A bathroom remodeling for a more modern look

Bringing more light into a contemporary bathroom remodel

As part of his duplex’ transformation into a multigenerational home, Philippe also asked to renovate his outdated and dim first-floor bathroom. His number one priority? Inject more natural light into the bathroom while giving it a modern spin.

A natural DIY at heart, the homeowner already had a very clear idea of what he wanted his bathroom to look like. Philippe envisioned a strictly black and white canvas for this space. With Billdr’s help and recommendations from the general contractor, he handpicked his own materials and finishes to bring his monochromatic vision to life.

Connecting with a general contractor

Prior to getting in touch with Billdr, Philippe had trouble finding a trusted general contractor who could work on his renovation project within his timeline. His search continued for months until his neighbor recommended Billdr as a solution. Within a week of reaching out to our team, we connected Philippe to two vetted contractors who provided comparable quotes based on the detailed estimate that we shared. The latter gave an itemized breakdown of all the different steps required in the renovation, so that the homeowner knew exactly what to expect. Three weeks later, the contract was signed and construction work started promptly after. Billdr was able to shorten the process of finding the right contractor for the project, and saved Philippe endless weeks of research.

Modernizing the space with additional fixer-uppers

For this bathroom remodel, major upgrades meant re-inventing the room entirely. For starters, the team moved the laundry machine out of the bathroom to create space for a more elegant and modern makeover. The original bathtub and toilet were also stripped away to make room for their contemporary counterparts.

One of the standout features is the new wall-mounted toilet, which is an upgrade from the previous one that was situated directly on the floor. In addition, to revamp the bathroom, the team uses custom-made ceramic tiles in order to differentiate the shower area from the rest of the room. Alongside this starker contrast, we also added a darker accent wall to further highlight the shower.

Cohabiting within the renovations

If he had to re-do the experience, Philippe would have changed one thing: securing an alternative living arrangement while the renovation was happening. Working from home with his partner as well as having two young children in tow made it even harder to live within the construction. The family had to constantly move between floors to accommodate the ongoing work. They had little intimacy due to the noise, dust, and constant influx of people coming in and out of their home. His advice to homeowners looking to renovate? Find temporary housing somewhere else instead of living on the construction site.

Modernizing the space with additional fixer-uppers

The general contractor did not run into major complications during this bathroom remodel since all the plumbing work was already completed. The only challenges that the team encountered were related to minor modifications.

The main issue was floor leveling. The bathroom’s flooring was much lower than that of the corridor. That area had to be regraded in order to be of the same level. This hidden defect was only discovered once demolition was done because other floors had been installed in the past. When the team became aware of the issue, they got to work at once to fix it, and were still able to meet deadlines.

As previously mentioned, a new feature of this bathroom was the upgrade to a wall-mounted toilet. Walls are typically four inches wide, but this specific type of toilet required two additional inches because the water tank for the flush had to be installed within the wall. There were other existing installations behind that wall, but the construction workers were able to work around them. The foundation of the shower also needed to be custom-fit — it had to be made out of a more waterproof ceramic with tiles that were inclined so that the water can flow through.

As part of transforming a duplex into a bi-generational house, we've renovated this outdated and dim first-floor bathroom into a modern bathroom. We've moved the laundry machine out of the bathroom and created a smaller more elegant space.