“It turned out even nicer than we ever could have thought.”
Join Design Build Planners on our journey of transforming a kitchen and bathroom for thrilled empty-nesters.
Watchung, New Jersey homeowners Ben and Sandie have a great home on a beautiful piece of property, but they were ready to make some changes to the outdated and cramped kitchen and bathroom.
After meeting Design Build Planners at a home show, the homeowners started getting serious with their new vision, scouring through magazines and home design ideas on Houzz on a daily basis.
“Design Build Planners was exactly what I was looking for, without even knowing what I was looking for.”
Since one of their goals was to increase space in the kitchen and bathroom without adding onto the house, they knew that the design aspect was important.
After hiring Design Build Planners, we went to their home to take extensive measurements and guide them through our proprietary and comprehensive lifestyle checklist, which provides insight about their lifestyle, cooking and entertaining habits, and goals.
The New Kitchen – Open, Airy, and Light
Ben and Sandie had a kitchen that was closed off from the rest of the house, with too much wasted space and too many walls. Like many homeowners, they wanted an open floor plan to expand their options for entertaining family and friends and also provide an improved setting for everyday living.
After removing the kitchen and dining room walls and extending one wall of the kitchen 3’ into an unused portion of the garage, we were able to create a kitchen that has 2.5x more usable space than the old kitchen, without adding on to the house.
Additionally, we removed the rear kitchen windows and replaced them with a 9’ sliding glass door to bring more light into the home and provide a new entrance and flow into the kitchen.
Additional kitchen features include:
- An L-shaped island that seats 4 comfortably
- Built-in wine rack
- Double ovens
- A desk and storage area off to the site
- A convenient beverage center
- Glass and metal backsplash
Here is a before and after of the new kitchen. View more photos of the entire kitchen transformation.
A New Bathroom Oasis
Ben and Sandie’s old bathroom was dark and partitioned into two sections, which had bothered them for years. As with the kitchen, our goal was to maximize the relatively small space of only 76 square feet (8’ x 9.5’) and include everything on their wish list without adding onto the house.
We designed the new bathroom to be contemporary and bright, consistent in style with their new kitchen.
The result is a completely transformed bathroom that now includes:
- Jetted tub
- Double sink vanity
- Toilet with a knee wall for privacy
- Stand-alone shower with a bench seat, rain head, and wall niche
- Barrier-free, level-entry shower
- Porcelain plank tile floor that simulates wood
- River rock stone shower floor
- Bevel-cut marble wall tile
As you can see from the before and after photos below, Ben and Sandy now have much more usable space in their luxurious new one-of-a-kind bathroom. View more photos of the bathroom transformation.
Consultative Project Design and Development
Both the new kitchen and bathroom were the result of several conversations between Design Build Planners and the homeowners. By learning about their lifestyle and the goals they have for their newly remodeled home, we are able to combine our construction knowledge and design creativity to develop a project that checks all of their boxes and also aligns with their financial resources.
The CAD images below provide a glimpse into our unique design build process for home remodeling projects.
We were fortunate enough to chat with Ben about his newly remodeled home and his experience with Design Build Planners and Pro Skill Construction.
“It was a great pleasure working together with Sandie and Ben on this project. When a kitchen project starts with removing three walls and moving a fourth wall three feet into the garage, the design possibilities become abundant. Providing an open floor plan with a kitchen suited for entertaining was the request…mission accomplished!” ~ Neil Parsons, Design Build Planners
To get started with your next home remodeling project, we invite you to schedule a complimentary consultation with Design Build Planners and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and set you on the right course for your home transformation.