The New Hall Bath

My client’s home in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington DC is a 1970’s “modern” home with a vaulted living room ceiling and great views.  But it basically hasn’t been updated since it was built.  The bathrooms were 1970’s generic with cultured marble countertop and shower surrounds that were typical of the period.  This bath measuring 5 ft by 8 ft is slightly larger than the generic 5’ x 7’ boxes found in earlier homes allowing for a slightly larger vanity.  But the vanity was largely useless for storage.

The wife uses it as her main bathroom – leaving the Master Bath – for the husband.  But she was frustrated at the lack on storage and the aging fixtures. 

What Makes The Remodeled Bath Work Better:  I’ve listed, below, the features we added to make the same space work much, much better.

Bath tub to Shower:  Few adults take baths on a regular basis.  For daily use, a 30 x 60 shower – replacing the standard tub – is a much more useful option when space is limited.  Multiple shelves plus a soap dish keep the shower organized and shampoo and body wash at hand. 

Extended Countertop:  We extended the new Crema Marfil Marble countertop over the toilet.  This is often called a banjo countertop because of its shape.  It makes the bath both feel and function larger. 

Custom Vanity for Extra Storage:  For a few hundred dollars more, we custom specified the vanity for lots of additional storage.  The central door leaves space to access the plumbing and for cleaning supplies.  The side drawers are shallow and great for make-up items.  The bottom drawers are more than large enough to store extra towels.

35 Cubic Feet of Additional Storage – Recessed into the Adjacent Room:  The adjacent room wasn’t used much especially in the front corner adjacent to the bath.  So we stole some space from that room and recessed a 24” Deep, 30” wide Full height cabinet into the adjacent room.  Drawers on bottom act as dresser space and shelving above is more than adequate for additional clothes or for linens or other storage.  We placed a GFI outlet in the cabinet perfect for keeping the hairdryer and electric toothbrush recharger close at hand but out of sight. 

Lot’s of Energy-Efficient Light:  The sconces installed on a wall of mirrors feature warm-white fluorescent bulbs with instant-on and non-buzzing electronic ballasts.  At 18 watts each, they are the equivalent of 75 watt incandescent bulbs.  The light bounces off the mirror magnifying the brightness.  A medicine cabinet is recessed into the wall with its mirrored door flush with the surrounding wall mirrors.  A small stainless steel disk over the magnetic push latch provides unobtrusive instruction about how to open the door. 

A 2nd Medicine Cabinet:  We mounted a 2nd medicine cabinet on the adjacent wall.  By adjusting both doors, you can view your back to check your hair or clothing.  It, of course, also provides conveniently located storage for makeup and toiletries.

Luxury of Some Spa Features at a Small Price and with Water Efficiency in Mind:  We located a rain shower head on the ceiling.  It’s designed to provide a drenching light rain at reduced water flow.  A multi-function hand-held on a bar is mounted where you might normally find the main shower head.  It can be lowered  and set to massage your back while also using the overhead fixtures.  Both fixtures can be operated at the same time or separately and both temperature and flow can be set independently. 

Heater:  Rather than go to the expense of in-floor heat, we opted for an exhaust fan/heater/light combination.

Few Grout Lines:  We used 12” x 24” oversized tile for a clean look and fewer grout lines.  This client wanted a monochromatic, serene feel.  I might have used a darker grout in other circumstances to highlight the vertical feel of the tiles and to add a little definition.

Tactile Enjoyment:  We replace the hollow-core doors and brass doorknobs with a single recessed panel solid wood door that reflects the cabinetry and has a nice feel of solidity with greater sound-proofing.  We used stainless steel lever handles by Omnia.

We borrrowed 35 Cubic Feet of Storage From an Adjacent Room

Spa-Like Features Without the Expense

A Wall of Mirrors Adds Depth & Light - The Medicine Cabinet is Mounted Flush with the Mirrors

We Added Tactile Pleasures Like a Solid Wood Door & Stainless Door Levers

BEFORE The Remodel

Kitchen Remodeling for a Modest Colonial Part 2

This is the 2nd part of a series about how objectives and lifestyle can dramatically affect the configuration of the “right” remodel for the same house.  In the Part 1, we suggested a remodeling configuration for the same house that we’re looking at today.  But in Part 1, the house is owned by a young family that does a lot of entertaining of their extended family.  Today we’re looking at the identical modest 1933 Colonial. 
 
Goal:  Open Kitchen and Dining Area for 2 Adults.  The homeowner in this scenario is a professional couple that spends many of their weekends traveling.  They’ve lived in the home only 6 months and assume that they will be moving within 5 years due to one of their jobs.  They are not planning children in the foreseeable future.  They rarely entertain at home; instead they meet other couples for dinner or at the theatre.  Cooking tends to be simple fare and might only be heating up take-out — but they share the details of their day while they prepare and cleanup after dinner.  They want a place to spread out with two laptops.  They want to be comfortable and to be able to talk while one partner or the other cooks and cleans – jobs that they informally rotate.

Their wish-list is quite short including an expanded kitchen with good counter space, better storage and more modern appliances.  Also on their wish list is a 1st floor powder room.

Below are both the proposed and the existing floor plan.  The existing home it’s a quite modest home with a very small, inefficient kitchen cut off from both the dining room and kitchen.

Floor Plan After - Open Kitchen to Dining Room

BEFORE - Modest Colonial

Modest but Open Kitchen:  Our plan for this homeowner is limited to removing the wall between the existing kitchen and living room and expanding the kitchen into the combined area.  Because the homeowners do limited cooking and even less entertaining, we encouraged them to limit appliances to only those needed and to make space available for counter space and storage. 

A large island allows one partner to work at a laptop or just sit with a glass of wine while reviewing their day with the partner preparing food or cleaning up. 

Limit Costs:  We’ve recommended a number of steps to limit costs including limiting the appliances to a range, counter-depth refrigerator and dishwasher.  This couple doesn’t need separate wall ovens, a built-in refrigerator or multiple sinks.  We never even considered any solution other than staying within the existing footprint.  We’ve left the sink in-place and left the windows and doors in their current configuration.  The couple also decided to forego a 1st floor powder room. 

View 2 - Modest Kitchen Solution

This solution – while actually yielding a larger kitchen than the first configuration – is much less expensive and much more attuned to the needs of this couple than the first family.

Opening A Modest Kitchen to Outside Makes It Feel & Act Larger

I’m starting a follow-on series today about how objectives can radically change kitchen remodeling decisions.  A few days ago, I wrote about planning a kitchen remodel
In my experience, kitchen remodeling is about lifestyle more than about kitchen details.  Homeowners often focus too soon on the details such as what type of appliances or cabinets to buy and fail to concentrate on the lifestyle they want.

This series will take 3 classic home configurations from the 1920’s through the 1940’s – the age of the homes that I most often work on – and will investigate how dramatically the “right” configuration depends upon the homeowner’s living style and objectives.  After we’ve looked at objectives we’ll also look at how budget factors in.

Today we’ll look at a modest center-hall colonial built in 1933 in Bethesda, MD — a close-in suburb of Washington, DC.  And we’ll look at how the remodel would change for 3 different homeowners and with different budgets.  Today we’ll look at a young family that does a lot of entertaining of their extended family.  In a few days we’ll look at the needs of a professional couple that spends many of their weekends traveling.  And a few days after that, we’ll look at a professional couple with teenage children and that does more formal entertaining for work.

Goal:  Informal Extended Family Get-Togethers With Many Cooks and Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Connection. The homeowners in this scenario are a young couple with 2 small children.  They both come from close families that grew up in the area and both have married siblings with young children that live nearby.  Their home is the most centrally located.  As a result, they host informal extended family gatherings almost weekly.  There are often 6-10 children in attendance.  They want a home that’s bullet-proof, that’s as comfortable when it’s the 4 of them or when there are 20 extended family members visiting for the day.  They also anticipate living here indefinitely.  So the home needs to work as well when the children are teenagers as it does now. Their wish-list also includes a powder room on the first floor.  This couple also wants to limit their budget and want lots of outdoor space for games and gathering.

Below is the existing floor plan.  As I said, it’s a quite modest home with a very small, inefficient kitchen cut off from both the dining room and kitchen.  The entire home is cut-off from the outdoor – as is common with houses of this age.

BEFORE - 1930's Modest Colonial Floor Plan

AFTER - Modest Colonial Floor Plan

Here;s how we approached the house from the objectives of our first family:

Existing Footprint: To save money and to preserve outdoor play space we stayed within the existing footprint.  While it might feel small from today’s  standpoint, the greater openness, new circulation and new access to the outdoors lets the house live much larger than its square footage.

Create Foyer & Storage:  While our client didn’t emphasize the lack of a foyer, they definitely wanted a coat closet and a better sense of arrival.  By putting the powder room, coat closet and pantry at the front of the house, we created a new foyer area and separation of the arrival and living.

Open to Back: Across the back, are 4 door size openings of glass — 2 are doors and 2 are non-operable doors.  In the new dining area, we replaced a window with a new glass door, and we replaced a single smaller window with 2 larger windows that give good views to the back.  .

More Open Floor Plan: We also opened all the interior doorways to create a more open floor plan and longer views through the house.  By congregating the utilities up front, we got them out of the circulation path and allowed us to create much greater openness and circulation.

Small but Functional Kitchen: While the kitchen is small, it packs a lot into a small space and because it is open to the back, it feels and acts much larger.  The pantry — while also small — and full-height cabinet help isolate the powder room from the kitchen and provide a lot of very useful storage.

Patio or Deck in Back: A more extensive outdoor living area might be a phase 2 — but even with little additional landscaping the change in doors allows for multiple “garden” rooms in the back and side.  By putting a door off the new dining area and moving the door off the screen porch, we created a somewhat smaller and private courtyard framed by these 2 exterior walls.  This is in addition to the larger outdoor room off the back of the house.

Opening A Modest Kitchen to Outside Makes It Feel & Act Larger

View from Front of Living Room: Connected with Kitchen, Dining & Outside

View from Back of Kitchen to Front: Pantry, Coat Closet & Full Height Cab Create Alcove for Powder Room

Body Sprays - Flush with Wall

I suggested body jets in the shower as an alternative.  Because they don’t recycle water, they don’t have similar cleaning requirements but do offer a variety of therapeutic pulse and spray options.

Some sprays lie almost flush with the wall (first image) and don’t offer much in the way of adjustment.  Others extend beyond the wall and can be rotated to hit just the right spot and have adjustments for different pulse or spray options.

Adjustable Body Spray

Custom configurations, like the image below left, are infinitely variable but significantly increase plumbing costs.  You can also purchase shower units that require only a single plumbing connection allowing you to replace an existing shower combination without needing to re-tile the bathroom, like the image below right and the one below it.

custom configuration vs. prefabricated systems

And of course, the prefabricated towers can be found in both modern and more traditional designs.   Here’s another example below with even more features.

Shower Towers Come With Wide Variety of Options

Steam showers  – custom or prefabricated like the one below – combine the variety of jets with an enclosed steam room providing the benefits of both heat and massage.

Combination Steam & Jets

Plan for a successful Kitchen Remodel

Often my clients approach me with specific proposed solutions.  One of the aspects of human thinking is that we often proceed directly to “solving” problems without fully defining the problem or our objectives.  And so, clients, too often start the process saying they want to replace their kitchen or create an island or … some other specific action.  But I often find that the solution a client has in their head at the beginning of the process won’t achieve many of their objectives or dreams.  They can spent $50,000 on a kitchen remodel but don’t really enjoy their homes any more afterward than when they started.

In one case, my client said they wanted to gut their kitchen and replace everything.  But after discussing their lifestyle and her frustrations, I proposed a completely different solution.  We left the kitchen almost untouched except for changing a few finishes.  Instead we removed a wall separating the kitchen with the family room, improved the access to the outdoors, and built a patio.  For about the same money my client was thinking about spending on her kitchen, she and her family achieved a completely new lifestyle.  And the frustration that my client felt while in the kitchen (and that she thought would be solved with new cabinets and appliances) went away completely since she no longer felt trapped in the kitchen while family life went on outside her view.

I also know, from experience, that no one or two or three solutions works for the majority of my clients.  Because each family has their own lifestyle and their own frustrations and dreams, the solution for each is unique.

I use 2 questionnaires when I work with clients on kitchen remodeling.  The first is the more important one.  It helps me think through overall concepts.  It’s a way to help diagnose what’s really wrong.  As in the example, above, I know that sometimes we focus on little things – like sticking or dingy cabinets — when the problem is really bigger, for example, that you feel disconnected from your family or garden.  The most important planning activity is an accurate diagnosis of what’s needed – then it becomes much easier to compromise because we know what’s critical and what we can give up.

The second questionnaire is a detailed questionnaire about appliances and finishes and the like.  It’s just a convenient way for me to keep track of preferences.  I don’t usually even look at this questionnaire until I’ve come up with solutions that achieve the big lifestyle objectives.  I’ve found that we can often compromise on the details if we can achieve the big picture.

Click the link below to download one or both questionnaires.  They can help you sort through your real frustrations and desires without getting side-tracked by less important factors.  That’s the first necessary step is planning a remodel that will change your lifestyle for the better.

Download Questionnaires.

You’ll need a PDF reader

A Favorite: Toto Eco Supreme High Efficiency Toilet

That’s not to say that all toilets are equally satisfying.  The features my clients want in a toilet include:
- Ability to clear the bowl
- Clean water in the bowl after a flush
- Clean porcelain after a flush
- Quiet operation
- Water efficiency

Clearing the Bowl of Solids: As I mentioned, today’s toilets (unlike first generation efficient toilets) do well in clearing the bowl.  They are not all alike in the other characteristics.

Clean water after flush: Backwash can occur with some flushing actions where dirty water is washed back into the bowl as a wall of water comes down the sides.  This happens most often with a flushing action known as wash-down and is particularly prevalent in euopean models and dual-flush models.  However, backwash can also occur with the siphon mode of flushing.  It’s best to read consumer reviews of specific models.

Clean porcelain after flush: A large “water spot”, the area of water inside the bowl, helps keep porcelain clean since solids hit water instead of porcelain.  An ultra smooth porcelain surface also help with this as does the nature of any jets of water from the rim.  The specs should tell you the size of the water spot.  For the other factors, you should read both the manufacturers literature and customer reviews.

Noise: Power assisted flush action is loud. I advise my client to stay away from power-assisted flush toilets – especially in a powder room or toilets on the main floor.

Water efficiency: Today’s toilets have been engineered from the ground-up and are effective.  There every reason to purchase a high-efficiency toilet that uses only 1.28 gallons per flush.  I think there is less reason to purchase a dual-flush toilet.  In terms of human behavior, when I talk with clients who have a dual-flush toilet, it seems that many family members always use the high volume option because they feel it results in a cleaner bowl.  This, obviously, defeats the purpose of the dual-flush concept.

So generally, I advise clients that a high-efficiency, single flush toilet with siphon flushing action, good jets at the top, a large water spot and ultra-smooth porcelain is the way to go.  And to make things even easier, I also tell them that my other clients are uniformly are happy with the Toto Eco and Drake line of high efficiency toilets.   The Toto high-efficiency lines have toilets to fit every decorating style and varieties of personal comfort so I’m confident we can find a toilet to meet my clients needs.

What prompted today’s article is that Leigh Marymor writing for the Journal of Light Construction and who owns the Lunt Marymor Co in Emeryville, California came to the same conclusion in a more scientific way.  Their tests – conducted over the course of a year – found that the Toto Eco and Drake lines performed the best in all of the categories above.  They also tested the American Standard FloWise, the Caroma Sydney Dual Flush, the Kohler Cimmaron, and the Kohler Wellworth Pressure Assist. To read the full article, you must be a JLC online member.  You can find the article here.

Bath Sconces Should be Located on either side of the Sink.

Placement of Bath Sconces: A pair of fixtures flanking a mirror above the sink provide excellent cross-illumination – eliminating shadows on the face.  The fixtures should be mounted at eye-level.  As a general rule of thumb, I place the center of the bulb at 5 feet 6 inches from the floor.  The shades for these vanity sconces should be translucent glass or plastic so the light projects out toward your face.  I usually use 23 watt fluorescent bulb (100 watt equivalent incandescent) bulbs for each sconce.  They should be placed equi-distant from the center of the sink and 36” to 40” apart.  If the sink is in an alcove, you can locate the sconces on the adjacent walls, see below.

In an alcove, the sconces can be on the adjacent walls

General Lighting: Only for a very small room, you can rely on the sconces alone.  For most baths, you also want separate general lighting.  For the master bath, top, 4 identical sconces were used.  Two are placed on either side of the sink.  These sconces are mounted on top of the wall mirror – greatly expanding their illumination quality.  Two additional sconces help create a sense of a nook for the soaking tub.  A center ceiling fixture (not shown) provides general illumination.

Ceiling Washers Provide General Lighting in This Bath

In the master bath, above, again general illumination is created by ceiling washing sconces placed high on the wall.  These fluorescent fixtures – one is shown, there are 4 in the room – create a bright overall glow in the fully tiled room.

Fan/Light Combinations: I often use an exhaust fan/light combination for a bath.  In the bath above and below, I put the light/fan combination above the shower.  Since the show creates a lot of moist air, this combination provides both functional light for the show and efficiently exhausts the moist air to the outside.

Fan/Light Combinations Work Great Above a Shower

Remember that all light fixtures installed within tub and shower spaces should be marked “suitable for damp/wet locations.”

Hanging Fixtures: Generally, hanging fixtures aren’t used in a bath.  By code, hanging no part of a suspended fixture, tracking lighting or ceiling paddle fan is permitted within a zone of 3’ horizontally and 8’ vertically from the top of the bathtub rim or shower stall threshold.  Used near a vanity, they often get in the way of opening the door of the medicine cabinet.  Robern has solved that problem by offering an uplift cabinet, see below.  The door lifts up instead of out allowing for pendant lights such as the combination shown below.

Robern Uplift Cabinet Allows For Pendants By Vanity

Laminate Countertops, Mid-Range Appliances, and Leaving the Sink in Place Help Keep Costs Down

1.    Plan! Plan! Plan! The best way to go over-budget in any remodeling project is to just jump in.  Kitchen remodeling planning and research should address (1) what’s your main problem or objective.  Keep your focus on what’s most important to you.  (2) the price of everything (and I mean everything) you want/need to purchase (3) firm bids from all contractors (4) a contingency of at least 15% (5) remember the price of shipping and taxes and (6) reviews of appliances and materials.  See also this Planning Guide.
2.    Do it Yourself. Think about all the various items that go into remodeling your kitchen – tiling, carpentry, hanging cabinets, painting, and staining – to name a few.  Think through which of these you can do yourself because labor is a huge component of the price of remodeling.  Don’t take on any of the big items if you haven’t done it before like hanging cabinets or carpentry.  But tiling and painting are great jobs for the amateur.  To get a sense of the cost of materials for kitchen remodeling look here.    The big lesson is that to keep the costs under $10,000 you must be prepared to do some of the work yourself.  But if you select the right items to update, the tasks aren’t hard.
3.    Look for Free Kitchen Design Services and Advice.  A kitchen center – even home depot, Lowes or IKEA – have very useful software and sometimes knowledgeable personnel to help you visualize what your new kitchen will look like and to help you think through pitfalls.  For example, you don’t want to place an island where it blocks the dishwasher from opening.  Similarly, ask the opnion of your friends and family before you make your designs final.  You’re not asking for approval here but simply asking for a different perspective.  We all have different strengths and your friend might think of something that you haven’t.
4.    Keep the existing footprint – even if you want to open up to another room, keep the sink, dishwasher and range in their current locations.  An electric range is the least costly to move even this adds the cost of an electrician.
5.    Laminate or Tile Countertops: Today’s laminates are terrific!  I have a stone-look laminate desktop that most people think is stone at first glance.  And laminate is a delight to work on.  It’s a fraction of the cost of granite countertops.
6.    Update don’t replace cabinets. Think paint or stain.  If your cabinets are sound but just not to your style, update don’t replace cabinets.

Stained Builder-Grade Cabinets Refresh Kitchen

If that isn’t enough, think about replacing only the doors and drawer fronts.
7.    Be creative about materials and re-use. If you go to building re-use centers like the store associated with Habitat for Humanities or Community Forklift in my area, you can find almost new cabinets, countertops, and appliances.  Also look at Craig’s List or similar resources.  Develop the plan first with all the dimensions and bring this with you (as well as a tape measure).  But also be flexible to change your plan based on what’s available.  Also think about tables – especially industrial worktables – as an alternative to a traditional cabinet-made island.  You also might be able to re-use some of what’s in your existing kitchen – with a bit of elbow grease and imagination.

You shouldn’t cut corners with electrical, plumbing or structural changes – but these aren’t really the expensive part of remodeling.  What drives up costs is changing the exterior shell of your home – adding windows and doors and material selection.  A separate cooktop and ovens can add thousands of dollars to the cost of a remodel over a simple (but good quality) range.

1.    Plan First.  List what you like and don’t like about your existing kitchen or bath.  Also what you like or don’t like about kitchens and baths you’ve been in – maybe a luxury hotel or former home.  Write it down.  Turn it into a wish-list for your remodel.  Review the wish-list at several points during the planning process and one last time before you begin construction.  Make sure you’re not forgetting anything.  It’s really easy to forget a small but important detail.
2.    Create a workbook. Clip Pictures and analyze.  It’s rare that you like everything in the image in a shelter magazine.  What’s making you feel good about the room?  Is it the color, the light fixtures, the color of the wood, the style of the cabinets.  Then review it with others – not to get them to approve but to have them tell you what they see.  We all take in details differently.  Maybe they notice a detail that’s important to the look that your eye missed.
3.    Guidelines from NKBA – The National Kitchen and Bath Association.
These guidelines are a must read for anyone remodeling a kitchen or bath.  If you stick with these guidelines, you will avoid myriad problems such as not being able to fully open appliance doors or bumping into stools every time you move around the new island.
Kitchen Guidelines
Bath Guidelines
4.    Create a Budget – Even if you’re hiring a contractor to do most of the work, a detailed budget is a must.  List the price of everything (and I mean everything) you want/need to purchase.  Here are some resources to follow:
- Budgeting for Remodeling a Project
- What Does It Cost to Remodel A Kitchen?
- Comparing Bids
Then remember to also:
- Round up all numbers
- Remember to add in a line for the cost of shipping, delivery and tax
- Add at least 3%-5% for items that you’ve left off the list (this is separate from the contingency (below)
5.    Add a contingency of 10% to 25%. The contingency can be 10% if you’ve done this before and it’s a relatively straightforward remodel.  If it’s your first time or it’s an old house, I strongly recommend a contingency of 25%.  There are dozens of items that you don’t know you need until you’re missing it.
6.    Update your budget every time your purchase an item or something changes.   If you budgeted $100 for hardware and end up spending $300, update the budget.  Going over your budgeted allowance by $200 on 10 items is $2,000 added to the budget.  Don’t get surprised at the end or end up not being able to finish because you ran out of money.  If the contractor included allowances in the budget for items like fixtures, keep you own budget of the actual versus the allowance.
7.    Include Decorating Items in the budget. Your remodel isn’t really complete until you’re installed items like window treatments, rugs and specialty items like stools.  If you haven’t purchased them lately, these items can be quite expensive.  Don’t get caught without money to complete the work.
8.    Make a Schedule & add 30%. Work with your contractor or installer (maybe your husband, brother, or sister) to establish a schedule.  And than add 30% to the planned time.  If your installer has never done it before – add 50% or more to the schedule.  If your contractor says it will take 2 months, plan on a 10-11 week project.  Rarely does everything go as planned and we usually underestimate the time it will take to accomplish any task.   Mentally it’s far easier to have the remodeled kitchen ready before you plan than to have weeks of work left when you thought you would be enjoying the new room.
9.    Make sure this is a good time to remodel – Think about activities that you have planned – a dinner party or graduation ceremony.  Don’t cut the time too close.  Also add in time for you to get the new space set-up and decorated.
10.    Don’t confuse price with quality. You can buy the same size stainless steel sink for $200 or $2000.  Don’t presume that the $2,000 sink is better.  Its higher price is likely due to name brand, finishes or features that may or may not be useful to you.  Think through what you need and don’t be persuaded that more is better.
11.    Read Reviews. One of the best things about the internet is the ability to read what folks think about the product or service you’re thinking of buying.  And remember, we don’t all value things the same way.  So even if someone rated a product poorly (or highly), they might want the product to perform differently than how you intend to use it.  Pay attention especially to issues of maintenance or reliability.  Reviews can be really helpful to help you figure out whether the features of the higher priced sink or other fixture is worth the additional money for the way you cook or live.  I personally like Amazon reviews and often start there for most products.
12.    Don’t Necessarily Go with the low Price Merchant. Along with product reviews, also read merchant reviews.  You don’t want to delay your project because items don’t arrive or arrive damaged.
13.    Have the Installer Review Product Specs Before You Buy. Kitchen and bath fixtures and appliances have become quite complex.  It used to be that you could be pretty certain that a faucet or drain would work with any sink.  No longer.  Some sinks require 1-1/4 inch drain assemblies and some require 1-3/8 or 1/1/2 assemblies.  Some sinks require overflow drain assemblies and some will leak if you use an overflow drain assembly.  One cooktop described as 36” can fit in a 36” cabinet and some require a 39” or 42” cabinet.  The list is endless.
14.    Select the contractor carefully. Don’t assume that because your neighbor or friend had a good experience with a contractor that you will also.  The difference in experience might be because you expect a different level of quality, because the scope of the work is different, or because the finish level is different.  Here’s a handy guide about what to ask references (including your friend or neighbor).
Remember, that you’ll be with your contractor every day for weeks or months.  Make sure you like them.  If you have any hesitation about the individual listen to your gut!
15.    Plan for a Temporary Kitchen. If you’re doing a kitchen remodel, there will likely be some period when the kitchen is unavailable.  Work with your contractor to figure out where and how you can make coffee, make breakfast and dinner, wash dishes.  This should be someplace with water but could be near a bath or in the basement.  Also work with the contractor to limit the time that the kitchen is unavailable to you.  This can be done by appropriate staging of the work.
16.    Remodeling is Dirty and Dusty. Plan accordingly.  First, make sure that the contractor or installer is experienced using strategies to reduce dust and dirt in the living area.  Second, make sure you protect your furnishing and equipment.   Third, think about whether you can tolerate the dust and disruption for the period of the project.  Your frustrations will probably be even worse if you have children.  If this is going to strain your family, plan to live someplace else during construction – but still make sure that your contractor used strategies to limit dust and dirt.
17.    Plan for a move-in cleaning service before you move back in or start using the new room.

The next few items have to do with the design itself:

18.    Make sure there’s enough light– daylight and artificial.  Too many homeowners leave lighting to the end – having sufficient daylight and artificial light is critical to your enjoyment of the remodeled home.  If your budget is tight, think about sacrificing some of the more expensive details for larger or more windows and better lighting.  Further, if you wait until the end to think about lighting, it can significantly increase your building costs since running wires is done early in the remodeling process.
19.    Make sure there’s enough storage. You already own a lot of what will go into the remodeled space and know of future needs.  Plan where everything goes before you complete your planning process so you know you have spaces for everything.
20.    Do Furniture Arrangements Before Your Start Construction. Far too often I hear complaints that homeowners feel that furniture arrangements are awkward after all the work of remodeling.  It’s easy to see a big space on the floor plan and just assume that your furniture will work.  Use a low-cost software program or a cut and paste planner to arrange your furniture and make sure it will work in the new space.  If my clients have artwork or other special items, I make sure spaces are pre-planned for these special items.
21.    Make sure the views are inviting. When I design plans for my clients, I think about focal points and views through rooms and to the outside.  This prevents finding out only after you’ve finished that you look at dirty dishes each time you walk into the house or that when you sit down you lose the gorgeous views.  I use rendering software to accomplish this.  You can also frame views with cardboard cutouts or other such physical means.
22.    Involve all the members of your household. Your children have valuable insight into what’s comfortable and how they use the house.  Make sure you involve everyone who will be living in the home.  It will also help create buy-in to the end result.  If you’re using a designer, he or she can help you with this process and help reconcile divergent opinions so that tension doesn’t result.
23.    Keep style consistent with rest of home. I personally hate when I walk into a house and know exactly where the addition starts and the original house ends because the homeowner changed style or trim details.  This doesn’t mean that you need to replicate what exists, but don’t plan for conflicting styles.  It be as simple as replicating crown or base molding.
24.    Think through future remodeling plans. If you’re planning on several phases of work, make sure you design the subsequent phases before moving forward with early phases.  You’ll feel awful if your only choice next year or in five years is to either forego something that you really want to do or rip out portions of what you’ve already because you didn’t think it through in advance.
25.    Enjoy yourself! Remodeling can create strain and conflict – worries about money, frustration at the mess and the strain of having strangers in your house each day.  If you can’t enjoy the process keep your mind focused on the terrific outcome.

Wedge Shaped Counter Makes Tiny Bath Work

Of course, to keep costs down we kept the toilet and shower in their existing locations.  We moved the sink just slighting along the wall.  The room configuration eliminated the ability to have both a glass shower door and a normal vanity.

Floating Wedge-Shaped Countertop with Vessel Sink:  Our solution was a wedge-shaped floating limestone countertop.  The shape of the countertop dictated the use of a vessel sink and a wall-mounted faucet.

Floating Shelving Below & Opposite: We used floating wedge-shaped open shelving below the countertop.  This look is echoed on the opposite side by smaller wedge shaped shelving at the same heights.  The open shelving allows for more accessible and efficient storage.

Floating Shelves Help Make Tiny Bath Feel More Open

Stone-Look Porcelain Tile: We used stone-look porcelain tile to keep costs reasonable.

Custom Square Shower: To give maximum range to the shower door we built a 5” wide wing wall on which to mount the hinges for the door.  A door stop mounted under the countertop keeps the shower door from hitting the countertop, sink or lighting.  The custom size and wing wall dictated a tiled shower pan.  We used 2” mosaic porcelain tile that matches the tile used in the rest of the bath.  The glass is etched to provide privacy since the bath is used by the more than one individual.

Shower Bar & Corner Shelf: We used a shower bar which allows the girls to adjust the shower head to their height.  It also allows them to shower without getting their hair wet if they desire.  I have a strong preference for Jado shower bars.  They are designed to provide a better range of up and down as well as side-to-side flexibility in directing the shower head.  We selected a head with multiple jet options.  A corner storage shelf mounted relatively high stores soap as well as shampoo and bodywash up and away from the stream of the shower.

Shower Bar Is Flexible for Taller & Shorter Occupants

Wall mirror plus tall mirrored medicine cabinet: A large wall mounted mirror gives the girls a good view of themselves and their clothing.  We recessed a tall medicine cabinet on the opposite wall.  By opening the door of the medicine cabinet to varying degrees, the girls can see their backs and the back of their hair.  [Note: one of the girls has written “you are beautiful” in red in two places on the medicine cabinet.]

Lighting, Heat & Ventilation: Sconces mounted on the wall mirror needed to be shallow enough not to interfere with the open shower door.  They are positioned for good lighting for applying makeup.  The same scone is mounted horizontally above the medicine cabinet.  We selected an exhaust fan that also provides heat and lighting.  The heater helps warm the room on cold winter days without heating the rest of the house.  The unit also has a ceiling light and nighlight as part of the unit.

To keep the room looking neat, we installed hooks on the door for towels and robes.  A towel bar on the shower door and a towel ring on the mirror provide additional places for hand and bath towels.

Scroll down to see the new floor plan and “before” pictures.

Floor Plan Shows How Wedge-Shaped Countertop Opens Up Tiny Bath

Before Photo with Shower Curtain & Standard Vanity