It all started with the cast iron failure under the slab of our house. The fittings where one pipe joined another pipe had completely disintegrated. I dug a hole in one of the rooms in the house and discovered the fittings had completely collapsed. I bought another two years on that particular leg of the system before it finally shut down completely. We began the project on May 1 of this year and just finished at the end of July. The master bathroom is mostly completed. We still have some minor issues, but at this stage, we feel that the house is restored to a basic bathroom remodel. The second bathroom remodels will get
started within a few months. Provisions have been made on the sewer line and those will have to be replaced so we will remodel that as we go. We have to repair the driveway and yard and damage to the house from the contractor’s backhoe. It’s been a major project. We have been a D&B customer for more than 30 years. We dealt with the Palmetto Bay location. D&B Tile has always been good to us as. I am a
licensed remodeling contractor. I send people to them, even if I don’t get the job. The sales personnel are efficient and friendly. They are my go-to source for tile. I tell people, if you can’t find it at D&B, there’s something wrong with you. I can’t say enough good things about D&B.
In the
tile store, I was doing the husband thing when it came to tile selection. I let my wife pick out what she wanted. The only request I had to her was that the tile she picked should have
bullnose available. I wanted a manufacturer that made the bullnose to match the tile. Everything worked out and the finish is beautiful. Julio Alvarez with Image Floors is our tile contractor. We’ve used him for at least 15 years. He is an excellent craftsman. Schooley Construction was started in 1971. I was a full-time teacher in Miami-Dade County. Times were slow during the summer with no paycheck, so I went to work for a plaster contractor. I came from a farm family in Ohio before moving to South Florida. I always had a strong work ethic and worked my way through college. Somewhere in my senior year, I decided to leave the cold weather of Ohio and move to Miami. Here I ran into a girl on a blind date and we were married that same year. From 1966 to 1971, I decided that I could build a house addition as well as anyone else. We had friends who needed one. We put the plans together and completed the project. We were underway. I did that for 10 years and finally retired from teaching school to go full time as a contractor. We had really good customers who trusted me and were happy with our work. We worked completely on word-of-mouth. and have thoroughly enjoyed working in this industry. Our contact at D&B has been Michael Adessi and he has taken great care of us. We can’t say enough good things about our relationship with them. When we begin the remodel of the second bathroom, we will be back there again for all of our tile needs.
Tile for this project was globally sourced through D&B. To see this and other tiles, marble and stone samples from America and around the world, visit any of
our eight conveniently located stores throughout south Florida. Remember that the first step to beautiful design is stepping into D&B Tile.
Photographs and article by G. Richard Booth On a side note, Ray Schooley and his wife Susan are environmentalists and, as a hobby, raise Monarch butterflies at their home.
