Our team member, Colette Bryan, shares the ups and downs of her bathroom renovations.

MAKEOVERS Bathroom

One of our very own team members, Colette Bryan, recently undertook bathroom renovations in her home. She shares with us her thoughts and experiences on what the process is in real terms…

We purchased our home exactly five years ago after selling our previous home with John Eric. My husband and I knew from the moment that we saw this house that it was perfect for our large (and loud) family. We also knew that it was going to need a lot of TLC and updates.

After our deal closed, we immediately set to fixing the external and most “important” features of the house, which included a new roof, new garage doors, fixing the windows, and adding new insulation in the attic. This also included painting the home’s trim and almost every room in the house!

Over the past five years, older appliances have been swapped out for newer and more efficient ones. Fixtures have been updated. A variety of “smaller” remodeling jobs (removing a wall or changing out flooring) continued. However, we had a looming (and leaking) remodeling project staring us in the face that we couldn’t avoid any longer. Our primary bathroom was an outdated, dark, leaky, poorly lit, horribly laid out ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

When we first moved into our house, the shower in our primary bath had multiple leaks. The old faucets and plumbing required visits by three different plumbers before finally a fourth sourced the issue, and we were able to purchase the correct valve that would stop the leak (the first three threw up their hands at the old/fancy/European faucets and controls). We were not able to use our shower for the first month or so we lived here, which became the catalyst to remodel our bathroom. Also, our bedroom was poorly lit and had a very outdated and off-center fireplace. My husband and I wanted to address those issues at the same time we renovated the bathroom.

To understand – the original bathroom had (what I would imagine to be considered) a very upscale design 30 years ago. A huge, raised jet bath, a large (and very low) vanity with one sink. Another sink was in the water closet which also housed a washer and dryer. It was such a strange layout that we only used the sink in the main bath area and never used the washer and dryer. (We quite honestly were worried it would leak if we did.) As time wore on, we continued to have more leaks pop up. One from the bath. Then the main faucet started to drip and wouldn’t shut off. Another plumber told us that there was no way to fix the leak without changing out the faucet and plumbing underneath, so we just lived with it that way for a while. We viewed our bathroom as purely utilitarian. We used it because we needed to. We didn’t spend any extra time or energy on it. We focused on the other parts of the house that needed work. It was also overwhelming to think of to plan the layout the bathroom and closets. Our lack of vision and creativity and how to best utilize the space led us to talk about it and talk about it and talk about it for four years without moving forward. My husband and I knew that we wanted to renovate it, but we needed some serious help!

Our saving grace for the leaky bathroom came in the form of John Eric and Trevor Moore. I’m so thankful that I work with such creative people! My husband and I wanted to remodel our bathroom in a way that matched both our wants and needs but also would appeal to future potential buyers if we were to sell. Who better to ask than the experts in real estate?

John and Trevor came to our house (during covid and with precautions) and immediately had a vision for how to best use the large amount of space. They recommended that we remove a long and odd portion of the space’s closet and turn it into the shower. We discussed whether it was wise to cut into valuable closet space. They shared their expertise about home buyers wants which led us to decide that the larger shower was worth the loss of closet space.

There were other items on our bathroom wish list and with the help of one of their very innovative contractors/ architects, Frank with P and G Construction Services, we

came up with an amazing bathroom design. My husband and I got everything we wanted and more with everyone understanding that we didn’t want to break the bank. (Other contractors and designers we had spoken with came up with ideas that would have cost at least twice as much as what we ended up spending.) With their suggestions we were able to extend the shower area into the closet and ended up with exactly the aesthetic we wanted. We wanted a Ritz Carlton Zen-like feel and that’s exactly what we got!

Some of the expected surprises that arose had to do with the flooring that had water damage due to the leaks. There were also some minor electrical and plumbing issues. What saved this whole renovation was the recommendation John and Trevor had made at the outset. They recommended that we purchase all the fixtures, cabinetry and appliances ahead of time and have them in the garage ready to go. Supply chain issues were a big concern and we made sure to only purchase in-stock items.

Looking back, a few things that I would have done differently revolved around double and triple checking items when they arrived along with measuring items prior to installation. An example of this is the large lit mirror in our bathroom. The box arrived in good condition, and I signed for it. The mirror sat in the garage safely tucked away for a good month. The day of installation, the team opened the box only to see that it was shattered in one section. We were all disappointed - even the crew! If we had opened the box prior to installation, we would have seen the damage. Although the company we purchased it from was incredibly easy to work with and replaced the damaged item, it took quite a bit longer to receive it.

Also, once the mirror was installed it became very clear that the outlet next to the mirror had to be relocated. We hadn’t measured how far the mirror came out from the wall. Just a minor annoyance, but one we remedied when we renovated our daughter’s bathroom with the same mirror.

I would have also had the bathroom vanities brought up and placed sooner to guarantee their fits. During a later renovation, my sons’ bathroom vanity was such a tight fit (on paper it was perfect) that we realized the door jamb had

to be moved a full two inches. Turning this into a positive though – previously we had discussed turning that bathroom door into a pocket door but didn’t do it because of the cost. Because of the issue with the door jamb, we decided that since the work was needed, a pocket door could be installed. We are so happy we did!

The bathroom turned out beautifully, but one of the most striking differences was the second part of the renovation – the fireplace in our bedroom. My husband and I knew what we wanted, but we just didn’t know how it could be accomplished given the setting of the fireplace. Again, John and Trevor spoke with Frank, and they were able to perfectly capture and deliver the striking statement fireplace we envisioned. The floor to ceiling quartz fireplace is beyond stunning and completely changes the look of the room.

Our remodel experience was much easier than either of us expected. This was primarily due to our working with Frank and his team. We were so happy with the way the renovation went, my husband and I decided to roll right into two other bathroom renovations. Just as with the primary, the end results of both bathrooms were stunning.

It’s night and day to have well lit, beautifully designed, not leaking, functional bathrooms, and we couldn’t be more thankful for the fantastic team who helped us create them. We are still waiting on our closet design to be installed (three months and waiting), but as an Air Force brat I’m accustomed to living out of a suitcase. Or in this case, wire containers.

My husband and I aren’t done renovating yet, but we are taking a little break from the dust and activity to enjoy our new bathrooms. A new kitchen is in the future, and we know exactly who we will reach out and ask for advice from when we are ready to do it!