Master Bath: Personal Best

Remodeled bathrooms are to our business what laptops are to the computer industry: They are usually small but loaded with style, convenience and smart ideas. And they are hot sellers.

That goes doubly for master baths. Owners of older homes are tired of making do with cramped, ugly bathrooms. They want the best in luxury and comfort. Quality finishes such as granite, solid surfacing, ceramic and glass tiles are in demand for master bath remodels. So are multijet showers; clear glass shower doors; deep whirlpool tubs (including the two-person variety); hand-held shower, vanity and tub sprays; and faucets in antique-look metal tones.

But the one essential ingredient for a successful master bath remodel is complete personalization -- customizing the room to match all the users' wants and needs. With this San Rafael, Calif., master bath, Betty Sundborg, CKD, of Marin Kitchen Works in Novato, Calif., delivered on all her client's wishes in a beautiful package that earns a perfect 10 rating. The homeowner not only loves the room, she loves the fact that her friends do, too.

The client wanted a sunny, low-maintenance "comfort bathroom." Specifically, she requested "walk-around" space, a big tub, ample storage and a private commode area. Her husband wanted heat lamps and a shower he could steam up. Sundborg gained extra space for the room by designing a modest bump-out on the back of the one-story house. It features an angled bay where the tub is nested in a sweeping curve of solid surfacing. Angled walls flanking the bay make space for a generous seating area on the tub surround at one end and outdoor access through patio doors at the other.

The angled exterior wall also yields extra circulation space between tub and shower. The glass block shower wall admits filtered light that the client says "makes the room special." And, like the curved tub surround, the wall's soft curve visually expands the room. Sundborg specified a pocket door for the toilet area to lend privacy while conserving floor space. "The bathroom feels so big and airy," the client says.

For good looks and low maintenance, Sundborg chose spruce-look, matte-finish laminate (with classy black edging) for the cabinetry. The molded, solid-surface lav-vanity top has no seams to clean. The shower seats are molded into the solid-surface surround for easy care, and they're large for safe, easy use. Porcelain tile flooring, in both the room and the shower, is easy-care, too. Smaller squares in the shower have more grout lines, which makes the shower floor less slippery.

Like many homeowners, the client and her husband rarely use the vanity at the same time, so they didn't need twin lavs. Sundborg instead provided lots of drawer and counter space on his side and hers. The raised counter is comfortable to use and makes room for extra drawer space. Stacked cabinets by the shower turn an otherwise wasted wall into a towel storage center.

Mirrors span the full width of the vanity to enhance the sense of space. Mirror-mounted sconce fixtures point up to provide balanced, no-glare lighting. And check this out: Each end has a recessed medicine cabinet. One opens backward, with the mirrored door facing the lav, to give the client another viewing angle. The removable glass block panel in the vanity toe kick matches the shower wall and is lighted from behind. "It makes a wonderful nightlight," the client says.

Sundborg repeated materials and light tones throughout the room to brighten, unify and open the space. The look is sophisticated, artistic and enhanced by a novel, personal touch: bamboo rods mounted on wrought-iron plant holders to hang towels and fabric art.

Personalization is what elevates a remodeled bathroom from good to great. But how do you identify opportunities for personalization? Kym Davis, CKD, CBD, of The Kitchen and the Bath by Kym Inc. in Sheboygan, Wis., applies "the 365 rule." The best way to discover all the habits and preferences of your clients in order to design a total-satisfaction bathroom, he explains, is to do a detailed analysis of everyday use.

Storage is one area to look for personalization. Davis says homeowners often need less storage in a bathroom, not more. Instead of cramming in more cabinets, he suggests replacing fixed, built-in shelves with smaller or narrower cabinets that have more practical adjustable shelves. You might even be able to move the towels out of the room to a nearby closet.

Convenient, custom-configured storage always wows clients. Andrew Stein, CKD, CBD, of Design Manifest Inc. in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., frames vanity mirrors with pilaster-look cabinets that contain toiletry shelves. Delores Hyden, CKD, CBD, of Showplace Design & Remodeling in Redmond, Wash., stores towel rolls and small items in niches inside tub decks or in cabinet towers partially recessed to conserve floor area. Robert Feinberg, CKD, of Allied Kitchen & Bath in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., runs a shallow glass shelf across the vanity mirror to house toiletries. When really squeezed for space, he has put drawers for extra supplies in the vanity toe kick.

Lighting, mirrors and outlets also can be personalized. Along with overhead and sconce lighting at the vanity, how about installing a lighted, magnified mirror with telescoping arm? Be sure to place task lighting where it's needed. Include dimmer switches so your clients can control the ambience. Don't skimp on outlets. Put one inside a vanity cabinet, for instance, where the hair dryer can stay plugged in. It's worth asking your clients if they work in offices that have fluorescent lighting. If Davis' clients do, he uses corrected lighting at the vanity to match fluorescent illumination.

Help your clients balance beauty and maintenance when they choose materials and finishes. If they want stone counters, use multiple layers of sealant (and advise your clients to reseal as needed) or suggest a nonporous look-alike such as Zodiaq. For easy-to-clean, seamless, raised-panel cabinet doors, suggest thermofoil, the "shrink-wrap" of cabinetry.

Your clients probably won't think of comfort extras, but you can think ahead for them. Keep the floor warm by installing an under-tile heat pad. And avoid cold showers. Ann M. Morris, CKD, CBD, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says it's smart to put in an extra water heater if you are installing a multijet or steam shower.

That's not all. Think even further ahead for your clients. Use wide shower doors, include shower seating and install pretty grab bars -- or, as Sundborg did, block the walls for grab bars and mark the locations on the plans.

Wendy A. Jordan is senior contributing editor of Professional Remodeler magazine, and the author of numerous remodeling books for contractors and homeowners.