Why a mechanical company does bathroom remodeling (and what we do differently)
It started with the deep freeze of 2023, over 900 emergency calls, and customers who could not find anyone to fix the drywall afterward. So we built the team to do it right.
We added bathroom remodeling because we kept running into a hole in our own service. We would fix a customer’s plumbing or mechanical problem, then come back months later and the drywall still was not repaired, because they could not find a reputable contractor to do that piecemeal work.
So we built a real team to do it right, from demolition to framing, tile, vanities, niches, steam showers, and in-floor heat, with in-house financing. We brought on our operations manager Rich, who ran a construction company for 20 years, because I did not want to do it halfway.
The winter that started it
As a mechanical company, it always felt odd that we did plumbing work, but when it came to changing out a bathtub, it was something we could not really offer to the standard we held everything else to. That never sat well with me.
Then came the winter of 2023, and it was extreme. We had a stretch of two weeks of single-digit temperatures, and at the same time the natural gas supply pressure to Pittsburgh got cut dramatically. I will never forget it. We normally see anywhere from 7 to 15 inches of water column coming into a home, around 10 on average, and burners need about 3 and a half. I went out to my own gas meter, 0 degrees outside, fingers barely working to get the Allen key out, and I measured 4.5 inches of water column. The only reason I checked outside is I got that same low reading inside and could not believe it was right. A buddy in the gas industry told me two of the three gas pumps were down and gas was being diverted north of the city.
That kind of deep freeze cold-soaks a home and exposes every weakness. Even houses with perfectly good heat saw pipes freeze. Over a normal Christmas weekend we get about six emergency service calls. That year we had over 900. We were digging ourselves out for months.
The hole we kept falling into
Here is what bothered me. We fixed our customers’ mechanical issues fast, but then for the next 6, 9, even 12 months, their homes still were not fully repaired. When we asked why, the answer was always the same: they could not find a contractor to come do the drywall repairs.
We hit the same wall ourselves. When we did plumbing stack repairs, it was hard to refer anyone for the drywall after. The honest reason is that good repair drywall work is rare:
- It is small, piecemeal work, and most professional drywall companies want to rock an entire house or do new construction.
- People who are genuinely good at repair work are artists, and once they have a good clientele, they are not looking for more.
So these were good, loyal customers who valued good service, and they simply could not get it. That is when I said, why do we not build a team that can do it for them.
Why I would not do it halfway
I knew we had a good culture, we knew skilled labor, and we understood our customers. But I did not want to fake our way into construction. I wanted an expert on the payroll, so we brought on our operations manager, Rich, who ran his own construction company for 20 years.
What I instantly liked about Rich is that he is just as nerdy about construction as I am about heating, cooling, and plumbing. He likes things done the right way and he knows how to do it the right way. He did not come in as a plumbing and HVAC expert, but he understood the trades and picked it up fast, and he was immediately able to help our team grow into construction work. That booked-out-two-months bathroom remodeling business grew out of starting with simple drywall repairs and refusing to do them halfway.
What we actually do
We are not trying to be the MTV Cribs bathroom designer. If somebody wants a magazine-cover designer experience, that is not us. What we provide is a one-stop shop for your bathroom remodeling project, start to finish:
- Demolition, reframing, new subfloor, moving walls, new ceilings
- Insulation, vapor barriers, hardy backer, drywall, and paint
- Electrical, exhaust fans, and in-floor heating
- Tile work, vanities, cabinet installs, niches, steam showers, glass doors
- Toilets, bidets, lighting, and the finish details
And because we are a mechanical contractor, we offer in-house consumer financing, so we can finance the job for you easily. We even built a fully customized cedar sauna for one of our best clients, and it turned out beautiful.
What makes us different from a general remodeler
General remodeler is a pretty general phrase. Too often it means messy, uninformed, takes too long, overcharges, under-delivers, and cannot handle it all in-house. We are a different animal. We have a full call center, licensed, uniformed, background-checked and drug-tested employees, fully stocked trucks, an operational team behind them, good insurance, and 46 years of happy customers. If you have a plumbing repair or water damage, we can cut out the drywall, fix it, and finish it to the same standard as everything else we do. You can see the full scope on our bathroom remodeling page.
The quick version
- Wahl added bathroom remodeling after the brutal winter of 2023, over 900 emergency calls versus the usual six over Christmas.
- Customers could not find anyone to do the drywall repairs after mechanical work, so we built the team to do it.
- We brought on operations manager Rich, who ran a construction company for 20 years, because we would not do it halfway.
- We handle the full scope, demolition to framing, tile, vanities, niches, steam showers, in-floor heat, and in-house financing.
- We are a one-stop shop with a call center, licensed and vetted crews, and 46 years behind us, not a typical general remodeler.
Over a normal Christmas weekend we get about six emergency calls. The winter of 2023 we had over 900, and months later customers still could not find anyone to fix the drywall.
These were good people who valued good work and could not get it. So we built a team to do it for them, and I refused to do it halfway, which is why I put a 20-year construction guy on the payroll.
David WahlCEO & Master Plumber, Wahl Family
Want a Pittsburgh company that does it the right way, the first time?
Call 1-855-GET-WAHLFrequently asked questions
Why does an HVAC and plumbing company do bathroom remodeling?
Because we kept hitting a hole in our own service. After fixing plumbing or mechanical problems, customers could not find anyone to repair the drywall or finish the work, sometimes for a year. Rather than leave good customers stuck, we built a construction team to handle it to our standard.
What does a Wahl bathroom remodel include?
The full scope from start to finish: demolition, reframing, subfloor, insulation, vapor barriers, hardy backer, drywall and paint, electrical, exhaust fans, in-floor heating, tile, vanities, cabinets, niches, steam showers, glass doors, toilets, bidets, and lighting. We handle the whole project in-house.
Can you finance a bathroom remodel?
Yes. Because we are a mechanical contractor, we offer in-house consumer financing and can finance your bathroom project easily, with a variety of payment options. It is the same financing approach we use across our other services.
How is Wahl different from a general remodeler?
We bring a full operation to the job: a call center, licensed, uniformed, background-checked and drug-tested crews, fully stocked trucks, an operations team, good insurance, and 46 years of happy customers. We handle everything in-house rather than juggling subcontractors, and we stand behind our work.
Do you do small drywall repairs or only full remodels?
We do both. The whole reason we got into this work was small, piecemeal drywall repair after plumbing and mechanical jobs, which most drywall companies will not take. So if you have water damage or a line run into a finished space, we can cut out the drywall, fix it, and finish it cleanly.
For a Happy Home, Get Wahl
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, since 1980. HVAC, plumbing, water treatment, sewer, and bathroom remodeling, all under one roof, all done the Wahl way.