Bathroom Remodeling

RESIDENTIAL BATH $30,000 - $60,000.00

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Raising a family with three children had always taken a first position in their lives. Helping with education expenses, weddings, and seeing that they all had enough to make a down payment on their own homes was just the way things were for them. With the prospect of any of the kids returning to the nest, it was time that they could now focus attention on what they wanted in life and that was purchasing their big dream home.

Built as a Federal Salt Box in early 1980, the new house has more than ample room host full and extended family gatherings and has good bones architecturally but it was showing its age, particularly in the bathrooms. It’s not that they weren’t functional spaces, everything worked, but they just did not evoke the stylistic preferences and matured tastes that the owners had developed over time.

After redecorating the master bedroom, the deficiencies of the adjoining master bath really stood out. It felt to them like they were walking from a quiet and relaxing retreat in the bedroom into a locker room for a bathroom. So the journey began to create a bath space that enhanced the functionality and made a natural transition to warmth and comfort they desired from the space.

The existing bathroom could not be adequately photographed. As you walked into the space, the shower walls ran from floor to ceiling; sporting aqua blue colored tile both inside and outside the small 3’ x 3’-6” enclosure with its 22” wide, metal framed, highly textured, obscure glass door. The vanity also had a tiled top in the same color, as did the floors, and the 42” high wainscot surrounding the room. Although there was a window in the space it still felt dark, like a dimly lit locker room.

As active retired adults considerations for more accessible and adaptable space was needed and planned for. The room was gutted. By and large, the fixtures remained essentially in the same general locations. Existing vent lines and supply lines were adjusted and or redone to accommodate the new plan. Further, the space was enlarged into the bedroom by another foot and a half to make room for a larger shower area and more navigational space between the shower and the toilet. An enlargement of the doorway to 2’-8” was also accommodated and was required by the building code. All of the wall and ceiling surfaces were insulated for warmth and sound and a new double hung window with integral slim shades was installed to replace the obscured glass, single glazed, existing window and combination storm windows.

As it would be the most visible element from the bedroom space, the vanity cabinet was designed with a furniture like appearance, with a natural granite top without backsplashes, a white scalloped texture, under mounted porcelain sink, and brushed bronze faucetry, The cabinetry is built in the same Cherry wood species as the bedroom furniture. Swarovski Crystal knobs adorn the drawers and door of the vanity that makes the aesthetic connection with the central crystal and bronze chandelier hanging within the space.

There is a lot of electrical within the bathroom not counting the outlets; thermostatically controlled in- floor heat in the bathroom and shower floor and in the shower’s bench seat, wall sconces on dimmers, the chandelier, an exhaust fan with light, a light in the shower, a low voltage dimmable light in the niche on the exterior wall, and a recessed light in front of the vanity in the ceiling, (to provide additional lighting for seeing the back of the head with a mirror when doing hair). Providing functional and intuitive locations for all of these switches was challenging. To put the light switches for the chandelier, sconces, shower light, and fan/light in an accessible spot; part of the new shower wall was built out before the transition to the glass and half wall. The overhead recessed light, niche light, and programmable floor heat thermostat were placed on the opposite wall closer to the vanity in front of the towel bar.

Adjacent to the vanity, a half wall with a Cherry wood cap was built to create a transition between the vanity and the comfort height toilet assisting in obscuring the toilet, providing an additional display surface, and to accommodate the toilet paper holder in a recessed niche. Solid blocking was added to the half wall and the exterior wall to each side of the toilet to facilitate the installation of grab bars if and or when they may be necessary.

To allow light to flow through the space and to create greater volume, the shower was framed out with half walls and glass up to the ceiling. The ceiling area around the perimeter of the space was soffitted to allow for the installation of Cherry crown moulding around the room. The half walls also accommodate a liberal corner bench seat and as with the toilet area, the capability for the installation of grab bars if ever necessary. Inside the shower are two wall niches for storage and display, a fixed and a hand held shower in brushed bronze finishes. The shower floor and bench are heated. River stones were chosen for the floor of the low curb shower because they provide sure footing and the client liked the way that they felt on their feet; it gives them a massaging sensation. Translucent glass mosaic tiles make up a banded decorative border at eye level in the shower area and along the bench and diamond shaped patterns of four of each tile comprise accents in the field of the bathroom floor area. Towel bars and accessories were chosen in the same finish as all of the bathroom faucetry.

The finishing touches include the Cherry, glass shelved, illuminated display niche, staining and lacquering all of the Cherry trim, mouldings, and wood work in the same color, and a multi-colored Venetian Plaster wall and ceiling treatment that creates an opalescent three dimensional depth to the surfaces within the space. The liquid soap dispenser and tissue holder are fabricated of smaller versions of the mosaic tiles used in the floor and shower border making them special elements too.

RESIDENTIAL BATH $15,000-$30,000

Set on seventeen pristine acres of rolling hills and hardwoods this contemporary open concept California Bi-level is a stand out, one of a kind homestead. Originally, the property consisted of twenty five acres but the owner’s parceled off a portion for their daughter to build her home. This was a home that the family loved, enjoyed, and made memories in.

For the past fifteen years though no one had lived there. It still was owned and maintained by the present owner, but it is not where he called home any longer. With the passing of his wife, various career changes that demanded relocations and the start of a new life in a brand new home with a new spouse it finally became less difficult to part with the memories created there and do the practical thing and put the property up for sale.

This is the type of property that will strike a chord with a very specific buyer. Knowing that and appreciating the need to present the home in the best possible light particularly in this economy, the owner acknowledged that certain improvements just had to be made. At the top of that list were two bathrooms the common bath on the first floor and the common bath on the second floor. Their feelings were that if something were not done with them, money would be left on the table or worse yet, it would sour the interest of potential buyers if they were left as is.

There were two particular challenges to this project. One was managing a very articulate and knowledgeable client and separating him from overlaying his personal stylistic preferences from what would have the most influence to the broadest audience of prospects and the other, doing both bathrooms in an appropriate fashion for under a combined cost of $50,000.00.

In the initial discussions the budget was set by the client at $40,000.00. After careful consideration of their expectations for the results and the scope of work involved they were gently informed that we would not get both ends to meet for less than the upper $40,000.00 range. Reluctant and almost adamant that it could not possibly cost that much for two little bathrooms, they acquiesced and chose to proceed.

RESIDENTIAL BATH $15,000-$30,000

This description is about the second floor bathroom which consumed the smaller dollar portion of the combined budget. Immediately down the hall from the top of the second floor stairs you will look into a bathroom with a tree top view through the windows and the back of a free standing tub with a random array of multi-colored mosaic tiles and think what is this doing here. As you get further into the room the surprise is even greater.

In its previous configuration this common area bathroom did not have a shower because the tub was oriented along an exterior wall underneath the window. In order to facilitate a tub/shower combination in the new plan the location of the vanity and the tub were switched. This provided the advantage for a more appropriate view both from the hall and in entering the space in seeing the vanity cabinet rather that the back of the tub.

In order to remain considerate to the budget parameters the space was gutted, but the location of the toilet remained as it was. Although switching the walls that the vanity and the tub were located on provided clear advantages, it also created a separate but distinct challenge. With a partition wall behind the new tub/shower location and the toilet remaining where it was a standard 60” tub would not fit. There was not any latitude from our client to consider a shower module only for this space, there needed to be a tub as well. The solution was to provide a 54” tub which would fit within the space plan yet it does not have the appearance of not being a standard sized tub.

The cost of a full glass door and glass panels was also a limiting factor in what we could accomplish, as the lion’s share of the projects budget was being invested on the first floor. Providing a shower curtain and rod was an economical approach for the tub/shower but a 7’ high wall at the back of the tub to mount the rod to would obscure the view and light from the windows and shrink the space. A J-shaped curtain rod would not be visually appropriate either. The solution came through creating a half wall at the back of the tub that conceals the toilet, attaching a glass panel to the side wall and to the top of the half wall and mounting the rod through the glass panel. This not only allows for day lighting and view, it secures the glass panel in place.

The vanity cabinet is custom built in cherry with a quartz top and backsplash with a white porcelain under mounted sink and chrome faucetry. Brushed chrome handles on the cabinetry match the metal accents on the mirror and vanity light fixture and the tub and toilet match the sink. The tub/shower faucetry and chrome accessories are from the same manufacturer for finish consistency and a coordinated appearance. Large lime stone colored ceramic tile, soft sage green and cream wall and ceiling colors with white trim provide lightness and a crisp feeling within the space that is comforting.

View More Projects
Bathroom Remodeling - Bathroom Project 1 - Bathroom Project 2 - Bathroom Project 3 - Bathroom Project 4