The main bathroom in this early 1900’s Craftsman style house had been previously renovated in the eighties by a “do it yourself” homeowner. The quality of the finishes were of lower quality and not installed with detail in mind. There had been some repairs done to extend the lifetime of the bathroom, but at the time when we arrived, the bathroom was on its last legs. Originally a 3-piece bathroom and being the only bathroom on the second floor of the house, it was cramped and had limited storage space. An adjacent room off the bathroom housed a set of stairs to the attic, was the key to expansion of this space, along with removing the older bulky radiator in favour of in floor radiant heating. The wall between the 2 spaces was not load bearing and would be removed to create a large bathroom retreat. The new creation of space provided a large walk in shower, soaker tub, 2 sink vanity with his and hers storage, and a private space for the water closet. Special features include Quartz countertop and backsplash, a large barrier free shower with no door and linear drain, additional storage in the water closet divider, and unique porcelain accent tiles for the walls throughout the shower and bathtub area.
The 2 main problems that this project solved was the size and functionality of the space, and the upgrading of materials and installation methods to provide a finished space with details. The bathroom almost doubled in size with the re-utilization of the stairwell room. The function of the space was hugely increased by having a large 7’-0” vanity with both upper and lower storage, along with the water closet divider. In terms of the material and installation methods, a Schluter membrane and linear drain were utilized along with cement tile backer board for optimal shower and wet area performance. Comfort and functional space were increased by removing the radiator in lieu of radiant in-floor heating.