Remodeling a master bathroom always requires a careful and thoughtful balance of design and constructability.

The DESIGN…

The existing ‘Master Bathroom’ in this house was what I call a “Hotel Style” bathroom.  The vanity was located between a walk-in closet and the space/room where the shower and toilet were located.  You see this layout in many hotel rooms, where the vanity is not included in the ‘bath/shower/toilet area.’  This works fine for a weekend stay away from home, but feels slightly non-discrete when it is your master bathroom.

Not only was the shower area cramped, but also the toilet was also so close the edge of the shower/tub that the customers had little room to maneuver.

Below is a drawing of the existing space…
It was RCS’ job to figure out how to open up the space and incorporate a custom Soaker Tub into the new layout.

After a producing a few sketches (Sketch 2, Sketch 3, Sketch 4), the Owners decided they would go with what we called the “Grand Master Bathroom.”

This layout utilized the existing walk-in closet space for the new tub area and allowed the addition of French Doors to create a separation between the existing Master Bedroom area and the new Master Bathroom.  Since the Master Bedroom area was very large, we decided to relocate the walk-in closet.  This relocation created an even more intimate entry into the new Master Bathroom and gave the owners the opportunity to update their closet space with a more efficient layout.

CONSTRUCTABILITY…

In order to construct this design, it was necessary to remove everything in the existing bathroom, vanity, and closet areas down to the sub-floor and studs.

The biggest challenge of construction was going to be relocating the plumbing for the new Soaker Tub to an area with no existing plumbing lines or drains.

To facilitate the tub in this new location, we raised the tub about 6-8 inches above the existing subfloor.  This enabled the plumber to make the tub drain connection without cutting into the existing floor joists and also created a platform area to step in and out of the tub.  From an asthetic point of view, raising the tub above the floor made the tub area the “Grand Feature” of this space.

We aslo decided to frame in a header approximately 12 inches below the finished ceiling to further accent the tub area.

This header also hides the Rainfall Shower headed located in the ceiling of the tub area and the showercurtain rod, giving a clean view of the custom tile work around the tub and shower area.

And here are a few details that finsihed off this project nicely…

For more photos including before and after, click here.

Do you have a project that you would like to complete and don’t know where to start?

Call RCS and we can help you.  865-250-9172

Incorrect Plumbing

I had a hard time understanding exactly what they were trying to describe, but when we met the owners at their home, I understood completely.  Unfortunately for the current homeowners, the previous owners had taken on a plumbing project that was literally ‘over their heads.’  The pluming in the living room ceiling was installed in order to put a bathroom upstairs in what used to be a renovated attic space, but it was installed incorrectly.  The only way the drain lines would have worked was if water flowed uphill!

So there was the first challenge.  Fix the plumbing and make the living room ceiling look like a living room ceiling…again.

Bathroom Before

Down to the Framing

The next challenge was to renovate the downstairs bathroom to gain more space for a family of five, and to make it a retreat for mom…a place to soak away the stresses of the day in the antique, cast-iron, claw foot tub.  The owners (especially the mom) wanted to have a spacious bathroom for her tub and incorporate an archway into the design.  The problem was that in an 80-year old house with a very old bathroom, the floors have a tendency not to be level and there is usually water damage over that period of time….and so was the case on this project.  So we had to remove the floor down to the joists and start from there.

After removing the floor, ceilings and walls, we re-framed, re-wired, re-plumbed, and re-finished the bathroom…mom had a place to relax and get away…if only for a few minutes.

No More Plumbing

Aaron and Katie (mom)…the owners:

“When we needed to hire a contracting company to remodel our 1925 Arts and Crafts house, we had 3 requirements in mind during our selection process: honesty, quality design and materials, and a good old-fashioned hard working spirit. Redbud Construction Services was the obvious choice for us! From the initial cost estimation and design process all the way to the last day of clean up, the Redbud team went above and beyond the call of duty. You will not find a better company to work with!”

Check out more of this project’s photos on our home page under the Featured Photos section in the middle of the home page.
Do you have a project that you would like to complete and don’t know where to start? Call RCS and we can help you.  865-250-9172

Also from the article:

Rheem summarizes some of the differences:

* Product Cost: Tank water heaters typically range in cost from $350 to $550, while tankless water heaters are roughly double that amount.
* Operating Cost: Average annual operating costs for tank water heaters are in the $230 to $285 range. Average annual operating costs for tankless water heaters are about half of that, at $165 to $170.
* Installation Cost: In new construction, installing any type of water heater includes running fuel lines or electrical connections and allowing for adequate venting, so there is little difference in costs between a tankless water and a tank water heater. In remodeling, however, it will cost more to replace a tank water heater with a tankless unit. Installed costs to replace a tank water heater with a tankless unit are typically between $1,200 and $3,000, compared with a range of $500 to $800 to replace a tank with another tank.
* Size: Tank water heaters are typically four to six feet in height, and up to two and a half feet in diameter. Because of their size, tank water heaters are usually located in the garage or basement, which sometimes places the hot water far from the point of use. Tankless water heaters, about the size of a medicine cabinet, can be wall-mounted indoors or even outdoors.
* Experience: Tankless water heaters never run out of hot water. A properly sized unit allows for use of multiple fixtures and appliances at the same time. Tankless is especially ideal for luxury spa bathrooms, where one large whirlpool tub can empty a 40-gallon tank-type water heater before the tub is even filled.

While the site is open for all, including homeowners, Rheem offers a white paper and bi-monthly newsletter that is strictly limited to professionals. For more information, visit www.smarterhotwater.com.

Is a tankless water heater right for your project?  Contact REDBUD CONSTRCUTION SERVICES at 865.250.9172 and we would be happy to discuss the possibilities for your project.

Are you looking for that unique surface top for your kitchen or bath, or do you want to have a stylish and durable ‘GREEN’ product…then look no further than IceStone.  This product has appeared in This Old House, The New York Post, and Building Design + Construction.

From their website:

IceStone durable surfaces are made from 100% recycled glass and concrete.  IceStone® products are the ideal choice for green kitchen countertops. They’re also a great option for backsplashes, bathrooms, vanities, bathroom dividers, tabletops, interior walls, and commercial flooring applications. Beautiful shower surrounds and bathtubs could be made with IceStone durable surface material. It can be shaped, cut water jet, inlaid, mounted vertically or horizontally. While there are 27 standard colors available, the color palette is infinite….IceStone durable surfaces are strong like granite, not as porous as marble and heat-resistant like stone. The chemical composition is benign and 99.5% inorganic making it a very safe material from the standpoint of toxicity and fire resistance.  The fabrication, installation and maintenance of IceStone surfaces follow essentially the same process as used with natural stone.  Due to its high recycled content and Cradle to Cradle Certification, IceStone materials can be used towards LEED points.

The cost of IceStone surfaces is dependent on the color selection, size and scope of project and it is available only to distributors and fabricators.  You can find showrooms for this product at their website.

If in the Knoxville area: G & L Marble carries the IceStone product line.

Call REDBUD Construction Services and speak with our designers about how to incorporate these and other GREEN products into your project…865-250-9172.

Before: Masterbath

This is where we started.  What we refer to as a ‘CONTRACTOR SPECIAL’…meaning the contractor that built the house probably received a special discount on every item in this bathroom because he/she bought everything in bulk.  Nothing special at all, really.

The homeowners called REDBUD Construction Services and said, “We want to update our bathroom, but we don’t know what we want.  We just know we don’t want this anymore.”

After a couple of design consultation meetings and producing an ‘AS-BUILT’ sketch, the RCS design team started working on a design that would ‘open-up’ the space by removing the old tub, demo’ing the wall at the end of the vanity, remove the vanity and generally brighten up the space with a new lighting scheme and add architectural detials like a raised panel wainscott and a new tile floor and walk-in shower.

In order to deliver a design that meets the owners’ needs and makes best use of a given space, RCS tries to focus on a sigle element and design the space with that in mind.

THE FOCUS OF THIS SPACE WAS THE WALK-IN SHOWER FOR TWO.

Remodeled Walk-In Shower

We replaced the tub and added a clear glass door.  The simple tile design and recessed lights make this shower area the focus of the bathroom.  The owners didn’t exactly know what they wanted when we started, so I suggested that they browse the internet and find a picture of something they liked.  This is what they sent us…

An Example of What They Wanted

And this is where we ended up…

The Final Product

Adam and Ellen (the Owners)…

“Redbud Construction helped us dream of a design, and then they took it from there.  From the architectural drawings to completion.  Shawn’s professionalism and integrity sold us on using them for our remodel.  He was always up front with us  and was always looking out for our best interest.  The team he assembled to remodel our bathroom was top notch.  I highly recommend them for any construction job you might have!”

Do you have a project that you would like to complete and don’t know where to start?  Call RCS and we can help you “dream of a design.”

865-250-9172

If you have ever asked yourself, “How much space do I need for that?”, then these kitchen and bath planning guidelines should help answer most of your questions.

So get a pencil, a big eraser, and some graph paper…if you don’t have any graph paper just print this out…and have fun laying out that new project.  (Use each square to represent 3″ or 6″…that will give you a scalable drawing.)

Please remember, before beginning any construction you should consult a professional in the building industry in your local area to make yourself aware of the local building codes and requirements for your project.

And contact RCS with any questions you may have about your upcoming project.