What They Wanted
One of the things to avoid in remodeling is drama. Its great for the theater, but not so much for bathroom remodeling.
Mr. A retired about a year before he called us. He spent a career in healthcare at a hospital where he was responsible for moving patients from one area to another. After retirement, he spent time on everything except his home, because when you retire, that’s what you can do!
He called USA Bath after returning home from a vacation in San Diego. He wanted to update his bathroom, but knew there would be some complexities because he lives in a condominium with neighbors to the left and right and above and below. The building access is tight and the Home Owners Association is extremely serious about protecting the quality of life for everyone living in the building, especially when a homeowner contracts for a remodel that will affect floors, walls, ceilings, plumbing, electric and more.
All that said, Mr. A needed to get his bathroom done. When he called USA Bath, we were able to provide a nicely featured bathroom which he will never need to remodel again.
Here Are Some Key Before And After Features:
Old Vanity:
- Offset sink
- Tiny drawer on the left
- Big empty box underneath
- And green…don’t forget the green…countertop
New Vanity
- High Quality, Dado plywood construction
- 8 drawers (that’s 7 more than before) and a smaller more practical cabinet
- Raised height for convenience and comfort
- One piece countertop with integral sink and drip free edge
- Wolverine Brass Faucet
- Matching mirror and medicine cabinet trim
- Electric is upgraded to GFCI to comply with the building code
- Matching Brushed Nickel Towel ring, drawer pulls and door knobs.
Floor Before / After
Old Floor
- Circa 1974 one piece vinyl in the tub and toilet room
- Circa 1982 carpet in the vanity area
New Floor:
- Solid core, groutless installation
- 100% Waterproof
- Installed in both the bath/toilet room and the vanity area
- Meets HOA soundproofing requirement to protect the downstairs neighbor
Tub Before / After
Old Bathtub
- Porcelain on pressed steel. 16# height from floor
- A little old, a little stained, not too bad
- Failed grout seal has been caulked (big no-no. This traps water and causes mold)
- Old style drain stopper mechanism with lever and chain
NewBathtub
- Acrylic, 13” height (at Mr. A’s request for easy entry)
- Thermal expansion, waterproof seal at wall system
- No grout seal (Acrylic has no grout)
- Single action pop-up, pop-down drain stopper
Surround Before / After
Old Wall Surround:
- 4×4 porcelain tile
- 1/8” white grout (failed seal was caulked)
- Some maintenance required and close inspection shows failing grout
- Height is 72” (minimum requirement is 72 inches under the building code)
- Dangling from shower-head shampoo thing-a-ma-bob
- Bend-down-to-reach-it valve
- Shower head height a 5 foot 6 inches (too low)
New Wall Surround
- Co-extruded ABS Acrylic
- Smooth modern color
- Heavy Duty Grab Bars for safety
- 4 shelf corner soap and shampoo caddy
- Walls continue to 8 foot ceiling, and ceiling is also covered with waterproof wall surround material
- Single shelf near shower head for shampoo or body wash
- Raised valve and shower head
Enclosure Before / After
Old Enclosure
- Green shower curtain
- Straight shower curtain rod, compression style
New Enclosure
- Semi-frameless Rain Glass (no frame on the glass itself
- High performance water-resistant glass coating
- Euro-style drill through handles and towel bar in Brushed Nickel
- Euro style header in Brushed Nickel
Customer Experience
This is a remodel we do literally every day. It is an improvement in every part of Mr. A’s bathroom. The nervous part of this was concern over getting it approved by the Home Owners association. For this approval, we had to meet a variety of standards:
-
Licensed Contractor
-
Insurance naming the property as “also-insured”
-
Meet workspace requirements (100% of this work was done in Mr. A Living room and balcony)
-
Understand stack plumbing for high rise applications
-
Sound standards for work time and final installed product to protect neighbors
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Title 24 compliance with upgrades to electric and plumbing
But the single most important event for Mr. A was when the president of the USA Bath said he would participate in the Home Owners Association meeting to obtain project approval. “It is this kind of help that makes USA Bath easy to work with,” said Mr. A.
And, the most important outcome for USA Bath is we know that Mr. A is delighted with his new bathroom, and will be forever!
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