Accessible Bathroom Remodel is Recognized with a 2015 Qualified Remodeler Master Design Award.

This gorgeous master bath renovation is truly beauty and function all wrapped up in one. The homeowners couldn’t be more thrilled with their bathroom and winning an award was just icing on the cake. The Qualified Remodeler Master Design Awards competition was initiated 37 years ago to recognize remodelers, architects, builders, kitchen and bath specialists and other professionals for outstanding project design and construction.

Read more about this award-winning project here –

http://qualifiedremodeler.epubxp.com/i/575494-sep-2015

http://www.glickmandesignbuild.com/an-accessible-…short-timeline

A fresh, updated look for her master and hall bathrooms and decks was the goal of this home remodel.  The homeowner, a frequent traveler, stays in fabulous hotels and wanted her own home to have the same spa-like luxury that she experiences when she travels.

A few must-haves on the homeowners’ list…a fix for a leaking master bath shower and better master bedroom closet organization.

The scope of work for the project was extensive and included:

Master Bathroom: Removing a fireplace wall, installing a custom closet system and adding built-in drawers.

Laundry room: New cabinets and flooring.

Guest room: A window seat.

Interior and Exterior: New hardwood floors and paint throughout the second floor and new decks and planter outside.

The homeowner was especially excited about the master bathroom that featured a Robern medicine cabinet, an Amba heated towel rack, feature wall with tile, and wall mounted fixtures. Another unique design feature is the bench spanning the glass from the shower into the bathroom. Careful attention needed to be paid to the structural viability of this. Another fun design element was the use of horizontal balusters on the deck rails and screens to incorporate a more updated and modern style.

In the end we were able to create a respite within the home. The homeowner wanted a spa-like environment in her master bath that had bold, yet at the same time restrained statement pieces which were accomplished with the tile feature wall as well as the wall mounted fixtures and shower bench. The hall bath also had modern touches with a white straight-stacked subway tile paired with a gray grout and contemporary fixtures. The home features a modern style throughout so the renovations help tie the entire space together beautifully.

Unusual Challenges
The biggest challenge on this job was the fact that we had one month to complete the project and being on the 18th floor of the condominium building presented challenges in terms of ease of getting in and out of the building. Working in condos regularly; our team knew the ins and outs of being as efficient as possible when dealing with parking, elevator and other building issues. Working with limited design options, we had to choose materials that we knew would look great and be available to fit our timeframe for completion. Knowing which products are easier to get than others, we were able to select materials that would meet our time constraints while at the same time look great. And knowing that we had limited design options being a condo bathroom, we were able to come up with a plan that suited the space perfectly while accommodating the clients’ needs.

Before

Before and After Floor Plans

The Result

The result of this project was a re-designed condominium bathroom that looked beautiful and provided the functionality that the homeowner desired. An accessible shower, a toilet and sink along with grab bars transformed the room perfectly. The homeowner’s didn’t see the project until it was complete and were truly shocked by the transformation. They didn’t realize an accessible bathroom could look so beautiful at the same time. They couldn’t wait to show off the new space to their friends. View Project

“We could not have been more pleased! I can’t even describe the look on Curtis’ (my husband’s) face–the smile was enormous and so wonderfully genuine. You guys did an amazing job.” – C. B.

~ Janice Shack-Marquez via LinkedIn regarding Blog on SVA Construction Corp Design Build becoming a valuable member of The National Aging in Place Council – May 2014.

The first task was to lower the floor to the loft of the garage about two feet. This move left a comfortable eight feet of vertical space in the garage, but yielded more than enough headroom for a new 270 square-foot master bathroom above.

Next, the SVA Construction Corp team knocked out the wall separating an unused bedroom and a small study. A step-down entrance now created a master bedroom/bathroom suite exceeding 614 square-feet.
Stepping down into the bath from a beveled glass door, the room reveals a mosaic of French Beaumanire soapstone and marble trim tiles, cherry wood vanities, antique verde marble countertops, and a custom glass-and-gold shower for two. Finally, recessed and brass lighting echo the room’s brass fixtures, completing the look.

By incorporating a little creativity, the SVA Construction Corp team fulfilled the homeowners desires of creating their dream master suite, utilizing existing unused space in their home, saving both time and money.

~ SVA Construction Corp Design Build Newsletter, May 2014 Homes for Life

Retrofitting homes to provide ease and comfort for the disabled takes more than simply meeting accessibility standards. “You have to listen to your clients,” says Robin Burrill, a co-owner of Curb Appeal Renovations in Fort Worth, Texas.

Curb Appeal recently renovated a home for a wheelchair-bound man who was 6’7″ tall and his wife, who also was 6 feet tall. He uses a higher wheelchair and requires other adjustments to standards for typical disabled people. “You should follow the guidelines, but you have to meet their needs,” Burrill says.

Current standards, for instance, require 36-inch-wide doors, but remodelers consider those to be “knucklebusters,” to use the term favored by Bill Mavrakis at T&L Design-Build in Canton, Ohio. He tries to create 42-inch-wide doorways to aid wheelchair users who have to pilot themselves.

Exterior home entrances pose the first challenge for designers. Most stay away from the home’s front, putting ramps at the rear or in the garage. But the required 1:12 slope ratio “can take up an entire garage stall,” Mavrakis says. He often uses reconditioned or used lifts, building a 4.5-foot-square platform for maneuvering. Dennis Gehman, president of Gehman Custom Builder Inc. in Harleysville, Pa., typically creates L-shaped ramps to compress the needed space. “Each one is really custom,” he says. Landscaping often helps the ramps blend with the home’s exterior.

Bathrooms create the largest challenge, as they typically are small spaces that lack maneuvering room. “We try to expand the bathroom into an adjacent room or create a new bath from a spare room,” Gehman says. “Curbless” showers that allow wheelchairs to roll right into them are popular for these spaces. Dave Cerami, president of Home Tech Renovations in Philadelphia, sometimes notches the existing floor joists to slope the shower correctly.

In kitchens, removing floor cabinets around sinks and installing plumbing pipes tight against the back wall can allow wheelchair users to roll up to the sink. Setting sinks and other countertops at 30 inches rather than 36 also aids disabled cooks.

The key challenge for remodelers is that homeowners want a look that is functional but also aesthetically pleasing. “When they have to sell their home,” explains Burrill, “they don’t want to sell it as having a handicapped bathroom but as having a very nice, high-end, larger bath.” That can be achieved by placing half-walls rather than bars around the toilet and installing thin but sturdy rails that resemble towel racks. Mavrakis often uses the curbless shower base but installs it with cultured marble or ceramic tile walls “so it doesn’t look like a barrier-free shower.”

Designers expect that this type of work will grow and product lines are expanding to accommodate that growth. The need will become particularly great as aging baby boomers look to remain in their homes or see their own parents move in with them. “Some are finding that it’s cheaper to remodel the home to fit their needs than to move into a nursing home,” Mavrakis says.

For more tips and requirements for designing for disabled homeowners, visit the Americans with Disabilities Act website.

By Craig A. Shutt

Original Article: http://www.hgtvremodels.com/interiors/creating-accessible-homes/index.html

Radiant electric heat: Do you dread stepping out of the shower onto that cold tile? There are a variety of ways to incorporate heat under your tiles when they are set. It doesn’t have to be too costly and can greatly enhance your comfort.

Good tiles: Popping up in popularity today over traditional glazed tile is porcelain or stone tile. It has a warm feel to it that you don’t get with other tile options. Lame linoleum and glazed tiles are so yesteryear. Glass tile is also gaining in popularity.

Grab bars: As baby boomers are aging grab bars are gaining in popularity. And even younger people are migrating toward them as well. They can actually add to the decorative look of the room and of course have the benefit of added safety when maneuvering around the space.

Dueling vanities: Homeowners are increasingly asking for his-and-hers sinks and vanities, even in small bathrooms. Two vanities allow for each person to have his or her own space and storage, and for each area to have a different feel.

A focus on storage: Small drawers with dividers work very well in the bathroom. Vertical storage is gaining in popularity, because it works well, while saving space.

Large, airy showers: Showers continue to reign in the bathroom. In small bathrooms, homeowners are tearing out the tub to expand the shower. Not only is the stall getting larger, it’s getting more airy, with much more glass to create a spa-like feel.

Let the sunlight in: Bright, airy bathrooms are in high demand. Adding windows and skylights are key in creating that sunny retreat.

~ SVA Construction Corp Design Build April 2014 Newsletter

We are happy to announce the creation of two new websites that will work in conjunction with our original site, SVA Construction CorpDesignBuild.com.

We pride ourselves in managing both luxury and accessible home remodeling projects and have decided to make it easier for homeowners to get a clear picture of what we do.

Safer-Home.net

Safer-Home.net will serve as the main hub for homeowners that are interested in accessible home remodeling. Special needs families and those that care for elderly family members will find this to be a great resource.  Services include complex, upscale/large-scale accessibility solutions for mobility challenges such as elevators, 1st floor accessible in-law suites, attractive accessible entryways, along with bathroom & kitchen expansions.

Signature-Home.net

Signature-Home.net focuses on the luxury custom and remodeling services that SVA Construction Corp Design Build offers to homeowners. Services include specializing in more complex, upscale design solutions that cater to changing family needs.  This includes pop-top additions, single or multi-level additions, kitchen & bath expansions, sunrooms, basements, luxury outdoor living, custom homes and more.

Whether your home remodeling project is large or small, most times the cost of remodeling or building will be a substantial—especially in comparison to other household expenses. When you start planning a remodeling project, you should start early thinking about how you’ll finance the project.  The scale of the project that you can undertake will be directly influenced by the amount of money available. Maybe, as we discussed in our blog on Master Planning and Feasibility studies, if your remodeling plans are ambitious or expensive, you’ll want to consider having your remodeling done in phases–perhaps over a period of years, as the money is available. When you go to a design/build firm, one the first questions they’ll ask you is “what is your budget?”

Fortunately there are several options you have for obtaining financing. The four primary options are 1) cash; 2) a Home Equity Line of Credit; 3) Cash-Out Refinancing and 4) a Loan-to-Future Value loan, which is really a construction loan wrapped into re-financing. If your remodeling plans are ambitious or extensive, you’ll want to consider having your remodeling done in phases—perhaps over a period of years, as the money is available.  When you go to a design/build firm, one of the first questions they’ll ask you is “what is your budget?”

Cash

Cash is terrific if you have the money available to you through personal savings, inheritance, or from another source.  But even when you have the cash available, it’s still worth considering a couple of points before deciding this is the best option. Interest payments on a home improvement project are tax deductible, but the cost of a remodeling project paid for in cash is not.  If you are borrowing money for 3 ½% and are in the 28-33% tax bracket, you are probably paying only about 2 ½%. A second consideration before deciding to pay cash is whether you might have other needs for the cash or whether you could be earning more on your money through another investment with a higher yield.

Home Equity Line Of Credit

A home equity line of credit is a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as the collateral.  They are sometimes called second mortgages and they usually don’t involve closing costs. The amount of equity that you have in your home—the difference between the current appraised value of the home minus the amount owed—plays a big part in the bank’s decision on the amount approved for your line of credit.  Like other loans, a line of credit has a term—an agreed upon period of time—that the lender will make that set amount of money available. The borrower is not advanced the entire amount up front, but uses a line of credit to borrow sums over time that total no more than the maximum credit limit set by the bank.  For instance, if I have been approved for a $100,000 line of credit, I can draw money from this as needed.

One of the differences between a Line of Credit and other loans is the interest rate is always variable, which means that it can change over time and is usually based on an index, such as the prime rate.  During the term of your loan, often the payments required are only the interest due on the loan.  The entire amount of the loan is due at the end of the term—like a balloon mortgage.  Usually the term of a Home Equity Line of Credit is between 5 and 25 years.

Cash-Out Refinancing

A cash-out refinance is a replacement of your first mortgage, so this option does involve new closing costs.  With cash-out refinancing, you refinance your mortgage for more than you currently owe and then pocket the difference.  Let’s say your home is worth $750,000 and you current mortgage is $300,000.  You want to remodel your kitchen and you also need some cash for your child’s tuition, so you’ve decided you need $100,000 for both.  With cash-out refinancing you would refinance your mortgage for $400,000, taking the additional $100,000 out in cash and hopefully, especially in the current economic times, borrow the money at a lower interest rate than your original loan.

In deciding between a cash-out refinance and a home equity line of credit, you should consider the cost of refinancing your home.  The closing costs are usually several thousand dollars.  And, it doesn’t make sense to finance a larger amount, if the interest rate is higher.  If your current mortgage is at a lower rate than currently available, it probably makes more sense to take out a home equity loan.

Loan To Future Value, or Future Value Financing

A loan to future value involves making projections about the future worth of a property after improvements and adjusting the financing arrangement accordingly.  Many homeowners use construction-to-permanent (or loan to future value) financing programs where the construction loan is converted to a mortgage loan after the certificate of occupancy is issued.  If a homeowner wants to make improvement to a property and needs money to finance them, the lender will evaluate the impact of these changes on the value of the land and buildings involved.  The extension of the mortgage will be based on whether the lender determines that the amount of the loan will result in a rise in value of the property that is at least comparable to the amount of the loan, including interest and fees.

Once you have a schematic design and a preliminary construction estimate, then you can lock-in the loan amount and interest rate.  The bank will pre-approve you for a loan and it is possible to purchase a rate-lock agreement valid through the expected completion of construction.  You only pay interest on the construction loan as make draws. You, the contractor and the lender establish a schedule for draws based on stages of construction. Construction loans are usually variable-rate loans priced at a spread to the prime rate or other short-term interest rates.  The full amount of the construction loan is due on completion of construction. The property is refinanced on completion of construction.  So, the borrower pays two rates—one for the construction loan and one for the mortgage.  During construction, the bank will send an inspector out to check the project at every stage of construction.  There are fees for these inspections—usually in the range of $50.00 per inspection, that are paid for by the borrower.

The major advantage of this type of loan is that you only have to make one application and have one closing and you can borrow more than would be available to you with a conventional refinance.

Our Partners Can Help You

Mark Richards

Mortage Loan Officer
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Office: 202-537-3552
mark.richards@td.com
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Regional Vice President
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