This project was a 20 years old, contemporary southwest styled, slab on grade, wood frame, tile roofed residence of approximately 3,500 square feet.
The initial scope of work included the bathrooms. Flooring replacement in other rooms was added to the scope after the project was started. The interior style and finishes were to be consistent with and strengthen the existing style of the residence. The master bath was generous in size, just needed updating.(1) Updating included removing and replacing the existing bathtub, removing and replacing the existing shower, replacing the existing vanity top (4) replacing the existing lavatories, keeping the mirrored wall above the vanity and reconfiguring an existing closet to provide space for a shower in the Powder Bath and refinishing the cabinets.
One of the design solutions worth mentioning involved the back splashes for the vanities. (4) The granite slab provided enough granite for all the vanity tops and the Powder Bath back splash. The back splashes for the master and bath two vanities would have required buying another slab of granite which would have been impossible to match, doubled the cost of the granite and wasted over 90% of the second slab. The solution was selecting a tile that went with the granite tops, marble floors and walls to use for the back splashes in the master and second baths. Custom tile and marble details were developed to be used in the master and second baths to create unique and beautiful back splashes.(4) Similar details were developed for other decorative purposes including the frame-less glass wall in the Master Bath shower.
The second bath needed a new vanity top, (8) new lavatories the sliding glass door at the tub removed and replacing the existing flooring. The powder bath needed to have a shower added, a new vanity top, replacing the existing flooring, the wall paper removed and the walls repainted.
After work commenced the Owner decided to replace approximately 1,600 square feet of existing floor tile with new marble. The fireplace face needed to be improved to make it more compatible with the other improvements.
The Owner was going to be out of town for about four months, allowing time to complete the work.
The Owner did not have a budget, so fixed cost bids were submitted, discussed and approved as work progressed.
Temporary construction envelopes were created to separate the construction areas and access to the construction areas to minimize dust problems during the bathrooms refurbishing.
Removing existing tile and replacing it with marble impacted all the living areas except the bedrooms.
Storage planning made it possible to store all the furnishings in the bedrooms rather than moving the furnishings to storage. This provided a conditioned space sealed off from the construction areas and eliminated nearly all the cost of moving and storing the furnishings.
All remodels have unexpected surprises in the existing construction. How these surprised are taken care of can impact the construction costs. One surprise related to the new shower which added about four-hundred dollars to the cost. Some floor slab cracks caused cracks in the existing tile. In one case, laying out the new marble pattern in a particular way would cause a joint to follow the existing straight crack. All existing floor slab cracks were covered with “slip sheets” to minimize future marble cracks. The cost was minimum and should prevent recurrence.
Creation of the shower for the Powder Bath involved solving a ceiling height difference and some associated framing problems. The problems were solved in an aesthetically pleasing way by developing a solution that used a crown molding which also provided a nice face for a frameless glass panel similar to the glass in the Master Bath shower.
One of the air-conditioning systems needed to be replaced. A friend of the Owner had used the company recommended and confirmed the contractor as excellent in all ways including getting the Owner some replacement rebate monies.
The uniqueness, quality and cost effectiveness of this project is a direct result of constant, qualified daily project management among which other things increases the desire of various contractors to take a greater interest in the quality of their efforts.
The Owner has expressed complete satisfaction in the change of appearance of the interior, the quality of workmanship, the time it took to complete the work and the cost.
