Friday, May 12, 2017

From Blah to Spa: Master Bath Reveal

Hello friends! Without any further designs, decisions, delays, or deviations from the original plan, our master bath renovation in our home is finally complete. The bath has been transformed from its former, 1980s blah brown into a 21st century spa, and today I'm sharing that transformation with you.
To backtrack and see the former look of the master bathroom and reasons behind our decisions to gut the space, you can refresh with this post. We hired a local design expert to assist us in altering our floor plan, simply because we didn't know what we didn't know about potential structural concerns. He listened so well to our concerns and wish list, he won the job primarily for those reasons. My design board for the remodel shaped up with the following photo collage (the complete source list is at the end of the post, and can also be found with links on my Pinterest Board titled Master Bath Ideas):
Design Board for Master Bath 
Our ultimate goals with the renovated bathroom were as follows:
  • Update the overall appearance to a more current look (but still traditional), utilizing quality replacement materials
  • Eliminate the vanity, bidet and jacuzzi tub
  • Eliminate most, if not all, of the brass fixtures, Hollywood glamour lighting, marble tile, and wall mirrors
  • Reconfigure the floor plan to take better advantage of the generous space (approx 135 sq ft, excluding closets)
  • Raise the height of the vanity countertop from a too low 30" to 35"
  • Improve focal lighting for close up activities (shaving, applying makeup)
  • Create a walk-in shower, increasing the size to eliminate a door & accommodate a seat, multiple water sources
  • Take measures for best possible waterproofing with the shower system
  • Install a radiant heated floor
Mission accomplished.

The photo-heavy remainder of this post details the outcome of our project.

The line of sight walking into the bathroom is centered on the right-hand side of the vanity/mirror. The new vanity (Holiday Carlisle) is 84" vs. the previous 60". Radiant floor heating (Schluter®) was a luxury addition. While throw rugs are not necessary (and, in fact, must be used wisely with radiant heat), they add color and even more comfort at the toe kick area beneath the vanity, where the heat cable stops.
Master Bath View Upon Main Entry
The vanity is of furniture-quality construction, with soft-close and smooth-gliding doors and drawers. The drawers are so beautifully finished I hate to even have them hidden!
Holiday Carlisle vanity construction detail
As you approach the vanity's right corner, you see the new walk-in shower where the toilet and bidet were previously situated.
Master Bath View from Vanity (Front, Right)
If there is a showstopper element in this master bath, I would say the shower is it. The shower is approximately 25 sq ft (except for angles where plumbing and seating are built into the design). This was custom designed, and built utilizing a trademarked waterproofing shower system (Schluter®) and custom fabricated, solid quartz walls (Cambria Ella). You should have seen the installation! It took five guys to carry in the largest wall (right side).
Master Bath View to Shower Interior. 
The step-down left-side entry wall with half-glass panel conceals plumbing. The "curb", also waterproofed and quartz covered, acts as a barrier to water escaping onto the main floor. Delta fixtures were installed in the quartz walls.
Shower Heads, Control Valves
Below is a photo collage of some of the details we chose in our shower materials and selections. Starting clockwise, top L: Overhead showerhead (Raincan) & overhead vent fans/lights; Custom shower walls in solid quartz (Cambria Ella), with corner seat; Cancos Co Basketweave tile on shower floor; Built-In quartz niche shelf for toiletries; Shower water fixtures (Delta Cassidy).
Shower Interior Details
When viewing the room's space from the shower, note the lofted wall/ceiling (original home design). The two skylights are original to the home's construction also, and there's a ceiling fan between them (we replaced the original). The wall has been left naked for the time being. I have a few ideas in mind, but will leave it empty a while instead of just filling the space for the sake of filling.
Master Bath View from Shower Interior
The soaking tub (Fleurco Aria Fortissimo) is huge at 70+" long, and holds 74 gallons. With a center drain, the tub had to be plumbed from the ceiling below (from our breakfast area on first floor). The framed print I already owned, but was being stored. I originally wanted a chandelier over the tub, but the ceiling directly above is only 8' so I had dimmable downlights added instead. The 24" tile makes the floor space seem even bigger. The radiant heated floor beneath (Schluter®) is controlled by a programmable thermostat mounted on the wall just inside the closet door behind the tub. That closet space runs the length of that wall behind the tub, an alcove under the attic stairs, but also allows for hanging clothes and storing our mini refrigerator, too (the door of which is accessible from the stair landing outside the bedroom/bath suite).
Master Bath View, Looking at Main Entrance/Exit and Utility Closet
The photo collage below shows some of the details we chose in our materials and accessories selections. Starting clockwise, top L: Delta (Cassidy) tub filler; Park Harbor (Peebles) light fixtures (sconces are on his & hers separate, dimmable switches); Delta (Cassidy) faucet & towel ring, Cambria (Ella) vanity countertop & backsplash with cutouts for electrical outlets (his & hers); Frontgate (Belmont) rolling valet tucks nicely beside vanity when not in use; DecoBros mesh cabinet stacking organizer/drawer; a closer look at faucet; Rev-a-Shelf vanity grooming organizer. Designed for hot iron/hair dryer storage, the metal container shelf in this unit can be replaced with another shelf for alternate, adjustable storage.
Master Bath Fixture, Accessories Detail
As you can see from the closet view, the lofted wall has much potential for future use.
View from interior of master closet.
This view (below) is from the opposite corner, looking toward the master closet.
View toward Master Closet.
The master closet area served as the "toolbox" during the job, and at one point also held the soaking tub, medicine cabinets and tub filler. At nearly 42 sq ft and all that shelving, it took nearly three days just to paint the closet. All the bathroom painting added an additional week to the 8 week project.
Master Closet Interior, Clean and Freshly Painted
While this job took a full nine weeks of workers present Monday-Friday, the actual construction was within the original estimate (6-8 weeks) the contractor provided. Project activities that consumed much of the time were the demolition, reconfiguring the electrical and plumbing lines, and framing/waterproofing the new shower. With so much marble tile and built-in framing around the previous shower and tub, it was nearly one full week to get everything out and down to the studs.

Were there many tasks between the before and after? More tasks than I ever thought possible, but certainly worth the time taken. Were there project hiccups along the way? Yes. Most were small, but a few really stand out in my mind. Were there lessons learned in the project management, generally speaking? Certainly. I will reserve all of these details for some future post, in the hopes of helping others.

Here's a side by side look at our master bath, before and after the renovation, of each of the spaces.
Thanks for bearing with me as I captured the details of our master bath renovation project. If you have any questions about the timeline or experience, feel free to contact me. I'm not compensated for any of what happened here (far from it!). I don't typically disclose expense details, but you can glean that by research.

I couldn't have asked for any better present for Mother's Day, birthday, or any other occasion than to have this job finished and the work permits out of the windows. Now, to get back moved in and enjoy....
Master Bath Remodel Source List:
Designer - Wardens Kitchen and Appliance Gallery (South Charleston, WV)
General Contractor - H&O Construction Co. (South Charleston, WV)
Quartz (custom shower walls) - Cambria Ella, in 2 cm - Johnson Granite (Mt. Airy, NC fabricator, wholesale distributor)
Shower Substrate Waterproof System - Schluter®-Shower System
Quartz (vanity counter, backsplash) - Cambria Ella, in 3 cm - Johnson Granite (Mt. Airy, NC fabricator, wholesale distributor)
Shower Glass Half Panel - clear-coated with straight channel - Mountaineer Glass (Dunbar, WV)
Freestanding Tub - Fleurco Aria Fortissimo
Commode - Kohler Cimarron Comfort Model K-3589 2-piece elongated, 1.6 GPF
Vanity Custom Cabinetry - Carlisle full overlay fog w/graphite glaze maple cabinets and trim - Holiday Kitchens (Rice Lake, WI)
Cabinetry Organizer - Rev-a-Shelf Vanity Grooming Organizer
Vanity Hardware - HardwareResources.com Elements series, Merryville - polished chrome
Sinks - White oval porcelain -  Johnson Granite (Mt. Airy, NC wholesale distributor)
Porcelain tile (main floor) - Cancos Co Massa Series 24" (and baseboard) Statuario Polished - Smith Tile (Charleston, WV wholesale distributor)
Porcelain tile (shower floor) - Cancos Co Basketweave - Smith Tile (Charleston, WV wholesale distributor)
Grout - Silverado power grout- Smith Tile (Charleston, WV wholesale distributor)
Radiant, Electric Floor Warming System - Schluter® DITRA-HEAT with programmable touchscreen thermostat
Faucets, Fixtures - (all in polished chrome) Delta Cassidy series floor mount tub filler, sink, shower diverter and valve, with French curve handles; Delta 5-setting H20kinetic shower head, Delta Premium 7-setting slide bar hand shower; Raincan single-setting Touch-Clean shower head; Delta Cassidy series tissue holder, towel ring, double towel rack, double robe hooks, grab bar (not installed) 
Shower Vented Light Fixtures - NuTone recessed ventilation fan with LED light - Warden's
Tub Light Fixtures - Halo surface mount downlight, dimmable - Home Depot
Vanity Mirror/Medicine Cabinets - Pegasus
Vanity Light Fixtures - Park Harbor Peeble series in polished chrome - Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery
Ceiling Fan - SeaGull 42" Long Beach remote controlled, white - Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery
Backplatesswitches and outlets, white - Home Depot
Paint - Sherwin-Williams Pure White (SW7005) Emerald line in matte finish for walls, ceilings; Extra White (SW7006) Pro Classic line in semi-gloss finish for trim and doors
Rolling Valet - Belmont, polished chrome - Frontgate
DecoBros - mesh cabinet stacking organizer/drawer - Amazon
Marbled Scatter Rugs - Pier1.com (discontinued)
White Cotton Towels - Vera Wang Pure Luxury - Kohls.com

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