From Drab to Dreamy:
Bathroom Reno in 10 Short Days

     Nine years with one sink and a simple 24" cabinet was all Rhonda Fingland could tolerate in her main floor bathroom! Last September, she and husband Darrel contacted Dynasty Bath and Kitchen Centre and had Rob Syrenne come out to give them a quote on blasting this inefficient, no storage bathroom out of their lives! With two young daughters and two adults using the space daily, something had to be done to make that bathroom more user friendly. The room is not a large one but certainly adequate if the space is used efficiently. Original builders' specs didn't include a lot of extras, especially in the bathroom - consideration was only functional, certainly not comfortable or luxurious. But today, we think a little differently about our basic needs and bathrooms are moving into a whole new genre - today we have super spa bathrooms where one could spend the better part of a day and not lack for anything. This bathroom although not that lavish, turned out elegantly and far more functional when compared to the original.

…the 'prime directive' for this bathroom was lots of
cupboard space and low maintenance

     Rhonda had done a lot of homework and found a picture in a magazine that was exactly what she wanted. She knew the 'prime directive' for this bathroom was lots of cupboard space and low maintenance - we're all too busy to spend hours cleaning! She discussed the design with Rob and found they could leave the configuration in tact but improve on everything in there. Once a quote was in place, the gutting began. We're all familiar with the term 'yin and yang' - the internal balance of life. Well, there was a little yin and yang going on in this bathroom. Unfortunately, the toilet had been leaking for quite some time by the looks of the mould under the linoleum and the state of the subfloor. They both had to come out which added about a day to the renovation and some extra cost (the yin). The subfloor was taken out to the support joists and new sheeting installed before the ceramic tile could be installed. On the plus side of things (the yang), the Finglands had enough ceramic tile left from another renovation to do the floor, thereby balancing out the cost of the extra work! Yin and yang restored once again and the reno continued without a hitch.

     At Rob's suggestion, the Finglands looked at a 3-piece tub/shower made by Acriform that included a somewhat deeper and wider tub than standard -- they had the room to install it and the small amount of space they would lose goes a long way in extra comfort. The 3 pieces of the tub enclosure are installed by way of a clamping system from behind and an overlap design at front making it totally watertight without the use of silicone, which makes it maintenance free! They chose a plain tub but Acriform does put out this same system with a whirlpool or air jet tub. Another excellent suggestion for this bathroom was the Caroma toilet - very interesting mechanically! Manufactured in Australia, and mandatory there in new house building because it has an energy efficient dual flush system and is the only one on the market with a 4-inch trap (standard North American built toilets only have a 2 1/4" trap). Now, the interesting thing is, that because of that large trap that never plugs, the dual flush has been reduced to a 3-litre flush for liquids and 6 litres for solids in contrast to the North American energy efficient flushes of 13 and 6 litres! Rob Syrenne of Dynasty and his family of 5 has been using that same toilet and a new restricted showerhead (standard fare now, so the Finglands also have that feature) for about 2 years and has found that his water bill has been reduced by about $50 per quarter, consistently!

…a center tower of open shelving to display the finer things and closed shelving to hide all those little necessities

     But, the crowning glory of this bathroom is the handsome, stylized shelving and cupboard storage system Dynasty installed. An elegantly shaped bulkhead tops two large mirrors and two sinks, one on each side of a center tower of open shelving to display the finer things and closed shelving to hide all those little necessities. Four good-sized cupboard doors and 4 drawers in the vanity section add a whole new world of storage. A spa-like, Caribbean aqua colour on the walls beautifullyilluminated by simple pot lighting, brushed nickel taps, faucets and even the paper roll, complete the elegant style of this new bathroom.

      How do the Finglands feel about this new space? "We love it! We hardly even knew the house was being renovated," Rhonda says with a big smile. "We had a deadline to meet and in 10 short working days they were totally done. They were always here on time and always cleaned up before they left. We were impressed with the quality of the work and the workmen...even the dog liked them all!"