Luxury Bath Remodel With Aging In Place Features
Killearn Neighborhood, Tallahassee, FL
Lead Designer: Kristi Williams, Project Manager Elliot Holtom
Drag slider to see the transformation!
Project Highlights
- Walk In, Barrier Free Shower
- Framed LED Mirrors and Pendants for Accent
- Marble Wall Tile and Porcelain Floor Tile
- Vanity Storge Tower With Charging Ports
Quote from the client:
“We’re loving it, every day is a day at the spa! Thanks to the entire team”
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Project Summary:
A Luxury Bath Remodel With Aging In Place Features
These clients wanted to update their primary bath to have a larger shower, more storage and a spa-like feel.
Challenges and Solutions
Planning on this project was thorough and we did not run into any significant surprises or challenges that impacted the schedule or the budget. Every job has some minor challenges and this one did have a few small ones.
- Some framing was in the way of our original location for the light switches
- We discussed new locations with our designer and the client and the change with made without any cost or delay.
- The wrong shower valve was sent for the shower.
- We were able to get a replacement quickly.
Timeline
Our project manager, Elliot, did a great job of keeping this project on schedule and we finished just two days after our initial projected completion date.
Project Timeline
Projected project start date: Feb 28, 2023 – Actual Start Date: Feb 28, 2023
Projected Completion Date: April 25th, 2023 – Actual Completion Date: April 27th, 2023
Design Timeline
We started design on October 18th, finalized everything on Nov 29th 2022 and scheduled the project start for Feb 28th 2023.
Budget vs Final Price
Our initial budgets are usually very accurate and this was no exception. The budget we presented for this project was $75, 765. The final fixed price proposal we presented was for $81,494, about 8% more than the original budget.
- Labor costs for this project came in a little lower than expected
- A few changes in material selections, like changing from porcelain tile to marble, caused the price to increase.
Change Orders
We put a lot of effort into design and planning to avoid unexpected change orders. On this project there were just two small changes.
- One at no cost the the client, to move some light switches because we discovered the framing was in the way of the original intended location.
- The second was a request by the client to add a lighted magnifying mirror to the vanity area. The cost for that was minor… about $300.
Final Project Photos
Materials Used:
- Frameless Semi Custom Cabinets by Decor Cabinets.
- Silestone Etherial Glow Countertops installed by Southern Tops
- Alder Door with Cinammon Stain for vanity base
- Painted Finish in decorators whitle for upper cabinets (custom color)
- Leyton Cabinet Pulls in Flat Black
- Oculus Knobs in Flat Black
- Shower and Tile
- Carrara 4×12 Polished Marble Tile in Shower. From Tilebar
- Allora Black Hex from Bedrosians on bath and shower floor
- Linear shower drain with floral grate from Schluter Systems
- Fixtures and Accessories
- Brizo Atavis Towel bars, TP holder and accessories
- Brizio Atavis Faucets and shower fixtures
- Willem Pendants by Joss and Main
- Broan Surface Shield Lighted 100 CFM bath fan
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Project Details:
Creating A Luxury Bath With Accesible Features
Updating a large bath properly takes a few steps. We start with a home visit to dicuss the problems and goals for the project, then create a plan and budget before moving into design to finalize the details, order materials and build the project.
Initial Home Visit
After our first phone call we scheduled a home visit to get a look at the bathroom, discuss what they needed to change, what their project goals were and to scan the room to get measurements.
They had gotten a plan from another contractor so we reviewed that as well, though ultimately they didn’t feel that contractor had the design skills or resources to create the luxury bath they wanted.
Initial Discussion
Every project we do starts with a Design and Budget Consult so we can see the space and ask questions. One of the first questions we ask at the home visit is “what don’t you like about this bathroom?”
The biggest issues the homeowner had were:
- The Shower Was Small and hard to Keep Clean
- The Jetted Tub was Never Used
- The flooring was worn and dirty
- The room was ugly and not their style
We also suggested that the lighting and ventilation needed improvement and the possiblity of adding storage.
At the home visit we also ask what their goals are… what features did they want the bath to have and any ideas about what it should look like.
Not everyone has a clear answer for this at the start and we explore it more in design but in this case the homeowner had some pretty clear goals.
Homeowner’s Goals
- They wanted accessible features for aging in place
- They wanted a luxury bath feel
- They wanted more storage
- The wanted to keep a tub, possibly a freestanding one
Before Photos
Small shower, bad lightnig, worn flooring
Dark colors, heavy wall texure, dingy look
Lack of Storage Creates Clutter
Initial Showroom Visit
Before the end of the home visit we scheduled thier showroom visit where we would review their design concepts and budget. Typically the showroom visit happen about a week after the home visit.
In this case we knew the client wanted a luxury bath that was also practcal , with lots of storage and aging in place features. This large bathroom provided lots of oppotunity to accomplish that.
We Created Two Initial Concepts
While Our inital concept are not detailed, they do help visiualize the basic layout and explore options. Later in the design process we create detailed working drawings and full color renderings.
This client orginally said they wanted to keep a tub in the bathroom, we felt there were some opportunites if we got rid of the tub so we created two concepts to they could compare them.
Ultimately they choose concept 2 which got rid of the tub in favor of a walk in shower.
Concept 1 Included a Tub
Concept 2 Had A Walk In Shower
The Initial Budget: $75,765.00
The initial budget for this project came in at $75, 765.00. The budget included the barrier free shower, vanityh with a linen cabinets in one of our better cabinet lines, 2 sinks, quartz countertops, high end shower fixtures, basic lighting and basic porcelain tile.
Initial Budget Summary
- Labor Costs: $34,528
- Design and Project Management: $15,400
- Permits and Material Selections: $24,652
After some discussion they decided to pay their design retainer (5% of the budget) and move forward into design. We scheduled their first design meeting before they left the showroom that day.
Slide between images to see the 3D rendering vs the final photo
Design, Planning and Ordering
Because they really liked the intial concept we presented we planned for just 2 design meetings plus a final meeting to review everything and present the fixed price proposal.
By the end of the first meeting we had decided:
- General Layout – cabinets, toilet and shower – to create the Demo and Framing plans
- Plumbing (toilet, sinks, shower) and Electic (lights, plugs, accessories) locations
- HVAC plan (bath fans and vents)
As you can see above, the final design was similar to our initial concept with some changes. We improved the lighting more with pendants and LED mirros, removed the tall linen and added a vantiy tower instead which allowed for towel bars in the shower area. We also added a cabinet over the toilet for more storage.
By the end of the second meeting we had finalized everything:
- All Materials, colors and fixtures were chosen
- The scope of work was finalized and all bids were back
- Our project managers had reviewed everything with our designer
The final color rendering of the design. The storage tower on the vanity includes power in the lower section so electric toothbrushes and shavers could be kept charged out of sight. The pendants provide a nice accent light while the LED mirrors provide great task lighitng. We also added a fan/light over the shower and a recessed light over the toilet.
Fixed Price Proposal
At the end of the design process we presented their fixed price proposal. It came out to be about 8% more than the original budget due to choosing some more expensive materials in design.
Final Proposal Summary
- Labor Costs: $34,228
- Design and Project Management: $15,600
- Permits and Material Selections: $31,766
We reviewed the final proposal in detail and collect a 30% deposit to order materials.
Ordering and Storage
Now that Design was complete we ordered all their materials, finalized the project calendar and set the exact start date for their project. As material arrive we stored them in our warehouse until the project start date.
Construction
Construction on this project went quite well with very few surprises. We did have a few small issues like the wrong shower valve being delviered and the light switch locations having to be changed due to
Proposed project start date: Feb 28, 2023
Actual Project Start Date: Feb 28, 2023
Proposed Completion Date: April 25th, 2023
Actual Completion Date: April 27th, 2023
Final Project Photos