Our plumber cost us $9000 in construction costs bc of his mistake.

[Hillbilly]

Question: We had an upstairs shower leaking through ceiling. On the 2nd visit the plumber unequivocally stated the leak was from shower pan and the entire floor of shower and 1 foot up had to be removed to access. The cost by a contractor was $9000 with materials. The contractor found it was completely dry underneath. The real problem was in the wall which required a cabinet to be removed at a cost of $250. Who should be paying for the $9000 tear down and rebuild which was never necessary?

 

[Zanne]

I honestly think that is a question for a lawyer. You might want to ask your homeowner's insurance (if you have it) about it though.

 

[havasu]

Here is the bigger question....

Did you receive three quotes? If so, was this the conclusion of all three?

If you only accepted one quote, and you signed papers allowing the work to be performed, you may have been hosed.

As said above, you may need to consult with an attorney.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Question: We had an upstairs shower leaking through ceiling. On the 2nd visit the plumber unequivocally stated the leak was from shower pan and the entire floor of shower and 1 foot up had to be removed to access. The cost by a contractor was $9000 with materials. The contractor found it was completely dry underneath. The real problem was in the wall which required a cabinet to be removed at a cost of $250. Who should be paying for the $9000 tear down and rebuild which was never necessary?

The plumber is going to say the shower was also leaking.

The contractor is going to say under the shower was dry.

Then the plumber is going to say prove it.

Can you prove the shower wasn’t leaking and do you have in writing where the plumber said it was ?

How do you plan to prove the shower wasn’t leaking ? The contractors word isn’t enough.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Question: We had an upstairs shower leaking through ceiling. On the 2nd visit the plumber unequivocally stated the leak was from shower pan and the entire floor of shower and 1 foot up had to be removed to access. The cost by a contractor was $9000 with materials. The contractor found it was completely dry underneath. The real problem was in the wall which required a cabinet to be removed at a cost of $250. Who should be paying for the $9000 tear down and rebuild which was never necessary?

Do you have dated photographs of behind the cabinet showing water stains? Do you have dated photographs of the floor under the shower pan showing no water staining? You need evidence.

 

[JEG in Raleigh]

Retired journeyman carpenter and hands-on custom builder here. It's unfortunate how this problem was approached. If it were me, I would have removed drywall.... and maybe a good bit of drywall to fully expose the area under the shower. I then would have flooded the shower drain with water to test the drain line for leaks, plugged and flooded the pan, and let the water sit for several days to test for a leaking pan. After thoroughly exhausting all possible sources of a pan leak, I'd start looking for other culprits. Running valves at the sinks, shower, toilet, etc. until the telltale water leak showed up. The removal of drywall to expose the floor framing above would be key to identifying the source of the leak. That's how I would have approached it. The drywall repair and repainting would bee a relatively small cost to definitively identify the source of the problem.

 

[breplum]

Nobody can say unequevocally anything unless it is based on visual proof/testing of the pan.
JEG's approach is the proper approach, except that we plug the drain to test the pan, then if the pan holds water w/o leaking, then we flood the tile walls to check further.
But, an attorney will cost a lot so you have to decide if worth pursuing.
Contact the plumber and ask for reimbursement and go from there.