It's never a good thing when you see one of your home's most important rooms as a place you'd rather not spend much time in.
Nevertheless, that's how a couple (until recently, that is) viewed the bathroom on the second floor of their classic River Heights-area home. While they loved the rest of the home -- which was built in 1917 -- the same couldn't be said for the main bathroom.
"Basically, the whole area was at some point a three-season sunroom, then the previous owner had done a do-it-yourself bathroom. Not only were there a series of old screen-porch, single-pane windows on the rear and side walls, but there were also three different layers of flooring," said Brian. "It just wasn't very good."
Wife Amanda took that statement one step further.
"Really, it was a pretty scary room," she said. "That's not how you should feel about your main bathroom. It should be a sanctuary, a place you go to relax."
With those rather unsavoury thoughts in mind, the couple then embarked on a renovation odyssey that took almost one year to complete through the various stages: concept, hiring a contractor (Aqua-Tech) collaboration (with Aqua-Tech's in-house certified interior decorator, Lee-Ellen Green) on the final design, demolition -- and, finally -- construction (or would that be reconstruction?) of the space.
Despite its obvious shortcoming, it was a space that had potential, added Brian.
"The room is actually quite a big space. We felt that if it was utilized properly, it could be an excellent bathroom -- we wanted to modernize it, yet have it fit in with the age of the home. To do that, it had to be taken down to the studs, then re-insulated and rewired. It was then a matter of making the best possible use of the space," he said.
That job fell to Green, who was charged with the unenviable task of balancing ergonomics with style. After much consultation with Brian and Amanda, it was decided the room would be broken down into three distinct areas: the bath area, shower area and storage.
To brighten the room, two strategies were employed: first, five lights were placed around the room to ensure lighting at night was even and warm. That wasn't previously the case, as there'd been (gasp!) only one light to illuminate the whole space. The second strategy was simple, yet brilliant: to place a large picture window on the rear wall, with two good-sized windows on the side to bathe the space in natural light.
A brand-new (air-jetted) clawfoot tub was then placed by the windows adjacent to a quaint little bench (actually housing for the water pump that feeds the tub -- a creative, practical solution courtesy of Green). A cool, oversized tempered-glass shower (with subway tile surround) was installed to add additional aquatic pleasure into the mix. A white vanity with black granite top and cabinet were then installed to optimize storage.
Next, a white tile floor with octagonal inlays and (well-placed triangular black accents for contrast) was chosen because it -- along with the clawfoot tub -- meshed with the home's early-1900s decor theme.
"I didn't just want to do a generic bathroom," said Amanda. "I wanted to keep it with the period. Lee-Ellen did a great job of marrying modern character with classic ones."
Green said taking the renovation didn't happen by accident; it took a lot of collaboration with Brian and Amanda to determine the design -- and a lot of patience and hard work to pull off the end product.
"My advice to folks looking to do a bathroom renovation -- or any renovation, for that matter -- is to look around and see what catches your eye. Then, bring pictures to your designer so they can see what the inspiration is. Also know what your budget is -- that's so important. If you're realistic with it, then we can work with it to do almost anything within the budget you've set out."
Finally -- this is a renovation, after all -- you have to be patient.
"It was worth all the work -- it was actually a really smooth renovation," Amanda said.
"Our attitude was to do it right, so we didn't rush it. Fortunately, Lee-Ellen and all the trades were great, they were really particular about every aspect of the project. We wanted something timeless, and it is."
Best of all, said Brian, it's a space he and Amanda now enjoy -- immensely -- every time they set foot inside.
"I don't think we realized how crummy the old bathroom was before it was redone. It was just a room before; now we're really enjoying it in every way."
lewys@mts.net
