A husband and wife desired to remodel their outdated master bath. While they loved their home, the master bath was a disappointment. After 18 years in the house they decided to make a change.

He was a stockbroker and anthropologist at the local zoo and she was an executive secretary at the nearby military base. The happy couple had no children, but instead five Western Highland White terriers. The "Westies" were their babies. The couple sought professionals with an eye for design, quality craftsmanship to back it up and flexibility to work around their hectic schedules. In addition, anyone in their home must be comfortable working around dogs.

Since the wife used this space the majority of the time, the new design was largely tailored to suit her needs and desires. She wanted an elegant, yet functional bath, and requested a new vanity, more counter space, and an additional mirror. The couple chose to replace the 1980's shower/bath with a classical claw-footed tub. Not only would this meet their taste for elegance, but it would also accommodate the functional grooming needs of five dogs.

CHALLENGES

The focal point of the new space, the cast iron claw-footed tub, was by far the biggest challenge. It was extremely heavy and very cumbersome to maneuver. In addition, we needed to relocate the drain for the new tub.

To obtain a sleeker look, our clients requested to replace the flush-mounted medicine cabinet with a recessed cabinet. The existing wiring needed to be rerouted to allow for the recessed medicine cabinet and skylight. We were also faced with the task of matching existing wood stains with new wood brought into the space. It was challenge to make sure all of the wood in the bath looked original and congruent.

A century-old farmhouse window frame hung nearby the existing bath. The homeowners purchased the window frame on vacation in France and converted the window into a stunning mirror. The mirror was of great sentimental value and virtually irreplaceable, so we took every precaution not to damage the piece during construction.

SOLUTIONS

As a general contractor, we managed the entire project from start to finish – meetings were worked around their schedule. We were always mindful that we were in their home and treated it with the utmost respect. And yes, we loved being around their dogs.