I want to let you know about the Pardon Our Dust feature coming up Sunday in the Real Estate section. It's about two bathrooms that were gutted and redone in 14 days. But I also want to share with you something that did not fit in my article but that touched me personally as I reported and wrote the story.
As you'll read on Sunday, Meg Moreta, a mother of two small daughters, was diagnosed with Stage 3 cervical cancer, and then breast cancer, while still in her 30s. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but after what she had gone through, she really needed a fresh start with her bathrooms, which were reminding her of bad times.
While I sat and talked with Meg at her pretty and peaceful Los Angeles home (her two daughters were on a play date), I was astonished at what she had gone through. And what she continues to go through. Late-stage cancer, chemotherapy and radiation really take a toll on a body.
Talking to Meg reminded me of how important it is that we all stay on top of our healthcare. Meg's advice to readers: Request your medical reports. Read them and ask questions. And keep your records in a binder. In other words, take charge of your own health.
In a previous post, Andrew C. wondered how to best use the extra space on the ground floor of his Crofton, Md., townhouse. He wanted both a larger laundry area and a bathroom.
Several readers gave good suggestions. Helen thought up a different configuration for the space with room for a big bath and a bigger laundry room.
Readers Jose and modernemama each suggested a stackable washer and dryer to free up space for, perhaps, shelving.
But it was lil_gaucha who has my vote for this idea: Use all the space for a combination laundry room and full bath. Then, Andrew gets a nice big space to do his laundry, and when he sells the townhouse in five years, the appraisal will reflect that extra full bath.
After doing some Internet searching, I see this is not an uncommon use of space. At first it seemed a little odd, having a toilet in the laundry area. But after seeing a few photos, especially with the washer and dryer behind folding doors, I warmed up to the plan.
I was also reminded of Bethany Orlemann's brilliance when she incorporated the space of her service porch into the kitchen and then added front loaders under a counter. It made her Eagle Rock kitchen much larger and her laundry area is stylish.
You like the idea of a combo bathroom/laundry room?
Andrew C., a reader from Crofton, Md., needs our advice on whether to add a bathroom to some extra space on his ground floor, or to enlarge his cramped laundry room. (See the miserable laundry room here and here.)
A little background: Andrew bought his three-story townhouse a year ago and plans to live there another five years. The second story has an eat-in kitchen, living room, dining room and half bath. The top floor has the master bedroom, two more bedrooms and two full baths. So far, so good.
But Andrew feels the space on the ground floor could be better used. There are two rooms down there that Andrew uses as a media room and an office. There is also a utility room with the washer and dryer and all the home’s mechanicals, and an adjacent storage room. Both spaces together are 6 feet by 12 feet.
Andrew wants a larger laundry room, but he also would like a bathroom on that floor. He considered a half bath, but it would require a walk through the laundry room to get to it. And he wonders: Is that too weird? A real estate agent told him that a full bath would bring most resale value in case the two existing rooms are used as bedrooms.
But it makes me sick to think of Andrew doing his laundry in that pitiful space for the next five years. That can't be right. I wonder if there is some compromise or another idea we're not considering.
I was so excited about this new shower curtain, which was a gift for my husband.
It was at about 35,000 feet, breathing airliner air, when I saw in a magazine this really neat shower curtain. The clear vinyl on the top would allow our dark and narrow shower stall some needed daylight. And the curtain is treated with "the world's strongest industrial antimicrobial and germicidal inhibitor."
And maybe that's why, when it arrived in my mailbox, it had such a chemically odor that I had to leave it outside overnight.
Then I read today that a report released by the Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment & Justice found that vinyl shower curtains "sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart, among other major retailers, contained high concentrations of chemicals that are linked to liver damage as well as damage to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems." Yikes! And I'm so fond of my central nervous system. Heck, I like all my systems. (Read about the study in the L.A. Times.)
So what do I now? I want to be an eco-consumer and I want to retain my good health. And I'm not even sure if this item is an offender. And our bathroom window is open all the time for natural ventilation. But If I suspected this item was not healthy, how would tossing it, and all its embodied carbon load, into the trash square with my green goals?
In other words, if you discovered you'd made a bad, unhealthy purchase, which do you think would be the greener action: keep it and make use of it, or get it out of your house, dump it in the landfill for future generations to deal with and try again?
Perhaps I shouldn't have bought it. That might be the answer. But what do I do now? What would you do?
Do you ever feel "terminally unique?" I do. And that's why blending my own glass tile backsplash is so appealing. Oceanside Glasstile of Carlsbad offers an online tool for mixing up the colors you like best. Here's my favorite blend! It feels exciting to my bones. Granted, it's not relaxing. It's not classic. But, it's me.
And oh what a difference grout color makes. Here I show the same blend with (clockwise from top left) gray, green, white and red grout.
And if you're leaning toward green, this would be considered a green choice in terms of proximity to SoCal. These tiles are manufacturered just outside Tijuana. And in most green building philosophies, if stuff is made within 500 miles of your home, that's a good thing.
They range from 6 to 24 inches in diameter, while a typical showerhead is from 2 to 4 inches. And you don't need to hang them from the center of the shower ceiling during a remodel or new construction. Retrofit models, like ours, could not be easier to install. Just screw it on like a typical showerhead.
Here are some affordable models:
Top: Waterpik AquaScape Spa Shower Head, 8-inch diameter, nickel, choose between five spray settings — pulsating rain, drenching rain, water saver, center spray, pulsating massage, Bed Bath and Beyond, clearance sale, $69
Perhaps you've heard this ditty about the choices we make in life: We choose based on emotion, and then rationalize our choices with logic.
It's like that with me and claw-foot-style tubs and pedestal sinks. The logic says: bad choice. And a previous posting on this blog brought many well-thought-out comments from readers on why pedestal sinks stink.
Still, I love that jolt to my pulse when I behold a pedestal sink and claw-foot-type tub and frankly I want that jolt on a daily basis.
And so I was happy to read the thoughts of Utah interior designer Anne-Marie Barton in the Salt Lake Tribune, who expressed this opinion:
Vessel sinks and free-standing bathtubs are visually classic choices and actually cost less money in a remodel because tile and countertops do not need to be installed.
For instance, in the Los Angeles bathroom pictured here, the wooden bead board wainscoting is perfectly suitable, whereas a material less susceptible to water damage (tile, fiberglass, stone) would have been needed for a built-in tub installed snug to the wall. (You can still spend a bundle on wall treatments with a free-standing tub. Check out this travertine bonanza I saw not too long ago.)
Likewise, the wood counter under the pedestal sinks works here. However, if those sinks were flush to the counter, a more durable countertop, and backsplash, would be necessary. The same could be said for a pedestal sink, which needs no countertop at all.
So for me, this a nice melding of emotion (I like the feeling!) and logic (it saves money!).
If you're going green, you know that transportation of your green goods must be factored in. Even if a product is made of recycled materials, for instance, when you have to ship it halfway around the world, that creates a lot of greenhouse gases and negates your green efforts.
All this is especially so with stone products, which are, you know, as heavy as rocks.
So when I came across a well-thought-out Q&A on finding locally quarried stone, I wanted to share it with you. The question is answered by Tracy A. Stone, who opened her architectural practice in Los Angeles in 1991. She is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and a LEED Accredited Professional, and has a working knowledge of sustainable strategies, technologies and materials.
Question: I am remodeling my bathroom with an eye on eco-friendly. I hate the idea of shipping granite around the world, but I'd like to use some type of stone on the floor and in the shower. Is there any locally quarried stone in the Southern California area? — Caroline Kaplan, Mission Viejo, CA
Answer: Natural stone has an appealing color, texture, and mass that make it pleasing to interact with in an interior environment. However, if it is not quarried locally, it does take an enormous amount of energy to transport.
Much of the stone that we find on the market in Southern California comes from as far away as China. Slate is domestic, but it comes from Maine, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Historically, Northern California had a number of granite quarries, but most of them are no longer active. Two that remain active are Cold Spring's Academy Black and Sierra White quarries in Raymond, California. I welcome comments from green professionals who know of other quarries in the region with sustainable environmental practices. Meanwhile, I encourage you to consider a few of the locally available green alternatives to stone:
A reader sent in this question and I'm glad because I'm having the same quandary. The question:
I'll be purchasing lighting for above a bathroom mirror. Which is better? Mounting the fixture so the lights point down or point up? Currently there is a bar fixture so I have no experience with this lighting issue. Thank you!
In my case, it's a classic debate about form vs. function.
As you can see by the photo, I recently replaced a chrome and glass cabinet/light combination with a new $100 light fixture from Home Depot. (Still to come: New mirror, sink, counter, fixture, vanity, backsplash, floor, tub and window. But hey, the light is a start!)
I pointed the three bulbs up to highlight the pitched wood ceiling, the small room's best feature. But I've noticed that the light for applying makeup or shaving is not so good. I've toyed with the idea of turning it around to point down, or to somehow add sconces on either side of the mirror for more light.
What's your opinion? Should the bulbs point down to shine on the sink and the person, or shoot up to reflect light on the ceiling and make the room seem more spacious?
This gorgeous (and expensive-looking) powder room in an Encinitas home won a design award from the National Kitchen and Bath Assn. Here's the design statement for what the judges call a "New Mexican masterpiece":
"The home was totally gutted and remodeled in a New Mexican design style. All materials were reclaimed where possible and the color theme throughout is earthy and natural. The powder room is located off the hall opposite the kitchen, in close proximity to the living and dining areas.
"The door to the powder room incorporates hand-carved Guatemalan panels. The sink furniture was designed with carved motifs introducing a bowed front and suspended off the floor. The semi-submerged vessel sink is made of onyx and illuminated from underneath. To highlight this beauty, a wooden top was selected to match the carved fascia. The toilet sits opposite the sink and features a wooden stained seat to compliment the other wood in the space. The flooring is reclaimed European terra cotta pavers set in a herringbone pattern.
"The room towers up to a 16-foot skylight. To bring a more human quality into the space, vigas were installed at eight feet."
In response to Erik's bathroom design challenge (below), I'd like to offer this bathroom that was remodeled by Kristina and David in the Glassell Park area of Los Angeles.
I'd been out to the house recently to see their new kitchen, which will be appearing soon in my Pardon Our Dust series in the newspaper. While I was there, they showed me this bathroom, and the "before" photos. It's amazingly similar in style and layout to Erik's bathroom.
The main issue I'm focusing on here is the shower, which was previously little more than a boring box in the wall. Because there was water damage, Kristina and David were motivated to make more radical changes than one normally would in an already functional space.
To add interest to the shower (besides redoing it and making it waterproof), they added an arch over the top to match other arches in the 1941 house. This raising of the doorway into the shower makes it so much brighter in there, and thus makes the whole showering experience more enjoyable.
Plus, they had that great door custom-made for about $500. In Erik's bathroom, I think such a door would add a touch of class, and allow him to get rid of the white shower curtain (echoing a thought by reader "tarbubble"). Also, the tile the couple added was complimentary to the original yellow and blue tile you can see on the vanity and walls, but they didn't even try to replicate it, which I think was wise.
And finally, see how the light-colored walls really help the original tile pop? I think that Erik's bathroom would benefit from lighter walls.
This bathroom update, which included a whole new sub floor and floor tiles, cost about $5,000.
How do you think Kristina and David did with their bathroom update?
Let's put on our design caps and see if we can help Erik, a reader with an old tiled bathroom he'd like to update. He writes:
"I've got a Monterey Spanish house in the Hollywood Hills, where there is no master bath, and the main bathroom for the bedrooms is fairly large, and is tiled in what I think is original tile.
"There is a large tub and a separate stall shower. There is a sink with a cabinet built around it and a window on either side of the mirrored medicine cabinet.
I want to keep the original feel of the house, so would like to update it, but tastefully.
Granite or marble would be overdoing it, and I'm not really sure what else to consider."
Any advice for Erik?
Got a remodeling design challenge for us? Or want to show off a design challenge you successfully met? Email pictures and your tale to PODBlog@aol.com.
I've often suspected that the house I live in (built in the 1970s?) was made from "found materials."
We have ceiling beams of different thicknesses, various kinds of siding and window sizes that make no sense other than that's what someone found cheap or free.
But what I'm happy the original builders found was a whole bunch of tongue-and-groove cedar boards, which they used liberally inside the house, including this bathroom, the home's main bathroom.
(A second bathroom was added about 20 years ago in the basement area, and it's an awful, cobbled-together mess. More on that later. Much later.)
This bathroom is a bare 5 1/2 feet wide and 6 1/2 feet deep. Unless something major happens in that downstairs bathroom, this will be the size of my bathroom for many long years to come, maybe through the end of my days. There's just no way to make this bathroom bigger, as the bedrooms on either side of it are not large enough to borrow space from.
And so I think we'll adopt the "not-so-big-house" philosophy here and enjoy this modest space. For me, as long as I have a bathtub, I'm happy and healthy.
You can see the challenges:
1. Horrible stainless-steel mirror-light combination. 2. Bad, cheap tile on the wall. 3. Molded sink-countertop with peeling paint (yes, it's been painted), rust and mineral stains. 4. Cheap, style-free vanity. 5. Ten-dollar sink fixture that failed about five years ago. 6. Molded shower-tub surround topped with a cover that blocks most natural light. 7. Shower and bath fixtures have failed. 8. No natural air flow (high window is fixed glass) and the exhaust fan has failed. Unless you leave the door ajar during a bath, you will be frantic for oxygen in about three minutes. 9. Cheap vinyl floor that's worn and torn.
And, oh yeah, there's probably some water damage behind the shower surround on account of the broken fixtures. On the positive side, the toilet seems to be fine.
So, isn't this a dandy challenge? I've been ashamed of this bathroom for years and cringed when Bill invited people to come and stay. But now that we're fixing up the house, I'm happy to expose my misery.
What do you think? Any ideas that don't involve dynamite or a moving van?
Question: My wife and I are getting ready to remodel our master bath. However it's small and our options are limited. We can get a better look and use out of a huge walk-in shower, but I'm fearful a bath/shower combo may be better for resale. Any expert thoughts out there would be appreciated.
"A home’s master bath can be a major selling point or a deal breaker. If you create a space too specific to your taste, potential buyers will deduct the cost to re-do the room from the price they offer, if they make an offer at all.
"To qualify as a full bath, there must be a toilet, sink and tub. If there is only a shower and no tub, the bathroom is considered a three-quarters bath. Most buyers expect a bathtub in the master bath. While a walk-in shower tends to get the most use and is practical, you still need the tub for optimal resale.
"There are several ways to create a tub and shower combo that gives you the best of both worlds. By adding a glass shower enclosure to a large soaking tub, you will create the feeling of a walk-in shower while retaining the tub. Or you can build in the tub and use a tile or marble surround that encases the tub. This will tie it into the overall design of the bathroom and create a more custom look."
My Take: Even though I'm a bath devotee, I was rooting for you to get the huge shower. As I found out in a poll titled "Shower or Bath Most Important?," the votes were overwhelmingly in favor of the shower, versus the bath. While a hardy 56 voters stuck with me on the importance of the bath, 195 said showers reign supreme.
I think it depends on how long you will be in the house. Why deny yourself a huge walk-in shower if you'll be in the house for five to seven years or longer? If you're going to sell next summer, fine. But for years of use, gosh, get what you want. And maybe when you go to sell, it will be a seller's market (remember those good old days) and you'll get multiple offers no matter what you've done.
Or, consider these before-and-after photos of a bath remodel in Palm Springs. This is a sunken shower and bath combination. It looks like a very uncomfortable bath to me, but you still get to say there's a bathtub in the room and you also get a walk-in shower. Obviously, this would require more work than just placing a shower or bathtub at floor level, and may not even be possible.
Question: What are the minimum dimensions for a half-bath that the city of Los Angeles will permit? In other words, how small a room can I convert to make a powder room and still get a permit?
— Kris in Highland Park
Answer: From licensed general contractor Alon Toker of Mega Builders:
The minimal dimensions of a powder room would be dictated by the elements that are in it.
The door needs to be 32 inches wide. The toilet must have a wall space of 30 inches minimum (15 inches to each side from center of drain). Then, 21 inches are needed in front of the toilet and in front of the sink.
Once all of these minimal requirements are met you will have your minimal room space. To meet these requirements and still keep the room size to a minimum, try a wall-mounted toilet (which is more expensive than a typical floor-mounted version) and/or a corner-mounted sink.
This said, I would advise you to revisit the notion of going to the absolute minimal size possible. Allow yourself a bit more space, if possible, so the bathroom has some visual "breathing room" as well as physical room. For example, 32 inches of wall space for the toilet, rather than the 30 inches required, would provide an adult with a more adequate amount of elbow room.
Ever notice how designer toilets are so curvy and sensuous?
Not this toilet, by Toto, which is going in the opposite direction. It's big. It's solid. It's angular. It's a man's toilet.
This toilet was included in a "gentleman's retreat" bathroom, designed by Christy Schneider of Mariposa Design Group in Dana Point, and featured on the Kitchen + Bath Business website.
The masculine room also includes marble and brick walls, a marble floor, a great big shower (of course) and (perhaps surprisingly) a great big hydrotherapy whirlpool tub.
The good news is that I have a perfect example of a bathroom that breaks some of the basic rules of green building.
The bad news is, the bathroom is in my house.
Ideally, to cut back on energy use, a bathroom should have natural light and natural ventilation. This bathroom has neither.
Despite the fact that this house is in coastal California where the air is gentle and sweet. Despite the fact that this room has an outside wall and no second story above to preclude an operable window or skylight for ventilation.
Despite all these wonderful attributes, when you enter this bathroom, even in the middle of the day, you must turn on the light and you must turn on the fan. No fossil fuels burning, no light, no air. That is preposterous.
Green building is not about tofu and sprouts. It's about channeling the power of nature -- as in sunlight, wind, air -- to benefit us in our homes, and it's about not blocking that power. This room blocks that power and insists that you artificially replace it.
So, we are now at the point of redoing this bathroom. While the original builders had a good idea by installing the clerestory window above the shower area, to allow in light if not air, that benefit was later blocked by the wooden trim over the shower.
I will keep you posted as we tear out that offending structure and attempt to bring natural light and air back into this room. These green improvements are 30 years late, but, I believe, not too late.
Have you ever wondered how an accessible bathroom could look less like a nursing home and more like a tropical retreat? Check out this missive I received from Debra B. in Carlsbad:
A leaking shower pan became the impetus for a long-postponed bathroom remodel.
The dark, narrow, corridor-like master bathroom (pictured below) in my 1950s California tract home had been in desperate need of a makeover since the day I moved in but had been repeatedly overlooked in favor of other work.
In addition to updated fixtures, I knew that my master-bath remodel plans must include handicap accessibility.
With two total hip replacements behind me, I needed a bathroom that could accommodate surgery aftercare as well as any future mobility constraints.
However, the last thing I wanted was a bathroom that resembled a nursing home. I had a specific vision for my bathroom and it did not include aluminum rails and plastic benches. I wanted a bathroom that would remind me of a waterfall grotto in Hawaii — sunlight streaming down onto black lava rocks and tea-green waters.
My mission was to merge my vision with medical practicality. The result is a harmonious blending of tranquil beauty and function. The style could be described as Zen-like — minimalist with accents from nature.
The bathroom gets rave reviews from everyone who sees it, especially fellow weekend warriors with knee and hip pain who see the beauty of being able to sit down in the shower.
Here's one of the latest creations posted on Ikea Hacker blog, where clever people find ways to create cool environments on a budget and mostly with Ikea products.
The coolest thing in this $1,400 bathroom, from my perspective, is the simple wall-mounted sink set into a wooden shelf with a hole cut in it.
This Hollviken sink costs about 80 bucks, and wall-hung sinks start at about $70 at Home Depot. And the Stolmen shelf is nothing special at about $10 to $15. Put them together, though, and you've got a hip, upscale design.
The Duravit toilet is pretty cool, also, and homeowner Matt says he got it from Home Depot for $350.
All materials cost $1,400, plus the labor of the homeowner. Not too bad, especially if you can't get a home equity loan on account of the current mortgage loan meltdown and you need to save up the money for your remodel. At this price, such a goal seems possible.
As a commenter on the Ikea Hacker site warned, the Effektiv storage unit is not meant for moist areas, and so the particleboard should be well sealed.
We're pretty stuck in our ways in this country when it comes to bathroom fixtures. Despite decades of marketing efforts by fixture manufactures, it still comes down to: Toilet? Yes. Bidet? No. Urinal? No.
Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part we accept the standard toilet and reject the rest. As an unenlightened female, I don't appreciate the allure of a home urinal. Apparently, though, such a fixture is a common male fantasy. So why should it not become reality?
When he decided to put a urinal in his new bathroom, Stein writes, "My contractor, obviously, thought this was the best idea anyone had ever come up with, and immediately went shopping with me for a classy, retro porcelain model, the kind you can saunter up to in a tux and slap a highball on. But then my neighbor, Holly Purcell, a very successful real estate broker, informed me that I absolutely could not install a urinal of any kind if I ever hoped to resell my house. Noting my confusion, she slowly explained that urinals, to my shock, gross women out."
Agreeing with Stein, however, is Uncrate, which bills itself as a Web magazine for guys who love stuff. "We're men," Uncrate declares, "we're made to pee standing up. Install a home urinal and never again lift a toilet seat (or remember to put it back down, if you have a woman)."
Among Uncrate's favorite urinals is Kohler's Bardon Touchless with motion sensor, which lists for more than $1,000. Other home urinals are less than half or a quarter of that. You can find 29 urinals at Every Faucet, including a kid's model for stand-up potty training.
After living in her 1950s Woodland Hills ranch home for 14 years, Cathy Nordlund set out to do something she had never attempted before --completely gut and redo one room to her heart's desire.
But because of her pragmatic disposition -- after all, she was trained as an engineer -- Cathy was mindful not to undertake too big or too risky a job. Therefore, the powder room seemed like a good candidate.
It was not only small, it was ugly.
"Spray-painted yellow on fake marble" is how Nordlund described the counter, which sat upon bland white cabinets. The only remarkable thing about the room was that when the door was opened, it smashed into the toilet.
Cathy began by looking through "millions" of decorating magazines. She decided on a Victorian theme, even while acknowledging that nothing else in her house was even vaguely Victorian.
"I was going to do whatever I wanted," she recalled. And, she thought, it would blend fine with the brick flooring that she and her husband Robert had added previously to the entryway, hall and this powder room.
But during her contemplation of fabulous Victorian bathrooms, it finally dawned on Cathy that they all shared a common virtue: "The wonderful light from their wonderful windows."
Cathy's powder room, however, was windowless, and would remain so -- the room has no exterior walls. And she could not add a skylight because of the second story above.
When I posted my bath vs. shower poll a couple of weeks ago, I assumed it would be a 50-50 split and I would prove my point: that we bathers are a powerful voting block.
I was wrong. We got whooped. The totals so far on this question:
Which is more important, a great shower or a great bath?
Shower 77% (190 votes) Bath 23% (56 votes)
Oh, that smarts. I suspect some of those aggressive shower types voted twice. But that doesn't account for the gap. Still, I want to caution the shower takers not to discount the needs of the minority bathers. Why?
I'm going to relate this to the just-ended California state budget impasse. I don't want to get too political, but some say the majority Democrats ran roughshod over the minority Republicans for a long time and so Republicans did what they could to exert power, which meant the budget was delayed until they got what they were asking for. (Read this L.A. Times story: Wielding power from the bottom of the heap.)
Could this happen to majority shower takers who deny the needs of minority bathers? I think it could. I think this tiny minority of bathers could — if not treated well with deep tubs and marble surrounds and Jacuzzi-type jets and maybe a fireplace and a flat screen TV — could well rise up and cause their own impasse.
I'm not saying this is a warning. It's just something to be aware of.
In response to our lively discussion about the pros and cons of pedestal sinks (I've pretty much decided against it for my bathroom, thank you all), L.A. designer Enid Harris sent in before-and-after photos of her own recently remodeled guest bathroom.
Here's the story, in Enid's own words:
I recently remodeled my Westwood townhouse and couldn't wait to get rid of the pedestal sinks!
I deem them useless because although they might create the look of having more space, they don't function which is more important (to me).
I have a tiny powder room in which the previous owners tore out a great wall-to-wall cabinet and put in a pedestal sink. Since it's used primarily for guests, there was nowhere to put a guest towel, much less extra toilet paper.
I ended up designing a wall-to-wall cabinet, putting a vessel sink on it with a very cool wall-mount faucet and then I wallpapered the entire tiny room, even the ceiling. It's not only functional (guests don't have to yell for toilet paper), but it's a little jewel of a room which everyone comments on.
Question: I am buying an older home with four smallish bedrooms. (actually two are very small and two are OK). I can either keep all four bedrooms or use one to expand the current master bath (which is a 3/4 bath). To add a tub to the master suite, I need to sacrifice the smallest bedroom (which is 8-feet by 10 feet). Which is better for resale: four bedrooms with a small 3/4 bath in the master, or three bedrooms and a great master suite? Also, if I go for the larger bath, does it make a difference for resale to have two smaller closets with sliding doors in the master vs. one larger walk-in? — Cathy L., Santa Monica
Answer: From David Kean, real estate agent with Prudential California:
In your case, it would be wise to expand your master bath. In today’s market not having a full master bath is a major negative. In luxury home construction, the master bath has been elevated to the ranks of a spa getaway.
Since you are giving up a bedroom, make sure the bath is well designed and appointed. Keep the overall look and material choices in line with the architecture of the home. Stick with neutral colors. Look at high-end interior design magazines for current trends on materials so you don’t spend time and money building a bathroom that already looks out of date. Many homebuyers want not only a tub in the master bath but also a separate shower. Dual sinks are a plus as well.
If you can create two good-sized, well-designed closets, this may be sufficient for a master. Having a his-and-hers closets will be a great selling point. It would be wise to consult with a professional closet designer. A designer will know how to best maximize every square inch of space. There are also alternatives to sliding doors, such as movable wall panels, that could create a custom look and make up for any lack of space.
However, if the two closets are too small to be adequate for clothing needs, combining them into a larger walk-in would be advisable for the master bedroom. Today's homebuyers put a premium on a self-contained master suite that meets all of their needs and is a sanctuary from the rest of the home.
When a reader suggested recently that nobody takes baths anymore, I had a serious reaction to that. My morning bath is almost like a religion. I get to read and soak and brush my teeth and moisturize and all kinds of neat activities that help me "peace out." I can't stand showers. How can you read in a shower? I don't begrudge anyone their shower. But don't deny me a bath!
Of course, if you had a lot of cash in your jeans, you could have an amazing bathtub and an amazing shower, like the Hollywood Hills bath pictured here. The wife wanted a soaking tub; the husband wanted a steam shower. And everybody got what they wanted . . . for about $65,000.
Most of us have to prioritize. What do you think? If you were doing a bathroom remodel, which would get the most funds?
You know what's needed during a stressful remodel? A shower experience!
This new offering from Kohler is so over-the-top decadent that, well, it demands to be tried out.
The Kohler DTV custom showering experience combines water flow and temperature, chromatherapy (colored lights), sound, and steam mist with aromatherapy to create individual showering experiences.
Let's say you've had a horrendous day followed by a tough drive home and you want to get relaxed and rejuvenated for a dinner party. Would a few minutes in a tropical rain forest help? Set the water to fall like rain, the lights to pulse greens and blues, the speakers to play bird songs and the mist to emit the scent of tropical flowers. I feel more relaxed just thinking about it.
Or, in the morning when you want to get pumped up for a sales presentation, set the water to blast out like a torrent, the lights to pulse reds and oranges, the speakers to play Aerosmith, and the mist to emit the smell of blood. Just kidding on that last one.
It's a little hard to tell how much all this costs. Like most elements of remodeling, you have to get a price for the exact configuration you want. There's the rough plumbing, the fixtures, water ports, sound panels, controls, interfaces and goodness knows what else. I saw one at the Builder's Show costing $20,000 for a totally custom shower with swanky tile. But I assume the components could run $5,000 or $10,000.
What you've got to remember is that it's therapy, and therapy is expensive.
The list is at Get With Green, which says it is "the green product resource for your home remodel." The list includes the pros, cons and an eco-analysis of these counter materials: granite, engineered stone, solid surface, ceramic tile, laminates, wood or butcher block, stainless steel, soapstone, marble, concrete, glass and composite/recycled materials.
Thanks, David. This site and posting is a great find!
I'm considering a pedestal sink for my 40-square-foot bathroom and I wonder if it's a mistake. It's exactly what I want for the space, and it's consistent with the vintage look of the house.
But I've been warned by a designer I respect that I will regret installing that sink and that I will eventually try to put a skirt around it to create storage space underneath. All that's under my raggedy old vanity now is a can of Comet and my house-sitter's shower cap. What's the big deal in losing that space?
Myth: A pedestal sink is the best choice for a small bathroom. Fact: Current design fads notwithstanding, a sink in a well-designed vanity cabinet will not only provide far more usable countertop area, but also a good bit of storage below — a feature that's even more important in a small bathroom than in a large one.
But you know how it is when you want what you want?
So what do you think? Should I go with my gut? Or heed these voices of reason?
This is the master bath shower in a house that was rebuilt after the tragic Cedar Fire of 2003, which Wikipedia says was the second-largest wildfire in California's recorded history.
But from the ashes of the San Diego County fire came this opportunity to rebuild, and thus this shower.
The flooring is slate, and the band under the seat is Indian multicolor slate.
The gray tile on the walls is a Dal-Tile porcelain called Aqua.
And the bench seat and tub counter are red marble.
Delicious, no?
I found this shower on a blog called Duderosa. To see the entire process of this house being rebuilt, start at the bottom of the blog and work your way up.
Donna Bankowski has some good reasons why it took her 12 years to remodel the cruddy main bathroom of her Moorpark home, a feat she finally pulled off.
"I'm taking my time," said Bankowski, who bought the fixer-upper with her husband, Leroy, in 1993.
Indeed, since buying the 1970s tract home, the couple has made steady progress on its upgrades — replacing the wood on the front of the house with brick, redoing the driveway and walkways, adding a back patio, replacing the windows and doors, replacing the roof, scraping off the "cottage cheese" ceilings, installing Pergo floors, painting the walls and adding thick crown moldings and baseboards.
As the rest of the house rose up out of mediocrity, the bathroom upgrade kept getting delayed. But it wasn't for lack of need.
The bathroom had a dropped ceiling consisting of plastic panels on a rusted frame over fluorescent tubes. Plus, the dark oak vanity was not at all in line with Bankowski's French-Country palette. Worst of all was the cracked and dingy fiberglass tub enclosure.
I saw this deep bubbling baby at the International Builders Show in Orlando and all I can say is: Oh my. I want it.
It's called the "Sok" overflowing bath for two by Kohler, and it has effervescence (bubbles) and chromatherapy (colored lights). It's deep enough to submerge your shoulders, and if it overflows, well that's the point. The bubbling waters from the inner tub overflow into the outer tub. Look here for more pretty pictures.
This is so politically incorrect I don't know where to begin. The enormous amount of water it would take for one bath? The gas or electric needed to heat that volume of water? The 240 volts of power to amp up those 13 bubble jets? The decadence? What if one had a fireplace in the bathroom? And a flat screen TV? Would you feel compelled to hide those facts from the rest of the world?
When Cathy Nordlund decided to remodel one room in her Woodland Hills home to heart's desire — the powder room — she began by looking through "millions" of decorating magazines. Eventually, she decided on a Victorian theme.
But during her contemplation of fabulous Victorian bathrooms, it finally dawned on Cathy that they all shared a common virtue: "The wonderful light from their wonderful windows."
Cathy's powder room, however, was windowless, and would remain so — the room has no exterior walls. And she could not add a skylight because of the second story above.
At first, she thought of adding an old window frame to give the appearance of a real window, but after more magazine research she started to notice examples of trompe l'oeil, which is French for "fools the eye." Finally, she had her solution. She would hire an artist to paint a faux window on the wall. She thought: "Wow, I'm onto something."
To get exactly what she wanted, which was her ongoing theme, she made a detailed drawing of the window for a local artist who advertised that she painted wall murals.
The drawing shows a white casement window measuring 46 inches wide, 40 inches high and five inches from the corner of the room. One side of the window is open to a bucolic backyard scene showing the family's Rottweiler, Molly, and Nordlund's two children, Bobby 9, and Samantha, 7. It was husband Robert's idea to show a spare roll of toilet paper on the windowsill, and Cathy's idea to show a plant with dropped leaves and a dead bug.
"That's real life," she decided.
The artist's fee, at $200, was a bargain. After it was done, Cathy installed two real knobs on both of the faux windows, choosing a smaller knob for the "open" window to create the sensation that it's farther away. "I'm an engineer," Cathy explained. "That's how I think."
For a less custom look, you can buy ready-made murals. Check here and here.
The cool thing about this story is that one of the homeowners who remodeled this bathroom, Deb, grew up in this house. But after her family sold the house, it declined over the years. Deb avoided driving past her childhood home, even though she lived nearby, because it was so depressing.
Then, two events happened at once: Deb's tax person told her she needed to buy a property for a tax shelter. And, as she saw one day when she drove by the house as a shortcut to work, the house was for sale. Deb called her partner and said: I know the house we're going to buy.
This bathroom remodel was part of a $150,000 whole-house upgrade. The biggest changes in this room were moving the vanity out of the corner to make way for a claw-foot tub, and enlarging the window.
In the old bathroom, there was a shower/tub combination to the left. In the new bathroom, that area serves as an airy shower. I like the tiled half-wall of the shower. It doesn't have to be all glass or all tile. Half and half is good. And those white horizontal tiles are quite trendy. The vanity with raised sinks was custom made. The plate-rail-height bead board gives it the country look I like, and the wall color was artfully chosen.
I drive all over Southern California looking at remodels — from Los Angeles to San Juan Capistrano to Lake Arrowhead to Santa Barbara and all points in between.
And here's a curious thing I've noticed. Half the time when I see really great cabinet knobs, the homeowners got them from the same source: MyKnobs.com.
What determines trends? Is it what the manufacturers are selling? Or what the designers are designing?
Professional Remodeler magazine asked a different question: What are the homeowners choosing? A recent article, Kitchen and Bath Trends, is based on a survey of remodeling contractors across the country, who revealed these trends:
— Oak cabinets are out, cherry and maple are in, and hickory is getting there. White cabinets are still popular, the magazine says, as are "stylish Asian fusion" cabinets. (And if you know what "Asian fusion" means, please tell me.)
— Islands are in, especially those of a color or wood that contrasts with the rest of the cabinets. No matchy matchy wanted. Check out this Tennessee kitchen for a great example of this concept and read the family's blog on the creation of the kitchen.
— Granite is by far the most sought-after countertop, the article says, with homeowners more likely than in the past to make a trip the stone yard to pick out their slab.
— Energy Star appliances are enjoying a new cache.
— For bathrooms, wide-open spaces are way in, with glass shower enclosures taking the place of tiled stalls. For busy couples who may want to use the bathroom at the same time, commode rooms with opaque glass doors fill that need.
— Heated floors and TVs are in. Brass knobs are way out, nickel and antique bronze are way in, and chrome still shows up.
— Finally, indoor air quality is becoming a concern, and more homeowners are opting for new and quiet exhaust fans to draw out moisture and bring in fresh air.
(Photo: This Westlake Village bathroom was designed by Heidi Toll and Velvet Hammerschmidt, and built by Plaskoff Construction. It has maple cabinets, a green granite counter, slate floors and walls, and chrome lights.)
The Diva series includes a jetted bathtub with temperature hold, which maintains the water temperature for the length of the bath (I need this), an electrical socket in the back of the vanity drawer for hairdryers and curling irons, extending magnified makeup mirror with day/night lighting, and an iPod speaker dock.
The M series for men includes a ceiling mounted HDTV projector for an 8- to 10-foot screen and a built-in and stocked wet bar. What more do you need? Oh, yeah, two dishwashers so dishes never have to touch a cupboard, just transfer from dishwasher to use to the other dishwasher.
We in So Cal are already onto this boy-girl thing. Pictured here (click on photos to enlarge) are two Northridge bathrooms created by architect/contractor John Sofio for Lucy Deny-Gardner and her husband Craig Gardner. When the couple couldn't agree on a style for their master bathroom, they decided to create two bathrooms.
Lucy wanted a light, feminine space with buttery yellow walls, birch cabinets, a limestone counter, travertine floor, and steam shower. Craig wanted his bathroom to look like an upscale locker room, with industrial white walls, black marble counter, metal lockers, and a floor drain.
There is a downside, Lucy said: “I’ve ended up spending more time in the bathroom than I ever did before.”
(Do you have any questions for the designer/contractor? Please post comment below.)
I want to let you know about the Pardon Our Dust feature coming up Sunday in the Real Estate section. It's about two bathrooms that were gutted and redone in 14 days. But I also want to share with you something that did not fit in my article but that touched me personally as I reported and wrote the story. 
