New Layout Makes Home More ‘Family Friendly’

by Andrea Girolamo
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New Layout Makes Home More ‘Family Friendly’


THE WIFE'S BATH

While the downstairs received the majority of the construction effort, there was a laundry list of things to be done on the second floor, as well. “The home itself had gone through many uses. It was originally a single-family home, but was used as a boarding house for many years prior to the current owners’ purchase in the mid-1980s. The lady that ran the boarding house installed a kitchenette on the second floor that was removed during this remodel as required by building codes,” says Hofmann.

The master bath came next. This 60-sq.-ft. bathroom is described by the family as “the wife’s bathroom.”

Hofmann jokes that her only direction from the homeowners’ for color selections was “not pink.”

“The motivation for the colors and style was to modernize the functionality but keep the charm and feel of an older home,” she says. “The clients prefer baths, but like the option of the walk-in shower.”

It was discussed whether to use the existing tub as a shower, but the clients felt that the high tub height may pose a problem in the future. Keeping the bath and shower area separate was the best decision for them, according to Hofmann.

“The most interesting visual element of this space is the reuse of the existing tub and the period-style plumbing fixtures that were fitted for it,” she adds. The claw-foot tub was refinished and paired with fixtures by Sign of the Crab.

Convenience was the first order of business. This led to the inclusion of beadboard wainscoting that is a low-maintenance PVC product by Azek. Soap niches and small shelves at tub level were added to minimize bath bottle clutter and to keep bath toys from falling behind and under the tub.

For more about this project, click here.

More Project Spotlight

Project Highlights

  • Designed by Alisa Hofmann, CGBP, of Oakland, CA-based Winans Construction, this Bay Area remodel took six months to complete and encompassed seven rooms, including the kitchen, breakfast nook, laundry room, main floor bathroom, living room fireplace, and upstairs bathroom and water closet.
  • The majority of the heavy construction occurred on the main level, where Hofmann was able to convince the homeowners to incorporate a porch area into the main level, so that bumping out to gain more space was not necessary. She also swapped the laundry room for the kitchen, making the kitchen the space with the most natural light.
  • There were three baths worked on by Winans. All three feature handmade tiles that also appear on the fireplace fascia. The 60-sq.-ft. master bathroom is referred to by the family as the ‘wife’s bathroom.’ An existing claw foot tub was refinished and paired with tub fixtures by Sign of the Crab. Other products in the space include shower fixtures and faucetry from Grohe, Kohler’s Kelston sink and Toto’s Eco Promenade toilet.

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