Written By Doug Rusk, Architect
When Dawn, a San Francisco Pharmacist, decided to move closer to her grandkids in Chandler, she found an amazing home that was more than what the doctor ordered. But despite this home’s idyllic location in an exclusive gated Arizona community, Dawn knew that her first move was to renovate her dark, out dated Master Bathroom.
Using a trusted referral for a reputable, licensed contractor, Dawn called Ken from Behrmann Home Basics (BHB) to start work immediately. Ken knew that a quick hand sketch would help Dawn visualize a few alternate ideas for her Master Bath Remodel. So he brought in Gilbert Architect Doug Rusk from DESIGNLine Architects to help Dawn make sense of the many design choices available.
With her casual / contemporary styling preference and a flexible budget in mind, Dawn’s main requirement was to remove the Master Bath Tub in order to make room for a large walk-in shower. Below are pictures of the original Master Bathroom, showing the dated tub/shower combination and two small windows over the vanity.
Although Doug’s first sketches of Option’s 1 & 2 worked reasonably well (shown above), it was Option #3 (shown below) that Dawn immediately knew was the Master Bathroom renovation she wanted.
In addition to removing the Master Bath Tub in order to make room for a large walk-in shower, Dawn wanted the mirrors on the closet doors replaced with a wood paneled door in her Master Bathroom Remodel. She also wanted an electric hair dryer available to grab at a moment’s notice from one of the drawers under the sink that was already plugged in (SHOWN ABOVE). For the borders over the shower and the vanity splash, we used colorful glass tile.
Below are pictures taken during the construction phase, showing the framing, plumbing and electrical work inside the walls. During the short construction phase, the BHB construction team did an amazing job of installing plastic walls with zippers to seal off the construction zone from the main home.
Doug Rusk is the principal at DESIGNLine Architects, LLC located in Gilbert, Arizona. We specialize in residential design and commercial remodeling for small and medium sized businesses with expertise in space planning and interior design consulting. We’ll provide your General Contractor a thorough preliminary design packages that will enable an early construction cost estimate to confirm your budget quickly.
Written by Doug Rusk, Architect
Nestled among a large group of Sun Lakes retirement homes, where golf carts dot a sleepy street in South Chandler Arizona, stands a home that’s in desperate need of a Master Bathroom Remodel. bathroom remodel, bathroom remodel, bathroom remodel, bathroom remodel
Recent New York transplants, Ana and Ayad, did what most people do when they move into a home that shows signs of mold in their shower; they called a reputable, licensed contractor, who in this case was Ken from Behrmann Home Basics (BHB). Because this wasn’t the first or the last project that Ana and Ayad would need, Ken knew the first step would be to have a quick hand sketch designed by Doug Rusk, from DESIGNLine Architects, that would help his clients visualize a few alternate ideas for their Master Bath Remodel. Ana had a very specific idea in her mind for the Bathroom remodel. bathroom remodel, bathroom remodel
She wanted to remove the makeup counter, drawers and knee space between the two sinks (shown above). “This would leave 3-1/2 feet of space between the sink vanities for a nice sized floor plant”, she said. But because she also wanted the medicine cabinet storage removed also, Doug, her Architect, had another idea for her Master Bath Remodel.
bathroom remodel
He wanted to replace the lost medicine cabinet with storage for a toothbrush, soap and accessories. So Doug also proposed Option A (shown above) which would instead add a tall cabinet between the two vanity sinks, high enough for the vanity counter to extend behind the false cabinet front, creating a storage niche. Ana ended up sticking with her original Master Bath remodel vision and kept the space for a healthy green plant. bathroom remodel
Here is the shower converted from a light pink, vintage 1992 ceramic, to a more updated ceramic tile finish, with a textured glass, frame-less enclosure. Below are a few pictures that show the Master Bathroom remodel.athroom remodel
Many of the Sun Lakes home, built in the early 1990’s, are well designed and have great bones. Now that these homes are getting a little older, certain areas need updating. With some strategic planning, the lives of these homes can be extended for another 20 years +. Intelligently remodeling an existing house to make it last for another generation is also one of the most sustainable things a homeowner can do.
Below we’ve outlined a couple of our primary strategies you should consider for your next home remodel:
While it would typically be ideal to update the entire home, most homeowners have a budget that requires a limited scope; being aware of where dollars are spent allows a homeowner to get the most renovation for their buck. Usually there are certain areas of older homes that need the most attention and we’ve found that the kitchen and bathrooms remodeling are typically most in need of modernizing. bathroom remodel
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to stop with a home renovation. While you’re updating the kitchen, it’s tempting to also update a few things in the living room, and then why not replace too old, hall bath shower enclosure and, then you realize, that awful garage floor needs that speckled paint you always wanted. Before you know it, budget creep occurs. We find it useful stay true to your budget and to specifically define where the remodel is ending.
Doug Rusk is the principal at DESIGNLine Architects, LLC located in Gilbert, Arizona. We specialize in residential and commercial remodeling for small and medium sized businesses with expertise in space planning and interior design consulting. We’ll provide your General Contractor a thorough preliminary design packages that will enable an early construction cost estimate to confirm your Master Bath remodel budget quickly. bathroom remodel, bathroom remodel, bathroom remodel