A little over a year ago I felt privileged to have the rare opportunity to design two bathrooms.
Now, I’ll open the floor to questions from imaginary readers…
What? Wait a minute! You’ve designed many bathrooms before. Haven’t you?
Sure I have! I’ve lost count of how many bathrooms I’ve actually designed over the past 20-years.
So then, why did you use the term “rare opportunity”?
It’s rare that we designers get a job without ever meeting the homeowner in person. The chance to remodel master and guest bathrooms is a popular request we often receive from our clients. Usually, the first step to any remodeling project is an educational on-site or showroom consultation with the client. In this case the homeowners contacted me from their northern home in East Central Michigan.
If you didn’t meet the customer in their home or in showroom, how’d the job come about?
I have been very blessed to get raving reviews from previous customers, and they’ve told their friends. (A genuine thanks to Maureen for the referral.) Jerry and Linda reached out to me because they were in need of assistance to update their tired, dated, and poorly organized master and guest bathrooms.
Okay, so then, if you didn’t meet the customers in person, how did you know what the homeowner wanted, or didn’t want?
An initial phone call, followed by an email explained pretty much what the homeowners wanted. While emails and phone calls both have their place in the design and sales realm, there was also room for texting and FaceTime.
Back in 2010 Jerry and Linda purchased a house in Rotonda West, Florida. They’ve been mostly renting the home out since they seldom get back down to the Sunshine State. Nevertheless, two bathrooms were in desperate need of an update. Neither one of the bathrooms had been improved since the house had been built in 1983.
Were there any unusual requests?
While it is being done more often now than before, the clients wanted to convert the outmoded guest bath and make it into a wet room.
What’s a wet room?
I’m glad you asked! A wet room differs from our “traditional” bathrooms in terms of design. A wet room is still a bathroom; however the whole room is designed to get wet. Think floor-to-ceiling tile, waterproof décor and a shower that’s right out in the open. The floor is slightly sloped toward the drain so you’re not left with any standing water. Often, the sink and toilet are “floating” models anchored to the wall so there are no extra spaces for water to collect and form mildew or mold. If there’s room, you might also have a waterproof cabinet to store the things you’d rather keep dry.
That sounds awfully expensive.
Due to the aforementioned extras: sloping the concrete floor and floor-to-ceiling tile on every wall, a wet room costs over $21,000, on average.
So, what did the homeowners decide to do?
They decided to go with a traditional bath remodel.
Michele, didn’t you say something about wallpaper? Egads!!!
Yes, I know. I was coming to the gag-awful wallpaper.
My design plan was to remove the existing wallpaper and then apply paint to the walls in both bathrooms. Don’t you feel better already? I know I did. Moving on… although neither one of the bathroom layouts were going to be changed, essentially everything in both bathrooms were pulled and replaced. This meant all new flooring, cabinets, countertops, tile, paint, lighting, hardware, plumbing fixtures, and accessories would be installed.
The most impactful changes happened right after Just Counters & other stuff, inc. removed the soffits, fluorescent lights, and wallpaper. Then a fresh white and gray palette was introduced. New custom vanities made by Aspect Cabinetry with Castle Gate gray Shaker-style cabinets replaced the original vanities. We removed the guest closet with dated louvered bi-fold doors and replaced it with a tall ceiling-to-floor linen cabinet. The cabinets are so beautiful, high quality, and practical. The new vanity tops are polished quartz called Belvedere Bianco Cielo, which looks like lovely marble with a white background and gray veins. Wood-look porcelain tiles were used for the flooring to create some contrast and visual interest.
In the master bath black matte was the finish selected for the decorative mirror, faucet, and accessories. In the guest bath, satin nickel was the decorative finish. Consistency in the small details is what really ties the finished look together.
We added second sink in the guest bath. In the master bath we removed the curb in the shower. The paint color is Passive by Sherwin Williams. Both bathrooms have gone from ugly and dated to bright and welcoming!
Were there any other unusual requests?
Yes, they wanted the whole house replumbed. What is a replumb you might ask? It really is as simple as it sounds. A home replumb is simply replacing all the pipes in and even under the home. What you should know is this is not a simple, cut-and-dry procedure. There can be variables as your plumbing company opens walls and pipes. Each home is unique in age, piping, and size, so the costs vary.
Master and secondary bathroom remodels are popular requests. If that being the case, then why did you use the word “privileged” in the first sentence of this blog?
Making the decision to remodel your bathroom—or any part of your home—is a big deal. I always want to help a customer feel confident in their decision. At Just Counters every file requires a custom design package to be completed prior to remodeling. The package includes floor plans, 3D renderings, and a Scope of Work document. The purpose of the design package is not only to provide a clear visual of the remodeled space, but also to outline everything that is to be done throughout renovation. This documentation ensures everything is discussed and agreed upon– including process, timeline, and pricing — before anyone ever picks up a hammer. My emails with detailed floor plans and 3D renderings to Jerry and Linda allowed them to see the structural changes that would be made to the remodeled bathrooms. I did this by taking photos and measurements of their existing bathrooms and plugging it into a rendering software. This visual aid was extremely helpful because it confirmed what Jerry and Linda wanted. I had to make some tweaks and revisions to the designs until they were 100% happy. I felt “privileged” because I earned their trust. They hired Just Counters without having met in person.
The biggest difference in the two new bathrooms is the amount of storage space that did not exist before. We improved functionality and created waayyy more storage space. That’s what a successful renovation is made of! The completed remodels checked off every item on the clients wish list. It’s always a pleasure for our team to know that we had a hand in providing the homeowners with something they had only dreamt. The classic, timeless look of both bathrooms will surely withstand the test of time.
I’d like to recognize everyone on our team, as well as our faithful vendors and trade partners, that helped bring these two beauties to fruition: Bill Rice, Cindy Kohls-Brophy, Bill Daniels, Aaron Shaffer, Tommy McCaffrey, Stone Art Creations, Pipedream Plumbing, and Pucci Tile & Marble, Inc.
If you’ve been considering renovating your bathroom (or another part of your home), a knowledgeable team of designers will be happy to talk you through the process and answer your questions. Contact Just Counters for more information.
See you in two weeks.
Oh my! 😱 That wallpaper is just awful! It had it’s place in time, but I can’t imagine when that was. 🤔 Your designs and finishes are perfect! Nicely done!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Nancy. I’m thrilled you liked the designs and finishes. Our team worked hard to meet our customers expectations. Thank you for always being my biggest cheerleader!