Columbia Remodelers Awards

from Columbia Homes magazine - Fall 2019

by Building Industry Association of Central South Carolina

Custom Building Awards

There is a lot of variation when it comes to houses. Different shapes, styles, sizes are the most basic of differences. When, where and how they were built are factors that add more dimension and contrast. But perhaps the most important variable in the life of a home is the inhabitants. Needs may change over time due to family size or other circumstances, new priorities arise, and trends evolve and fall away.

If you’re in a location you love, but your home doesn’t fit your current needs or desires, remodeling is the answer. It’s a daunting task that requires research, planning, packing and possibly relocating temporarily, but the end result is certainly worth the effort.

Hiring the right team to help you through the project is key to minimizing the task of remodeling and professional remodelers can help guide you through the many decisions you’ll have to make along the way.

The 18th annual Columbia Remodelers Awards is a showcase of various remodeling projects in the Columbia area that demonstrate the best of what can happen when a need to remodel turns into a great experience for those involved.

The Building Industry Association of Central SC’s Remodelers Council received 19 entries in five categories including bathrooms, kitchens, additions, renovations and outdoor living. Let’s take a look at the twelve winning projects from this year. Visit BIAofCentralSC. com to see all of these projects and more, with before and after photos and more details.

Bathrooms

Our first entry is a small bath remodel by Wise Guys Home Improvement, LLC. The homeowner wanted a larger master bathroom and had a thought to combine the existing master bath with a nearby hall bathroom.

Wise Guys Home Improvement took both bathrooms down to the studs, rearranged existing closets to make more space for the Master Bath, and developed a unique swinging glass partition between the two bathrooms for a new space that could be used as one large space or divided and used as two separate bathrooms.

The new bathrooms have a spa-like feel thanks to a frosted window providing a lot of natural light in the space.

Our second award winning bathroom was submitted by Capital Kitchen & Bath. The homeowner had an existing Master Bathroom that would be used by visiting parents who use wheelchairs. The original space had to be updated to accommodate this need and be safe and easy to use by the parents.

Capital Kitchen & Bath designer Michelle Hannon opened up the space and employed many features to increase accessibility and safety in the new bathroom. Features include a curbless-entry shower with wide out-swinging door, a raised toilet with surrounding grab bars and plenty of clearance.

There is plenty of lighting to help visibility and they are controlled by rocker switches for ease of use. All fixtures in the space are lever-style, the tub has a hand held sprayer and the towel bars and accessories are reinforced with blocking and are easily accessible.

KITCHENS

The kitchen is an important space in any home, and one that has lots of options when it comes to functionality, layout and design. Understanding the needs of the homeowner, current design trends, and construction techniques help professional remodelers completely transform these spaces and bring them up to date.

Capital Kitchen & Bath took the award for Best Small Kitchen Remodel (up to 149 square feet) and Best Kitchen Remodel (150 to 399 square feet).

The small kitchen is in an historic Rosewood area home that was built in 1926. The small space was opened by removing two adjacent walls, creating an open-concept kitchen.

Capital Kitchen & Bath designers put together a beautiful plan and the homeowners chose indigo blue cabinets and white subway tile for the space.

One of our judges said after leaving the kitchen, “blue cabinets – so refreshing not to see white!” The end result is a completely different kitchen that is ready for the growing family and perhaps another 90+ years of service.

The larger kitchen submitted by Capital Kitchen & Bath could not be more different than the last. This kitchen is on the second floor of a log cabin in a rural area. The cabin was built from a kit and the kitchen was poorly configured and while very sturdy, not very well built.

The new owners of the cabin recognized the need for an overhaul and called in the Capital Kitchen & Bath, who they have worked with on other projects in the past.

Wanting to update a space while keeping an “old world” and country feel is a bit of a challenge, but nothing these designers can’t handle. The old cabinets and flooring were removed and the kitchen was taken down to the studs to correct plumbing and electrical issues.

**Capital Kitchen & Bath - After**
Eagle Photography, LLC

The space was rebuilt with red brick tile flooring, alder wood shaker style cabinets and quartz countertops. New cabinets with chicken wire fronts, built-ins and hidden storage all work to make the space functional and have the look that it belonged in the home from the beginning.

Our third kitchen award is for Best Large Kitchen Remodel (400+ square feet) and was submitted by Palmetto Construction & Renovations. This home belongs to a growing family and the space had elements they didn’t like such as the washer and dryer in the kitchen and an open stairway to the basement. That, and the cabinets and overall layout were not functional for their needs..

**Palmetto Construction & Renovations - Before**

Jim Evatt and the team at Palmetto Construction & Renovations redesigned the space to enclose the basement staircase and relocate the washer and dryer to their own room near the kitchen. The new kitchen features custom cabinets, granite countertops and a tile backsplash. A large, central island makes a more functional space, and new stainless steel appliances including wine cooler and ice maker make it ideal for entertaining.

RENOVATIONS

There are two awards for additions this year and both were won by Palmetto Construction & Renovations. The first is a bathroom addition in an existing, unfinished basement.

The homeowners are growing older and there are some mobility concerns moving forward. Taking this into account, the remodeler presented solutions that could make the space useable for years to come.

The new space includes a zero-threshold walk-in shower with bench seating, multiple shower heads and an accent tile wall. Grab bars were included for added safety and many towel bars and hooks were added. Wall-mounted sinks allow ample clearance underneath for wheelchairs and special towel bars mounted around the sinks can act as grab bars if needed.

The end result is a beautiful bathroom with built-in features that will keep the homeowners safe and happy come what may.

The second addition award for Palmetto Construction & Renovations takes us to a classic 1950’s lake house on beautiful Lake Murray. This old house served the family well over the years, but it was time to expand as the family was growing.

The 1,600 square foot addition features three new bedrooms, five bathrooms, an office, laundry room and a full garage. The existing space was also renovated so the final product would have a nice flow from old to new sections.

Each bedroom now has a dedicated bath with custom vanities, tile flooring and tile showers. The kitchen features all new custom cabinets, granite countertop and all new appliances. With all of the changes and improvements, this classic weekend retreat will be home to many future generations.

We’ll stay on Lake Murray for our next award, Best Full Renovation (up to 1,799 square feet).

This project was submitted by Capital Kitchen & Bath and features a whole-house renovation for a young family. The original house had an extremely open floorplan and a lot of dark wood in the main space and kitchen. The overhaul would serve to better define the area and lighten up the space.

**Capital Kitchen & Bath - Great Room Before**

The designers at Capital Kitchen & Bath redesigned the kitchen, and added columns and a coffered ceiling to define the dining area in the main space. The Living Room was lighted up with new trim and refinished hardwood flooring.

**Capital Kitchen & Bath - Great Room After**
Eagle Photography, LLC

New cabinetry, under cabinet lighting and quartz countertops transformed the kitchen.

**Capital Kitchen & Bath - KItchen Before**

**Capital Kitchen & Bath - Kitchen After**
Eagle Photography, LLC

The Master Suite was also redesigned and redone to include refinished hardwood flooring, a new master closet and a new Master Bath featuring a mosaic shower floor and glass shower door.

**Capital Kitchen & Bath - Master Bath Before**

**Capital Kitchen & Bath - Master Bath After**
Eagle Photography, LLC

Everywhere you looked in this home was redesigned or touched in some way by the remodelers and is a great new home for this family.

Our next renovation took place in a condominium that is listed as a Commercial Space by the county, and required commercial licenses and permits for the job. The condo was built in 1984 and it needed to be updated, but a small kitchen fire provided the perfect excuse to do the work.

**Precision Property, LLC - Den Before**

At 1,100 square feet, this two bedroom, two bath unit is great for a small family or roommates. With an eye towards ease of use and maintenance, Precision Property, LLC updated all of the plumbing, lighting, flooring and cabinets along with receptacles and switches throughout.

**Precision Property, LLC - Kitchen Before**

**Precision Property, LLC - Kitchen After**

Both bathrooms feature floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall tile. Extra time and effort was spent on porcelain tile flooring throughout the unit and removing the dated popcorn ceilings to update to flat ceilings. The end result left the unit looking brand new, not 35 years old and no trace of fire damage.

Capital Kitchen & Bath won for Best Full Renovation (1,800 to 3,999 square feet) with what started as a kitchen remodel and turned into an entire first-floor renovation.

In this example, the homeowner knew his kitchen needed to be updated, and “maybe some other areas as well.” Sometimes it takes a professional eye to see the potential of an existing space. A fresh perspective and technical know-how goes a long way. The designers and contractors of Capital Kitchen & Bath saw a lot of potential for this home and got to work as quickly as possible.

This project is a full first-level home renovation meant to brighten up the space and make it more modern. Areas remodeled included the kitchen, dry bar, wet bar, laundry room, den, stairway, hallway, living room transformation, powder room, master suite and exterior doors.

The entire space has refinished hardwoods or luxury vinyl plank flooring, paint and trim. The result is much lighter spaces with modern appliances and updated design elements giving this home a new lease on life.

Our final Full Renovation award takes us to Forest Acres for a whole house renovation by Gage Construction. The owners of this 5,600 square foot home wanted to open the central area and update the remainder of the home. They had specific needs and desires for the home, and Matt Gilpin of Gage Construction worked with them all along the way.

**Gage Construction Full Renovation - Exterior**

In order to make a more open space from the kitchen to the great room, a section of load-bearing walls had to be removed and replaced with an engineered load transfer. The entire kitchen area was taken down to the studs and brought back up with high-end appliances and a large island. Specially-sourced Calcutta Gold countertops and a beautiful backsplash finished off the space.

More of the Calcutta Gold countertop material can be found in bathrooms throughout the home, along with new fixtures and marble tile throughout. A new half-bath was added in the garage to allow easy access to the facilities from the pool and outdoor entertaining areas. The exterior of the home was updated and includes a new pool-side pergola and tool shed to match the home.

**Gage Construction - Great Room After**

**Gage Construction - Outdoor Living After**

Nothing says Southern living like being outside in your screen porch, patio or backyard watching college football and firing up the grill. Remodeling and building outdoor spaces is a big deal and we received four great entries in this category this year.

The winning Outdoor Living project is not lavish or over the top, but it is a wonderful extension of the home, and according to our judges, “the porch looks like it was part of the original home, a seamless transition.”

Palmetto Construction & Renovations was hired to remove the old, ground-level patio and create an outdoor living area that would offer a nice relaxing retreat adjacent to their kitchen and den.

**Palmetto Construction & Renovations - patio before**

new screened porch features tongue and groove exterior hardwood floors that were stained and have a semi-gloss polyurethane applied. The ceiling is cypress tongue and groove with a clear polyurethane.

**Palmetto Construction & Renovations - Porch After**

Finally, an addition of can lights and two ceiling fans in black work well with the natural ceilings. The removal of two windows, with the addition of a French door unit, created easy access and flow into the main house. With the addition of a small table and TV, the family has a place to gather for meals and an additional space to relax in the evenings.

See all 19 entries with before and after photos and more detail at BIAofCentralSC.com. Find inspiration, ideas and examples of what professional remodelers can do to transform your living space in the greater Columbia area.

Columbia Remodelers Awards

Next Article

Custom Building Awards

Bathrooms

More articles from this publication:

Custom Building Awards

Faith and Service Drive Homebuilders to Help Those in Need of Repairs

Choosing the Right Builder and Architect

Porch Living

Living on Lakes & Rivers

This article is from:

Columbia Homes magazine - Fall 2019