A client approached Mavriq Construction to renovate one section of their house that a previous homeowner had built. There were some issues due to prior poor construction, which needed to be corrected. The project was a bathroom renovation and beautification of other areas in the newer “wing” of the house.
The original bathroom was a sauna that a previous owner had converted to a shower. The headroom was low as that aspect was never changed when they removed the sauna. The drain was in the wrong location, and we had to open the concrete to fix it anyway, so we proposed a curbless shower. It wouldn’t add much to the cost and would be cost-effective for a stunning result.
The original door was tiny and swung out into the hall. We added a pocket door as this allowed a much larger doorway without having to worry about obstructions.
BEFORE THE RENOVATIONS
DURING THE RENOVATIONS
We found several issues during the bathroom renovation that needed to be fixed. The original shower had several plumbing issues and poor insulation on the outside walls. These were quickly dealt with as we rebuilt the room. We used several products from Schluter, including Kerdi Board, Kerdi Line and various waterproofing products. These are fantastic products. They may cost more than conventional materials but produce far better results.
We were asked to replace the stairs with something more attractive and functional. We started by expanding the entrance since it was only 28 inches wide, far too small, as it was the only way to move furniture in and out of that section of the house. In only 2 hours of work, we created a new opening with a properly supported header. When we removed the old stairs, we found a rotting foundation behind them. The rim joist disintegrated, and we replaced it and slightly reworked the concrete.
The ductwork passed under the stairs, and one register was in a closet. We added a header to move the duct further down the wall into the room. There was no cold air return in the area, so we cut a hole in the basement door and installed a grate. Not great, but a vast improvement on what was there. The only way to fix it would have been a massive job since it was slab on grade, and cold air vents would have to be under it.
We capped the stair treads with Oak with a dark stain and painted the rest white. The result is quite pleasing and relatively inexpensive.
THE END RESULT
The clients were delighted with the result and asked us to come back for another project to remove a wall and add a beam. More on that project later. The key takeaway from this bathroom renovation is that sometimes a general contractor can add impressive features at relatively little extra expense. The curbless shower and widened doorway cost under a thousand dollars extra since we were already doing some demolition to those areas. Your choice of general contractor is critical if you want someone who can design, build and think outside the box while on site.
