okay, as soon as I can
hear can I hear it? Are you there? How about?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Now?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Hey there? You are?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
All right?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Jim, Well, welcome.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I'm glad to be here, and I appreciate you having me,
so thank you again for getting us on this show
and letting me come give my expert opinion about bathrooms.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah, I'm thrilled, and I'm thrilled that we actually get
to do it. And then I'm not just going to
be wagging my jaw pretending that you're commenting on it.
All right, So I was just telling everybody bathrooms have
really changed in their use for Americans in the last
twenty years, very very specifically. They've always been a place
(03:48):
to get away, but we're really kind of self conscious
about it. Now we call them retreats like never before.
And here's one of the reasons why you think about
this that the bathroom. I love bringing this up. I
don't know why. It just tickles me from a sociological perspective,
but the bathroom is in you. In most people's growing
(04:12):
up experience, the bathroom is the first room that your
parents ever told you, you know what, you can go
in that room and be alone and close the door
and just be completely on your own. My bedroom was
not that way with my parents. They're always like, I
don't know what you got going on in there. You
keep that bedroom door open. But the bathroom was the
(04:35):
first place, once you're able to be in there on
your own, that you can just get away from it all.
And that is something from the earliest days of childhood
that gets embedded in us. And you know, I still
see people all the time, like you're at a party
somewhere and or you know, you're with a group of people,
or you're at a restaurant or something, and maybe maybe
(04:57):
you don't actually have to go, but you just need
a break, and so what do you do. You're like, oh, yeah,
you know what, excuse me? Guys, I'm going to go
use the restroom and I'll be back, and you just go.
And once you're inside that bathroom, you get inside that
little stall, suddenly it's all yours for a period of time.
(05:17):
And so and that's when you're out in public, right.
And so the idea of bathrooms, especially now that we
are in a culture where we're holding on you know,
our I don't want to say failure to launch. I
don't like that phrase, but when kids are boomeramming back,
when we've got maybe multiple generations of folks living in
(05:40):
our homes with us, the bathroom is an important place
to take a break and a retreat. And so it's
more than just utility now. Now it's a place where
we want the surfaces and the vibe to really kind
of reach out and make us relax. And that's why
we say spa like retreat. And that's something that Jim
you guys that New Lucks are so good at doing
(06:02):
spawlike retreats, taking ordinary bathrooms and really transforming them.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I would have to say that I completely agree with
that statement because we've been doing it a long time
and we do our best to do it right and
make sure that people are loving their bathroom. Yeah, walking
through a lot of homes that are just I have
to say, they're unpleasant to be in the.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Bathroom, absolutely the worst part. All right. So here's the thing.
We're going to take a break. When we come back,
We're going to start talking about how you go about
doing this because people have two concerns, one changing the
bathroom in terms of design, and two the process and
what to expect and how to get it done right.
We're going to do all of that and more with
my special guest, Zim jim Zanovic from New Lux Baths.
(06:50):
You're listening to Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
It is.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It's a lovely spring day here in Southern California. I
hope wherever you are, the weather is treating you half
as decent as it is treating us here. We like
to complain about any little bit of weather that isn't
to our liking here in Southern California because we are, yeah,
weather whimps. But I get it. I get it, Tony.
(07:21):
You know it's true. So I'm just telling you it's
a gorgeous day here, and we're going to celebrate that
as much as possible. We're talking bathroom remodeling today and
I'm doing it with my very special in studio guest,
Jim Zenovic from New Lux bads. Jim, Hey, can you
(07:42):
hear me? Yeah? I can hear you. I'm so glad.
We're just we're struggling through some technical stuff here, but
I think we got it worked out all right. Jim,
tell me before we get rolling with everything else, tell
us about new Lux.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Well, Newlucks is a bathroom remodeling company, and we really
specialize in aging in place and really upgrading bathrooms to
a point that you actually enjoy being in there, where
visually it's going to be a place that you can
walk into and it brings you some joy, It brings
(08:16):
you happiness. Plus the other things that New Ux is
specializing in is a quick turnaround time. You know, most bathrooms,
we can get in there and get out in one
to two days if it's just the wet area, and
under a week for a standard bathroom with a complete remodel.
(08:39):
We use custom built cabinets, vinyl plank flooring, luxury vinyl tile,
and our wall systems are second to none. They're just
really amazing products. So they are easy to clean, easy
to maintain, and bring a years and years of just great,
(09:04):
great products.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
So how long have you guys been doing this?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I've been doing it personally myself for over forty years,
been in the remodel business, been in home building business.
I stepped into this business through my dad, who's now
in his mid eighties and still building houses every day.
So you know, I have lots of experience. Plus my
(09:29):
partners also have god over thirty years of experience in
the construction business as well.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
All right, so you guys have been doing a long time.
And when you decided to say, well, let me ask
you this. You know, there are a lot of gcs
out there who will remodel bathrooms and you know, change
your roof and do whatever else is going on. What
made you decide to specialize in bathroom remodels because that's
(09:57):
essentially what you guys do. I mean, that's that, that's it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
What I learned was for us and for me is
do one thing right, do it right the first time,
and be really good at it. And if I'm doing
just your bathroom, we can do an amazing job. If
I'm doing your whole house, we'd do a great job.
But I'm going to be living with you for a
(10:24):
long period of time.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And you don't want to live with me, That's what
I heard.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
I like you, I just don't want to move in
with you just yet. We're still in the honeymoon phase,
all right.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
So you zeroed in on bathrooms. They're more complex than
they look. It's not like, oh, just one room in
the house, but it's the bathroom. Bathroom arguably maybe the
second most complex space in the house, next to the kitchen,
as far as just the number of things that are
happening in there. And in fact it's actually the same
(10:58):
trades essentially going on in the bathroom, just at a
slightly smaller scale than most kitchens as far as bathrooms go.
A lot of trades going on. And so were you
ever tempted to just kind of what we call paper
contract this out, just be the just be the guy
who is who's the point person with the client, but
(11:19):
then hire subcontractors to take care of each of those trades.
How many trades are involved? Explain to everybody how many
different trades potentially are involved in a bathroom remodel.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So in a bathroom remodel itself. When we come in,
you start with, you know, just some quick things demolition
and then repair. However, in that process we are basically
doing plumbing, electrical flooring, paint, drywall repair, lighting, exhaust fans.
(11:57):
I mean just everything that it takes takes multiple, multiple
years of experience and multiple trades. I mean, if we
had to, if we subcontracted things out, you would have
ten to fifteen different people come to be in your
bathroom to do it as a paper contractor, like you said. Plus,
(12:20):
I wouldn't have the control that we have where our
quality control is second to none as far as I believe.
I mean, we start the process with me coming to
the job. I show up to almost every single job.
We inspect every job when they're complete, and all of
our guys that work our employees, and they're all trained
(12:42):
in every one of these different fields. And if there's
something they can handle, I personally come and handle it myself.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Exactly exactly, so you have sharpened the knife, as it were.
So everybody that you've got working on my project is
one of your employees. They're all in house there, it's
you it's all you from start to finish, absolutely all right.
So there aren't any other contractors. There aren't any other
subcontractors whose own personal schedules might mess things up. Every
(13:11):
time you subcontract a project, you're dependent on those subcontractors
should show up when you need them to and if
something goes wrong on another one of their projects, these
there's just a myriad of reasons why you don't have
as much control in those areas you have brought it
all in house. That is one of the things that
I wanted to express to our listeners so they understand, Oh, yeah,
(13:31):
that's the kind of bathroom remodeler I need to talk
to you. All right, We're gonna talk more with Jim
Zenovich with New Lux Baths when we return your Home
with Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
And this week we're talking about bathroom remodels and I
have a very special in studio guest, Jim Zenovic from
a New Lux bath New Lux is a fantastic stick,
fantastic my favorite bathroom remodeling contractor in San Diego County
and Jim is in studio with me today and the
(14:11):
reason why New Lux also is a partner on the
show too. But the reason why I love having Jim
in here is because he's the kind of contractor that
you want. Okay, Now, a lot of you listening out
of state and an areas outside of San Diego County,
you're like, but he's not the contractor I can have,
(14:34):
But if you live in San Diego County, he is.
But the point is this, we need better examples these days.
Everybody's got a gripe and a sad story and a
horror story to tell about some project they've done, or
some contractor they've worked with that didn't work out the
right way. And so in this case, what I want
(14:56):
to do whenever I can, is showcase for you the
kind of companies that you should be working with. New
Lux has been around for a long time, and they
have specialized in bathroom remodels, and not every kind of
imaginable bathroom remodels, because they've put together a system that
(15:16):
hits a broad spectrum. I would say most people who
are looking to remodel their bathrooms, most homeowners, Yeah you know,
I mean I come from the ultra ultra custom world
in which you know, we ask for all sorts of
weird things and bizarre things, and that's not exactly how
new Lux has set up their system. But also that's
those are rare clients for the average person. For the
(15:40):
mainstream homeowner, this is a this is the kind of
company that you should be looking for. And we've talked
a little bit about where new Lux has come from. Now,
what I wanted to do, Jim, is this was an
interesting thing. So I was looking around earlier this week
for I was just asking the question, like, what kind
(16:02):
of question should I ask to my contractor? And I
pulled down a list on Angie that I thought was
a pretty decent list. So, from the perspective of a homeowner,
I'm going to throw these questions at you and see
what your reactions are to them. My first one was,
(16:22):
can I see three references from previous clients? Is that?
Is that an unreasonable request?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
It's not an unreasonable request from us, because we have
a lot of customers that absolutely love our work. If
you look at our reviews, you'll see that they're real.
They're true reviews. They're not ones that are made up
in fake This is. You know, customers that really enjoyed
the process, enjoyed the product, they've.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Been living with it.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
They you know, we give them a call to check
up on things, and you know, we handle everything is
timely and as quick as possible. You know, we do
custom a lot of custom built cabinets, solid woods, soft
closed doors, so that stuff takes a little bit of time.
But we're just doing a wet area and making a
(17:13):
bathroom safer for someone to age in place. You know,
we get in and get out as quick as possible,
and that there's something to be said about that.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So references are important, and I would add that as
I always say, always ask for references. People always wondering
how do I find a good contractor. I'm like, you've
got to do some work here. You got to do
some work vetting the right people, because the right people
will shine through if you have a good enough vetting process,
(17:43):
and references is one of those things. And also I
don't want you to get references from jobs that were
done ten years ago. I mean, that's all well and good,
and I actually don't have a problem if a contractor
is so proud of a job that they keep that
near the top of their reference list, something that they
did that was exception all you know, eight or ten
years ago. But you know, even a company like new Lux,
(18:06):
these are essentially contracting for homes, is small business. They're
small businesses, even if they're larger small businesses. And the
fact of the matter is small businesses can be subject
to the winds of change a lot more readily than
you know, large corporations. And so you want to know references,
(18:27):
and you want to know references recently, like how are
things this year? Can I get a reference to from
a job that you guys just completed last week, last
month as opposed to ten years ago, because a lot
of things can change in a couple of three years,
And so do you Does it irritate you at all
(18:48):
when if somebody asks for like, hey, can I get
three very recent references people who just wrapped up their
jobs with you?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
No, it definitely doesn't irritate me at all, because we're
very proud of our jobs. You know. However, getting somebody
into somebody else's house is not always an easy thing
to do, as I'm sure you're well aware. When you
want to take somebody in, hey, let's go to your house.
And let me look in your bathroom, because once we've
(19:17):
installed that bathroom, the people move back in, they got
their soaps everywhere, they got their sponges, they got all
their little details, and they don't necessarily want somebody coming
to inspect their bathroom and look in it. But at
the same time, yes, we definitely have customers who are
so proud of their bathroom that they are willing to
clean up a little bit and let people come by
(19:39):
and take a look.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah. And you know, if I've seen one example of
your work recently, but I talked to four different people
on the phone, that's enough. That's enough. I mean, just
to just to even talk or say, hey, could you
send me a pick of your bathroom and tell me
how the whole process was. That's what I'm really interested in,
and that's what you should be interested in as a
home own own is find out how the process went, like,
(20:04):
for instance, the work schedule. Talk about referencing back to
remodelers who use a lot of subcontractors. You may have
the best team of subcontractors, and when you're a general
contractor doing a whole house, it's very it's it's it's
pretty difficult not to utilize subcontractors at least for some phases.
So it's not like subcontractor are problem per se. But
(20:27):
here's the thing. Keep in those relationships and knowing that
that's a completely independent business. Then the contractor that you're
actually working with, and so they are their own contracting company,
they have their own schedules, they've scheduled something. Okay, okay,
we're gonna go do this bathroom remodel for you, and
do this on such and such days. But what if
(20:48):
a little glitch happens. What if oh, something you know
that preceded them took a day longer, and now we
missed that opening mark, and then they're then or they're
on another project and something took a couple of days
longer outside of their control. Scheduling subcontractors and keeping them
on schedule is a very very difficult process, and it's
(21:11):
one of those things that you don't have complete control over,
and it's one of those things that can take a
job that could in the case of New Lux, they
get in and out in just a matter of days,
could stretch a project into weeks or longer unintended And
yet another area where people are concerned about, like yeah, this.
(21:32):
You know, you say it's going to take you know,
two weeks, but you know two months later. I'll be
glad that, you know, if it's actually done in your case,
and we got to go to a break. Let's talk
about that when we come back. When you guys set schedules,
I want to understand how you set them, why you
set them, and how often, be honest with me, you
actually keep to them. All right, well, we'll talk with
(21:54):
Jim Zenovich from New Lux Bads about keeping the construction
schedule on top. I'm when we return your Home with
Dean Sharp the house Whisper.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Every home deserves great design, including yours, especially yours. You
know why because that's where you live your life, my friend.
So that's what we're here to help you with every
single week here on the program. Thanks for tuning in
or listening to us via the podcast. Hello all my
podcast friends. Hey, coming up in the next hour, we're
(22:31):
going to be going to the phones, and that's going
to be right after the next break. So we've already
got some calls on the board, but I haven't given
out the number yet, So that's those are a students
up there right now here is the number two? Reach
me eight three three two. Ask Dean A three three
the numeral two and then you just spell out, ask
(22:52):
Dean eight three three two. Ask Dean. Whatever has got
you scratch in your head about your home, whether it's design, construction,
DIY stuff inside, outside, hardscape, landscape, decre I got you.
We'll put our heads together, we'll get it figured out.
I am talking about bathroom remodels with Jim Zenovic from
(23:13):
New Lux Bads today and we're going to get back
to that conversation in just a second. But when it
comes to our calls, always, always, now you can if
you've got a bathroom remodel question, today's a great day
to call in with that. But anything you want to
talk about when it comes to calls, you get to
set the agenda A three three to ask Dean.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
All right.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Oh, Also, if you're home, if you're sitting there thinking,
you know what what I really need? I need Dean
and Tina staring at the problem in our own home
that can actually happen as well, or even if you
don't live in the state of California. If your home
needs some personal house Whisper attention, you can book an
in home design consult with us. Just go to house
(23:57):
Whisperer dot design house Whisperer dot design for more info
if you are looking for some personal attention from me
and the tea. All right, let's get back to our
conversation with Jim. Jim, I was going through a list
of questions that I pulled off of ANGI. This was
(24:19):
like their recommended list of things that homeowners should ask
their contractors, and I think some of them are actually
pretty solid questions. Let's talk about the schedule. That's something
that I think you guys are really masters at. And
I was mentioning before the break, you got subcontractors. Man,
(24:41):
even the best intentions, if you've got a bunch of
subcontractors working with you on a project, can get frustrated
because you have no control over their business schedule. You're
just working on the promise that they're going to be
there on Thursday like you scheduled them, and to keep
your job rolling, they got to show up on Thursday.
If something happened, is not going to work and things
(25:01):
get delayed. So it's a reasonable question for a homeowner
to ask a contractor what's the schedule going to be?
Like how long is this going to take? And when
you get asked that question, what's the answer.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
The usual answer is going to be one to two days,
but it depends. So what I want to do is
I like to make sure that customer is fully informed.
They know that we're showing up as new ux bats.
It's our team, it's our guys, it's our crew. Once
we start the job, we are there until the job
(25:40):
is complete. We're not taking time off, we're not taking
days off. Where we show up, we get your job
done as promised.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Now, there's always a little leeway in things because there
are certain things you can't control. You start stripping drywall
off a wall, or you start moving electrical and you
open up a wall, and anybody who's watched you know,
even three minutes of HGTV or the Diwide network has
seen some show who's the whole premise is, oh my gosh,
(26:10):
we opened up the wall. Guess what we found a
major problem. We've tripled the budget and now it's going
to take four and a half years to finish this
two week project. How often does that happen in the
real world, my friend, in.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
The real world in well, it's a you got a
double sided question there, Dean, because in the real world
it happens.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Quite often.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
In our world with Newark's baths, it doesn't happen that
often because I know that I'm going to open the
wall and I'm going to find dry rod, I'm going
to find wet spots, I'm going to find something that
we didn't expect to be there, So we come prepared
to handle that situation. Now, if I open the wall
up and even the termites have stopped holding hands and
(26:58):
there's complete structural damage and there's nothing there, well, the
first thing I'm i to do is communicate that to
the homeowner that hey, we got to change, we got
a problem, and we're going to reset our expectations.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
So for you, you anticipate You're talking about a contractor
who actually anticipates the unknown to whatever degree that you
can anticipate it. Then you're thinking, Hey, what's the chance
it's a bathroom. What's the chance I'm going to open
this wall up near the shower, near a forty or
fifty year old shower and find some dry rot or
(27:31):
some issues so you guys are just ready for it.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
We definitely are ready for it. We're ready to go
get new plywood if the four needs plywood. We're going
to show up with studs with extra material, with extra
copper just in case the copper is bad, and we
show up with the right parts to do the job
correctly the first time while we're there.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
So one of the things I love about you guys,
and I want to clarify this for our listeners when
you say most of the time job is going to
take two days or you know, depending on the complexity
of it, maybe a week or so. We're not talking
about if they call you tomorrow and you guys are
going to get started on Monday, that they'll that it'll
(28:14):
be done in a week. One of the reasons why
that you are able to get in and get out
of the house so fast is because you actually do
spend a lot of time ahead of time planning it out,
getting the design worked out, getting all the materials purchased,
getting everything stacked, staged, ready to roll, so that you're
not going to have any unexpected delays as when it
(28:36):
comes to rolling the materials into the house. So what's
the typical lead time before you actually start working inside
the house.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
So the typical lead time currently is four to six
weeks for us. So unless somebody has a major emergency
that we can possibly you know, put them push them through,
we to schedule four to six weeks in advance because
it takes time to build the project, to make sure
I have all the components, all the parts lined up,
(29:09):
and we stick to our commitments of we're on somebody's job.
We've committed to their job, We're not leaving their job.
So in order to do that, I have to have
some lead time.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
All right. Now, I've got a big question that I'm
going to bate everybody on uh and we'll talk about
it when we come back. When we come back, I'm
going to ask you this question, Jim, what if I
do talk to a contractor who's literally like, oh, I
can get started on Monday. Dean, don't answer it now,
all right, we'll talk on the other side. This is
Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. This has been Home with
(29:41):
Dean Sharp the House Whisper. Tune into the live broadcast
on KFI AM six forty every Saturday morning from six
to eight Pacific time, and every Sunday morning from nine
to noon Pacific time, or anytime on demand on the
iHeart Radio app.
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp the
House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio app. Today.
On the show, we're going to be attacking just that
subject by talking about bathroom remodels. That's what I want
to spend the next three hours discussing with you, remodeling
your bathroom and to do it. I have a very
(00:21):
very special in studio guest, Jim Zenovac from new Lux Baths,
one of my favorite guys from one of my favorite
contracting companies. New Lux bas based in San Diego, San
Diego County, California, and New Lux is one of an
(00:41):
exceptional bathroom remodeling company for a number of reasons which
we'll get into. I want to use them today kind
of as the litmus test for you understanding your own
bathroom remodel because they do what they do so well.
Sitting across the table from me, somebody I can literally
reach out and touch. There she is, Uh is your
(01:04):
Michael is your Mike on? I think I'm on. You're on.
I can hear you. Okay, Tina is here. Welcome home.
My life partner, my business partner, my my pretty much
everything partner in all things, co owner, co founder of
House Whisper and my best buddy in all the world.
How you do it? I feel so far away from
(01:25):
you today. I know, we're like way far away from
each other. So for technical reasons, we're actually broadcasting from
the La iHeart studios and instead of our cozy little
studio at home. And so yeah, I can't even I know,
so far away. Yeah, on the other side of the room.
It's all right, it's all right. We're getting it worked out.
(01:48):
By the look on Tony's face, we're still trying to
figure out the connection. And so we'll get it worked out.
We'll get it worked out. So bathroom remodels. Here's the thing.
Bathrooms have become a massively important feature in our homes.
(02:08):
Not from the utilitarian standpoint. They've always been that, you know,
you gotta go, you gotta go, you gotta have a
place to wash up, got a place to go, got
a place to bathe. But in the last couple of decades,
specifically the last couple of decades, bathrooms have really taken
on in residential architecture and design. A sense of retreat.
(02:34):
Another reason why Jim is with us today because New
lux does such a good job of turning ordinary bathrooms
into these beautiful spa like retreats. But that's really a thing,
and I think that was inevitable. I think it was
an inevitable evolution of the bathroom to in American culture,
at least to arrive at that place when you think
(02:54):
about baths and guys. As soon as you get Jim's
Mike's working, just jump in, Okay, just jump in and
interrupt and say hi, okay, as soon as I can
hear can I hear it? Are you there? How about?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Now?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Hey there? You are?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
All right?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Jim, Well, welcome.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I'm glad to be here, and I appreciate you having me,
so thank you again for getting us on this show
and letting me come give my expert opinion about bathrooms.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah, I'm thrilled, and I'm thrilled that we actually get
to do it. And then I'm not just going to
be wagging my jaw pretending that you're commenting on it.
All right, So I was just telling everybody bathrooms have
really changed in their use for Americans in the last
twenty years, very very specifically. They've always been a place
(03:48):
to get away, but we're really kind of self conscious
about it. Now we call them retreats like never before.
And here's one of the reasons why you think about
this that the bathroom. I love bringing this up. I
don't know why. It just tickles me from a sociological perspective,
but the bathroom is in you. In most people's growing
(04:12):
up experience, the bathroom is the first room that your
parents ever told you, you know what, you can go
in that room and be alone and close the door
and just be completely on your own. My bedroom was
not that way with my parents. They're always like, I
don't know what you got going on in there. You
keep that bedroom door open. But the bathroom was the
(04:35):
first place, once you're able to be in there on
your own, that you can just get away from it all.
And that is something from the earliest days of childhood
that gets embedded in us. And you know, I still
see people all the time, like you're at a party
somewhere and or you know, you're with a group of people,
or you're at a restaurant or something, and maybe maybe
(04:57):
you don't actually have to go, but you just need
a break, and so what do you do. You're like, oh, yeah,
you know what, excuse me? Guys, I'm going to go
use the restroom and I'll be back, and you just go.
And once you're inside that bathroom, you get inside that
little stall, suddenly it's all yours for a period of time.
(05:17):
And so and that's when you're out in public, right.
And so the idea of bathrooms, especially now that we
are in a culture where we're holding on you know,
our I don't want to say failure to launch. I
don't like that phrase, but when kids are boomeramming back,
when we've got maybe multiple generations of folks living in
(05:40):
our homes with us, the bathroom is an important place
to take a break and a retreat. And so it's
more than just utility now. Now it's a place where
we want the surfaces and the vibe to really kind
of reach out and make us relax. And that's why
we say spa like retreat. And that's something that Jim
you guys that New Lucks are so good at doing
(06:02):
spawlike retreats, taking ordinary bathrooms and really transforming them.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I would have to say that I completely agree with
that statement because we've been doing it a long time
and we do our best to do it right and
make sure that people are loving their bathroom. Yeah, walking
through a lot of homes that are just I have
to say, they're unpleasant to be in the.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Bathroom, absolutely the worst part. All right. So here's the thing.
We're going to take a break. When we come back,
We're going to start talking about how you go about
doing this because people have two concerns, one changing the
bathroom in terms of design, and two the process and
what to expect and how to get it done right.
We're going to do all of that and more with
my special guest, Zim jim Zanovic from New Lux Baths.
(06:50):
You're listening to Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
It is.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It's a lovely spring day here in Southern California. I
hope wherever you are, the weather is treating you half
as decent as it is treating us here. We like
to complain about any little bit of weather that isn't
to our liking here in Southern California because we are, yeah,
weather whimps. But I get it. I get it, Tony.
(07:21):
You know it's true. So I'm just telling you it's
a gorgeous day here, and we're going to celebrate that
as much as possible. We're talking bathroom remodeling today and
I'm doing it with my very special in studio guest,
Jim Zenovic from New Lux bads. Jim, Hey, can you
(07:42):
hear me? Yeah? I can hear you. I'm so glad.
We're just we're struggling through some technical stuff here, but
I think we got it worked out all right. Jim,
tell me before we get rolling with everything else, tell
us about new Lux.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Well, Newlucks is a bathroom remodeling company, and we really
specialize in aging in place and really upgrading bathrooms to
a point that you actually enjoy being in there, where
visually it's going to be a place that you can
walk into and it brings you some joy, It brings
(08:16):
you happiness. Plus the other things that New Ux is
specializing in is a quick turnaround time. You know, most bathrooms,
we can get in there and get out in one
to two days if it's just the wet area, and
under a week for a standard bathroom with a complete remodel.
(08:39):
We use custom built cabinets, vinyl plank flooring, luxury vinyl tile,
and our wall systems are second to none. They're just
really amazing products. So they are easy to clean, easy
to maintain, and bring a years and years of just great,
(09:04):
great products.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
So how long have you guys been doing this?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I've been doing it personally myself for over forty years,
been in the remodel business, been in home building business.
I stepped into this business through my dad, who's now
in his mid eighties and still building houses every day.
So you know, I have lots of experience. Plus my
(09:29):
partners also have god over thirty years of experience in
the construction business as well.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
All right, so you guys have been doing a long time.
And when you decided to say, well, let me ask
you this. You know, there are a lot of gcs
out there who will remodel bathrooms and you know, change
your roof and do whatever else is going on. What
made you decide to specialize in bathroom remodels because that's
(09:57):
essentially what you guys do. I mean, that's that, that's it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
What I learned was for us and for me is
do one thing right, do it right the first time,
and be really good at it. And if I'm doing
just your bathroom, we can do an amazing job. If
I'm doing your whole house, we'd do a great job.
But I'm going to be living with you for a
(10:24):
long period of time.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And you don't want to live with me, That's what
I heard.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
I like you, I just don't want to move in
with you just yet. We're still in the honeymoon phase,
all right.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
So you zeroed in on bathrooms. They're more complex than
they look. It's not like, oh, just one room in
the house, but it's the bathroom. Bathroom arguably maybe the
second most complex space in the house, next to the kitchen,
as far as just the number of things that are
happening in there. And in fact it's actually the same
(10:58):
trades essentially going on in the bathroom, just at a
slightly smaller scale than most kitchens as far as bathrooms go.
A lot of trades going on. And so were you
ever tempted to just kind of what we call paper
contract this out, just be the just be the guy
who is who's the point person with the client, but
(11:19):
then hire subcontractors to take care of each of those trades.
How many trades are involved? Explain to everybody how many
different trades potentially are involved in a bathroom remodel.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So in a bathroom remodel itself. When we come in,
you start with, you know, just some quick things demolition
and then repair. However, in that process we are basically
doing plumbing, electrical flooring, paint, drywall repair, lighting, exhaust fans.
(11:57):
I mean just everything that it takes takes multiple, multiple
years of experience and multiple trades. I mean, if we
had to, if we subcontracted things out, you would have
ten to fifteen different people come to be in your
bathroom to do it as a paper contractor, like you said. Plus,
(12:20):
I wouldn't have the control that we have where our
quality control is second to none as far as I believe.
I mean, we start the process with me coming to
the job. I show up to almost every single job.
We inspect every job when they're complete, and all of
our guys that work our employees, and they're all trained
(12:42):
in every one of these different fields. And if there's
something they can handle, I personally come and handle it myself.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Exactly exactly, so you have sharpened the knife, as it were.
So everybody that you've got working on my project is
one of your employees. They're all in house there, it's
you it's all you from start to finish, absolutely all right.
So there aren't any other contractors. There aren't any other
subcontractors whose own personal schedules might mess things up. Every
(13:11):
time you subcontract a project, you're dependent on those subcontractors
should show up when you need them to and if
something goes wrong on another one of their projects, these
there's just a myriad of reasons why you don't have
as much control in those areas you have brought it
all in house. That is one of the things that
I wanted to express to our listeners so they understand, Oh, yeah,
(13:31):
that's the kind of bathroom remodeler I need to talk
to you. All right, We're gonna talk more with Jim
Zenovich with New Lux Baths when we return your Home
with Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
And this week we're talking about bathroom remodels and I
have a very special in studio guest, Jim Zenovic from
a New Lux bath New Lux is a fantastic stick,
fantastic my favorite bathroom remodeling contractor in San Diego County
and Jim is in studio with me today and the
(14:11):
reason why New Lux also is a partner on the
show too. But the reason why I love having Jim
in here is because he's the kind of contractor that
you want. Okay, Now, a lot of you listening out
of state and an areas outside of San Diego County,
you're like, but he's not the contractor I can have,
(14:34):
But if you live in San Diego County, he is.
But the point is this, we need better examples these days.
Everybody's got a gripe and a sad story and a
horror story to tell about some project they've done, or
some contractor they've worked with that didn't work out the
right way. And so in this case, what I want
(14:56):
to do whenever I can, is showcase for you the
kind of companies that you should be working with. New
Lux has been around for a long time, and they
have specialized in bathroom remodels, and not every kind of
imaginable bathroom remodels, because they've put together a system that
(15:16):
hits a broad spectrum. I would say most people who
are looking to remodel their bathrooms, most homeowners, Yeah you know,
I mean I come from the ultra ultra custom world
in which you know, we ask for all sorts of
weird things and bizarre things, and that's not exactly how
new Lux has set up their system. But also that's
those are rare clients for the average person. For the
(15:40):
mainstream homeowner, this is a this is the kind of
company that you should be looking for. And we've talked
a little bit about where new Lux has come from. Now,
what I wanted to do, Jim, is this was an
interesting thing. So I was looking around earlier this week
for I was just asking the question, like, what kind
(16:02):
of question should I ask to my contractor? And I
pulled down a list on Angie that I thought was
a pretty decent list. So, from the perspective of a homeowner,
I'm going to throw these questions at you and see
what your reactions are to them. My first one was,
(16:22):
can I see three references from previous clients? Is that?
Is that an unreasonable request?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
It's not an unreasonable request from us, because we have
a lot of customers that absolutely love our work. If
you look at our reviews, you'll see that they're real.
They're true reviews. They're not ones that are made up
in fake This is. You know, customers that really enjoyed
the process, enjoyed the product, they've.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Been living with it.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
They you know, we give them a call to check
up on things, and you know, we handle everything is
timely and as quick as possible. You know, we do
custom a lot of custom built cabinets, solid woods, soft
closed doors, so that stuff takes a little bit of time.
But we're just doing a wet area and making a
(17:13):
bathroom safer for someone to age in place. You know,
we get in and get out as quick as possible,
and that there's something to be said about that.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So references are important, and I would add that as
I always say, always ask for references. People always wondering
how do I find a good contractor. I'm like, you've
got to do some work here. You got to do
some work vetting the right people, because the right people
will shine through if you have a good enough vetting process,
(17:43):
and references is one of those things. And also I
don't want you to get references from jobs that were
done ten years ago. I mean, that's all well and good,
and I actually don't have a problem if a contractor
is so proud of a job that they keep that
near the top of their reference list, something that they
did that was exception all you know, eight or ten
years ago. But you know, even a company like new Lux,
(18:06):
these are essentially contracting for homes, is small business. They're
small businesses, even if they're larger small businesses. And the
fact of the matter is small businesses can be subject
to the winds of change a lot more readily than
you know, large corporations. And so you want to know references,
(18:27):
and you want to know references recently, like how are
things this year? Can I get a reference to from
a job that you guys just completed last week, last
month as opposed to ten years ago, because a lot
of things can change in a couple of three years,
And so do you Does it irritate you at all
(18:48):
when if somebody asks for like, hey, can I get
three very recent references people who just wrapped up their
jobs with you?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
No, it definitely doesn't irritate me at all, because we're
very proud of our jobs. You know. However, getting somebody
into somebody else's house is not always an easy thing
to do, as I'm sure you're well aware. When you
want to take somebody in, hey, let's go to your house.
And let me look in your bathroom, because once we've
(19:17):
installed that bathroom, the people move back in, they got
their soaps everywhere, they got their sponges, they got all
their little details, and they don't necessarily want somebody coming
to inspect their bathroom and look in it. But at
the same time, yes, we definitely have customers who are
so proud of their bathroom that they are willing to
clean up a little bit and let people come by
(19:39):
and take a look.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah. And you know, if I've seen one example of
your work recently, but I talked to four different people
on the phone, that's enough. That's enough. I mean, just
to just to even talk or say, hey, could you
send me a pick of your bathroom and tell me
how the whole process was. That's what I'm really interested in,
and that's what you should be interested in as a
home own own is find out how the process went, like,
(20:04):
for instance, the work schedule. Talk about referencing back to
remodelers who use a lot of subcontractors. You may have
the best team of subcontractors, and when you're a general
contractor doing a whole house, it's very it's it's it's
pretty difficult not to utilize subcontractors at least for some phases.
So it's not like subcontractor are problem per se. But
(20:27):
here's the thing. Keep in those relationships and knowing that
that's a completely independent business. Then the contractor that you're
actually working with, and so they are their own contracting company,
they have their own schedules, they've scheduled something. Okay, okay,
we're gonna go do this bathroom remodel for you, and
do this on such and such days. But what if
(20:48):
a little glitch happens. What if oh, something you know
that preceded them took a day longer, and now we
missed that opening mark, and then they're then or they're
on another project and something took a couple of days
longer outside of their control. Scheduling subcontractors and keeping them
on schedule is a very very difficult process, and it's
(21:11):
one of those things that you don't have complete control over,
and it's one of those things that can take a
job that could in the case of New Lux, they
get in and out in just a matter of days,
could stretch a project into weeks or longer unintended And
yet another area where people are concerned about, like yeah, this.
(21:32):
You know, you say it's going to take you know,
two weeks, but you know two months later. I'll be
glad that, you know, if it's actually done in your case,
and we got to go to a break. Let's talk
about that when we come back. When you guys set schedules,
I want to understand how you set them, why you
set them, and how often, be honest with me, you
actually keep to them. All right, well, we'll talk with
(21:54):
Jim Zenovich from New Lux Bads about keeping the construction
schedule on top. I'm when we return your Home with
Dean Sharp the house Whisper.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Every home deserves great design, including yours, especially yours. You
know why because that's where you live your life, my friend.
So that's what we're here to help you with every
single week here on the program. Thanks for tuning in
or listening to us via the podcast. Hello all my
podcast friends. Hey, coming up in the next hour, we're
(22:31):
going to be going to the phones, and that's going
to be right after the next break. So we've already
got some calls on the board, but I haven't given
out the number yet, So that's those are a students
up there right now here is the number two? Reach
me eight three three two. Ask Dean A three three
the numeral two and then you just spell out, ask
(22:52):
Dean eight three three two. Ask Dean. Whatever has got
you scratch in your head about your home, whether it's design, construction,
DIY stuff inside, outside, hardscape, landscape, decre I got you.
We'll put our heads together, we'll get it figured out.
I am talking about bathroom remodels with Jim Zenovic from
(23:13):
New Lux Bads today and we're going to get back
to that conversation in just a second. But when it
comes to our calls, always, always, now you can if
you've got a bathroom remodel question, today's a great day
to call in with that. But anything you want to
talk about when it comes to calls, you get to
set the agenda A three three to ask Dean.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
All right.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Oh, Also, if you're home, if you're sitting there thinking,
you know what what I really need? I need Dean
and Tina staring at the problem in our own home
that can actually happen as well, or even if you
don't live in the state of California. If your home
needs some personal house Whisper attention, you can book an
in home design consult with us. Just go to house
(23:57):
Whisperer dot design house Whisperer dot design for more info
if you are looking for some personal attention from me
and the tea. All right, let's get back to our
conversation with Jim. Jim, I was going through a list
of questions that I pulled off of ANGI. This was
(24:19):
like their recommended list of things that homeowners should ask
their contractors, and I think some of them are actually
pretty solid questions. Let's talk about the schedule. That's something
that I think you guys are really masters at. And
I was mentioning before the break, you got subcontractors. Man,
(24:41):
even the best intentions, if you've got a bunch of
subcontractors working with you on a project, can get frustrated
because you have no control over their business schedule. You're
just working on the promise that they're going to be
there on Thursday like you scheduled them, and to keep
your job rolling, they got to show up on Thursday.
If something happened, is not going to work and things
(25:01):
get delayed. So it's a reasonable question for a homeowner
to ask a contractor what's the schedule going to be?
Like how long is this going to take? And when
you get asked that question, what's the answer.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
The usual answer is going to be one to two days,
but it depends. So what I want to do is
I like to make sure that customer is fully informed.
They know that we're showing up as new ux bats.
It's our team, it's our guys, it's our crew. Once
we start the job, we are there until the job
(25:40):
is complete. We're not taking time off, we're not taking
days off. Where we show up, we get your job
done as promised.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Now, there's always a little leeway in things because there
are certain things you can't control. You start stripping drywall
off a wall, or you start moving electrical and you
open up a wall, and anybody who's watched you know,
even three minutes of HGTV or the Diwide network has
seen some show who's the whole premise is, oh my gosh,
(26:10):
we opened up the wall. Guess what we found a
major problem. We've tripled the budget and now it's going
to take four and a half years to finish this
two week project. How often does that happen in the
real world, my friend, in.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
The real world in well, it's a you got a
double sided question there, Dean, because in the real world
it happens.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Quite often.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
In our world with Newark's baths, it doesn't happen that
often because I know that I'm going to open the
wall and I'm going to find dry rod, I'm going
to find wet spots, I'm going to find something that
we didn't expect to be there, So we come prepared
to handle that situation. Now, if I open the wall
up and even the termites have stopped holding hands and
(26:58):
there's complete structural damage and there's nothing there, well, the
first thing I'm i to do is communicate that to
the homeowner that hey, we got to change, we got
a problem, and we're going to reset our expectations.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
So for you, you anticipate You're talking about a contractor
who actually anticipates the unknown to whatever degree that you
can anticipate it. Then you're thinking, Hey, what's the chance
it's a bathroom. What's the chance I'm going to open
this wall up near the shower, near a forty or
fifty year old shower and find some dry rot or
(27:31):
some issues so you guys are just ready for it.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
We definitely are ready for it. We're ready to go
get new plywood if the four needs plywood. We're going
to show up with studs with extra material, with extra
copper just in case the copper is bad, and we
show up with the right parts to do the job
correctly the first time while we're there.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
So one of the things I love about you guys,
and I want to clarify this for our listeners when
you say most of the time job is going to
take two days or you know, depending on the complexity
of it, maybe a week or so. We're not talking
about if they call you tomorrow and you guys are
going to get started on Monday, that they'll that it'll
(28:14):
be done in a week. One of the reasons why
that you are able to get in and get out
of the house so fast is because you actually do
spend a lot of time ahead of time planning it out,
getting the design worked out, getting all the materials purchased,
getting everything stacked, staged, ready to roll, so that you're
not going to have any unexpected delays as when it
(28:36):
comes to rolling the materials into the house. So what's
the typical lead time before you actually start working inside
the house.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
So the typical lead time currently is four to six
weeks for us. So unless somebody has a major emergency
that we can possibly you know, put them push them through,
we to schedule four to six weeks in advance because
it takes time to build the project, to make sure
I have all the components, all the parts lined up,
(29:09):
and we stick to our commitments of we're on somebody's job.
We've committed to their job, We're not leaving their job.
So in order to do that, I have to have
some lead time.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
All right. Now, I've got a big question that I'm
going to bate everybody on uh and we'll talk about
it when we come back. When we come back, I'm
going to ask you this question, Jim, what if I
do talk to a contractor who's literally like, oh, I
can get started on Monday. Dean, don't answer it now,
all right, we'll talk on the other side. This is
Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. This has been Home with
(29:41):
Dean Sharp the House Whisper. Tune into the live broadcast
on KFI AM six forty every Saturday morning from six
to eight Pacific time, and every Sunday morning from nine
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Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Bleep! with Ana Navarro
Fear thrives in silence and confusion. Ana Navarro rejects both. Her voice is an antidote to today’s chaos. Her new podcast, Bleep! with Ana Navarro, takes on today’s most pressing issues with the voices most connected to it: decision-makers, political leaders, cultural shapers, and people on the frontlines of the story. The conversations acknowledge the emotions we all feel—despair, sadness, fear— but emerge with knowledge, perspective, and hope. The belief is simple: fearless dialogue can transform fear into courage, and courage into change. When fear dominates the headlines, this show digs deeper. Because information, debate, and conversation don’t just ease fear, they give us power to shape the future.
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.