Bathroom Renovation: The Hammonds' House, A Case Study

In 1742, when Thomas Gray wrote, “where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise,” he couldn’t have been referring to building a house. As we have seen throughout the construction of the Hammonds’ house, the more educated you are about the bathroom renovation process, the better your chances are that your dream house won’t turn into a nightmare.

In many cases the families that are having their dream homes built work full time and find it difficult to get out visiting showrooms and stores. Many manufacturers and retailers are discovering that if they can offer sales services all the time—twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week—it will allow their customers the freedom to educate themselves and purchase whatever they need on their own schedules. Years ago L.L. Bean in Maine became famous for this type of service. In today’s world, companies are using the Internet to provide similar service.

When Bob was renovating his own Cambridge shingle-style home in Season Seven of Bob Vila’s Home Again, he traveled to Wisconsin to tour the Kohler factories there. For our bathroom renovation project we decided to tour Kohler in cyberspace. We invite you to do the same.

Cybersink
Kohler Co.’s website is both informative and impressive. When the Hammonds were looking for their bathroom fixtures not only could they visit the site and find a convenient distributor, they could also browse through photographs and learn about the multitude of choices Kohler offers.

Before choosing their Revival bathtub they could see photographs of several other tubs, whirlpools, and spas. Furthermore, when they decided on the Antique bath faucet and Revival hand-shower they already knew what to expect before they stepped into the showroom.

Take a Test Dry
Homeowners are always on the lookout for new ideas to improve their homes. As you know from any previous projects you’ve done, a good part of the fun is in the dreaming and the planning.

Because bathroom renovation work is expensive, you should make your decisions carefully. In order to feel, touch, and see what kind of bathroom fixtures are available, you may want to visit your local home shows. Of course, if you’re interested in experiencing the most recent advances in bathrooms and furniture and want to get in a game of golf as well, all you have to do is plan a vacation to Kohler, Wisconsin. 

The American Club in Kohler Village has 236 guest rooms with suites which have 1-1/2 baths and a whirlpool. The people at Kohler regularly renovate the rooms and furnish them with Baker and McGuire furniture, which are also companies within the Kohler corporate family.

While staying at the hotel, you can visit Kohler’s Design Center, learn how fixtures are made, and see the latest and greatest from Kohler’s designers. When we visited their website we also learned that in addition to producing superior kitchen and bath fixtures, Kohler also maintains two golf courses, which are probably mowed with lawn mowers powered by Kohler engines. Panoramas of their Whistling Straits golf course have recently been incorporated on lavatories in Kohler’s Artist Editions series.

So Many Options
The Hammonds chose their fixtures after considering several different options from Kohler. From the outset, Anne and Ned had wanted their house to have all of the modern conveniences while maintaining a sense of traditional style. When you renovate your home or have a new home built, there are several factors you will want to consider when deciding on new bath and kitchen fixtures.

Even if you are planning to move from your present home in a year or two, oftentimes the bathrooms and kitchen can sell a house. So when you determine your budget, consider if skimping now may hurt you in the long run.

The First Floor Bathroom Renovation
One theme the Hammonds have followed since the design phase of their project is the blending of contemporary architectural features with antique charms. Their choice in the first floor bathroom is a good example of this. Now that everything is plumbed and installed we can see how stylish fixtures are enhanced by the antique faucets and accessories.

The merlot pedestal lavatory is from Kohler’s Memoirs collection. The Sonata shower module ties in well with the Revival lavatory faucets. Even the toothbrush holders give the room a sense of timelessness. 

When Bill and his crew from Weston Plumbing installed the pipes in the first floor bath, they also installed the washing machine hook-ups. A design consideration was that in order to have the washer and dryer on the first floor the bathroom would have to be smaller.

Instead of putting in a half bath, the folks from Kohler, Acorn, and the Hammonds decided to put in a shower module. Deciding this early on made it easier for the architects to design a room that was roomy and not too tight.

The two bathrooms on the second floor have full-sized bathtubs so having a shower downstairs was an extra bonus. Because the house is perched above the beach and because the bathroom is located right next to the back door, it will be easy for the family’s beachgoers to shower off the salt after a cool Atlantic dip. The location of the bathroom will also mean there is little concern with children tracking sand and periwinkles on the way to the shower. The Glassworks shower doors and the Revival hand shower will also make it easy for the kids to aim the water at their bodies and let it drain in the shower and not on the floor.