Bathroom Remodel Lakeside 2

The following photo gallery shows  the resulting remodeling efforts.  You can “click” on each photo to enlarge and see any additional information.  Further scope details and lessons learned follow below.

After: Shower B

After: Vanity Area

After: Shower-a

After: Shower C

SCOPE:

• Structural – Removed fur-down ceiling in vanity area resulting in cleaner ceiling look and allowing the room to feel larger.  The HVAC duct run was in the fur-down — so new runs were installed in each room (this resulted in better air flow)
• Cabinets – N/A
• Countertops – Replace with “granite” — Santa Cecilia
• Backsplash – 4″ matching countertop
• Electrical – Replace all switches and plugs with Decora™ outlets
• Lighting – Replace florescent strip with cans
• Plumbing – Moved shower valve to opposite side with drain move towards center.  Re-used faucet fixtures for vanity.
• Shower — Natural Stone used throughout with 12×12″ tiles installed in both square and diamond patterns.  Borders comprised of 1×1″ contrasting natural stone tiles with 2×2″ matching tiles on the floor.  Built-in niche to hold shower supplies.
• Shower Enclosure — 3/8″ frame glass with door able to open both in or out, based upon individual preference.
• Walls – Repaired and Re-painted.
• Flooring – Matching 12×12 ceramic tile for both bathing and vanity areas.

LESSONS LEARNED:

• Fur-Down and HVAC — We continue to be surprised by how each builder used the fur-down area for air duct runs.  In this case, the register was located in the wall (at the bottom).  Duct runs like this are very in-efficient — so the returns were moved to the ceilings with dedicated runs.
  
• Cold Weather — The shower was located on the second floor over a patio that was not heated or cooled.  Before the remodel, pipes froze.  Knowing this, PEX piping was used — better able to take cold temperatures with water freezing in the lines — may still freeze, but will not break as easily as copper.  In addition, extra insulation was added under the shower.