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Synchronized
Bathroom Remodels

Remodeling all at once reduces both inconvenience and expense

TEXT:

Rachel Arroyo

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY:

Dan Cutrona

Hyannis Project

Design & Construction: E.F. Winslow

Yarmouth Project

Design & Construction: Home Improvement Specialists

For a couple looking forward to spending their retirement together in a quiet little neighborhood, it just made sense. The same was true for a small family living in California who wanted to spend quality time reconnecting with family on the East Coast while kicking back in a beautiful beachfront home.

After weighing their options, these homeowners chose to remodel multiple bathrooms at once, as part of a larger home renovation project, trimming down some of the inconveniences associated with home remodeling, and saving a little cash along the way.

Retirement Retreat

Carol and Brian Ladner bought their Hyannis home in 1987.  And after more than 20 years of memories, their home needed more than a style update. “Everything was falling apart,” says Carol.

“It was just the two of us, so we decided to just do the whole house; we liked the location,” says Brian about their decision to renovate rather than purchasing a new home.

The Ladners contracted E.F. Winslow in South Yarmouth to do the project because, as Chas Hinckley, the head designer on the project points out: “We are a full-service company,” offering everything from home remodeling services to heating, plumbing, electrical and septic work.

“We did drapes, furniture, everything, from top to bottom,” says Brian. “If you are going to do it, and do it right, might as well do the whole thing.”  The only time the Ladners had to move out of the house during the remodeling project was when the two bathrooms were being simultaneously completed.  

When working on the plumbing in the downstairs bathroom, the remodeling crew realized that the piping in the upstairs bathroom needed to be done at the same time. Both bathrooms received radiant-heat flooring, new sink vanities, toilets, lighting fixtures and showers, as well as customized wall treatments. But that is where the similarities between the two rooms end.

“Each of the rooms has a theme,” says Hinckley. The downstairs bathroom is reminiscent of a beach, with natural elements serving as a peaceful background for the painted, nautical-themed matching sink and toilet set from Kohler. “The tile has a beach-stone feel,” he says. And adding to the overarching theme is the carefully hand-painted mural on the wall. “I asked Jenny [Fragosa] to make it feel like you are standing on the beach in the open mist,” says Hinckley. “She got it right!”

The Ladners have received a lot of compliments from friends and family members on their downstairs bathroom. “I think it is the tile floor and the mural Jenny did,” explains Brian.

The upstairs bathroom has a slightly more formal tone. “It is almost a Victorian feel, or a little Oriental,” states Hinckley. It was the 12-by-12 inch Grecian Marble Chipolino tiles on the shower wall and ceiling that set the color palette and inspired the décor. The frameless glass door with a custom-crafted glass knob allows the luster of the 2-by-2 inch Ming Green Tumbled tile on the shower floor to flow seamlessly into the larger 6-by-6 inch Ming Green Tumbled tile on the remaining bathroom floor, giving the illusion of more space. Fitting effortlessly into the bathroom space and décor is an Empire vanity with a delicately painted flower motif and matching wall-mounted mirror from the Versailles collection.

“Everything just came together nicely, from the tile selection to the faux finishing (on the walls),” says Chas about the remodel. And having done the whole project at once, instead of one room at a time over an extended period, the homeowners are able to enjoy their “new” home without interruption. “From the get-go we wanted something that was turn-key,” Brian says.

And that is exactly what they got.

United Family Getaway

In February of 2007, Mark Gombar and his wife bought a beachfront property bursting with personality, but short on functional space and light.  “I wanted a place on the water where I could have my extended family get together for family reunions,” says Gombar. But first, they needed to open up the floor plan to create a brighter more workable living space that would also take advantage of the stunning ocean vista that lay just outside their Yarmouth home.

After researching contractors for the project and conferring with about five different companies, the Gombars decided to hire John Falacci from Home Improvement Specialists in Hyannis. “With John I felt comfortable …he’s a great guy, really sincere and does excellent work. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other and it paid off.”

“Communication is huge,” says Falacci about working in the home remodeling field. For this particular project, with the clients living on the West Coast, communication was extremely important. “The customer was very knowledgeable about product and was able to comprehend what we were talking about through vocal description,” says Falacci.

Besides having the homeowners on the opposite side of country, there were many other unique obstacles that came along with this project. One of the biggest difficulties in the complete home renovation project was to move the first-floor bathroom from one side of the kitchen to the other, which would open up the floor plan and maximize space.

“One of the challenges was making the bathroom have enough space,” says Falacci. The stairs to the second floor, which were directly over the first-floor guest bathroom, needed to be rebuilt to give the room enough head space. As a result, now, the ceiling is sloped slightly over the toilet, which fits perfectly with the home’s angularity. “We had a lot of angles built in,” says Gombar.

The entrance to the bathroom itself is on a slight angle, conjuring up images of a ship’s cabin. “There is a nautical theme throughout the house…I didn’t want to throw away (that) theme when we did the bathroom,” the homeowner explains.

“Another consideration for a bathroom in the center of the home is lighting,” Falacci points out, since there is no exterior window linking to the outside world. To address this, nautical-themed porthole windows were installed high into the wall between the bathroom and the small passageway to the kitchen. Additionally, authentic ship lights are used as an artificial light source within the compact room.

All three bathrooms—the first-floor guest bathroom, master bath and a dated third bathroom received a complete makeover, replete with Crema Marfil marble tile imported from Spain for the shower walls and bathroom floor, Grohe plumbing fixtures in polished nickel and toilets by Toto with add-on seat warmers.

The benefit to doing the entire renovation at once, including all three bathrooms, is a savings on time and labor, Falacci explains; since the entire crew is already set-up on the property and ready to go, it cuts down on travel and worksite preparation time. And materials that would otherwise go unused were redirected to other parts of the house. But, for the Gombars, the biggest benefit to remodeling everything at once was “…only having them in there one time,” says Gombar. Falacci adding “The aggravation factor—there is a big savings on that.”

Expect to pay:
For bathrooms similar to the Hyannis home: $35 – 40K
For bathrooms similar to Yarmouth Project: $15 – 20K

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