California Home Renovations

I have known for five years the look that I wanted for my hall bathroom but have avoided remodeling because of bad experiences with contractors and not being able to find the right materials. After five years of watching HGTV and searching Houzz and Pinterest for ideas, I summoned up the courage to do it. My look was Asian Spa and I had a definite idea what I wanted it to look like but the small size of my bathroom limited what I could do. I shopped for the wall tile, flooring material and hardware that I wanted and just had to find the contractor to help me achieve my dream bath. I found Jake at a home show, where I was actually looking for a company to re-surface my bathtub and make minor changes to the rest of the bath. I made appointments with four contractors at the show but cancelled all but two of them after I talked with Jake. After talking with him, he promised me that he could actually remodel my bath to get exactly what I wanted at a much lower price than I expected. He showed up, listened to what I was planning, and after some discussion, I decided not to just freshen up the look, but to go for a whole remodel with a luxury shower for my husband. This included a "bamboo look" glass tile wall, extra large glass enclosed shower stall with bench, full shower panel with rain head and sprayer jets, pebble shower floor, custom maple vanity with soft-close drawers and under counter accent lighting, Toto toilet, vessel sink and brushed nickel "bamboo" hardware. Jake was great. He accompanied me to several bath and kitchen suppliers and helped me choose coordinating stone and accents. He also saved me money by using his contractors discount. I know (from experience) that most contractors want to make the purchase themselves so they get to mark up the materials as well, but Jake truly wanted me to get the best value possible. Because there was some overlap of projects (a previous job got delayed a day because of materials coming in), there was only one guy here to do the demolition. I was skeptical, at first, that one person could rip out the whole thing, including the bathtub, but Sal proved me wrong. He tore through the bathroom and carried out the debris as he went. At the end of the day, everything was gone and cleaned up. There was a problem with dry rot from a previous installation, and Jake, Andrew, and Sal showed up the next day and addressed it. They discussed the best way to handle it and shored it up with a sturdy solution that would prevent any future problems. Andrew and Sal worked the next couple of days preparing the walls and floor for the tile, cabinetry, and shower. I was worried that, because of the uneven texture of the bamboo glass tiles (and the high cost) that they might not get installed well but I needn't have worried. Jake had assured me that Andrew was the best tile setter and he was right. The glass bamboo wall looks amazing as well as the extra glass bamboo trim that Andrew put up on both sides of the custom mirror. Wall sconces completed the Asian organic look. Everything went in as planned and it all came together, beautifully. The last touch was to replace a wall access to the hall linen closet. I was just going to have them install a plain wooden cabinet door, but Jake suggested a glass one to continue the Asian look and I chose bamboo glass. Jake also suggested that, instead of finishing the shower stone edges in bullnose tile, that we use a brushed nickel Schluter which is more modern and gives a more finished look. The cost was a few hundred more, but it really accentuated the sleek look. There were a couple of changes in the anticipated order of doing things, mostly due to the cold, damp weather extending drying time of materials, but we were done on the day before Thanksgiving, when my family of 16 descended for Thanksgiving dinner. Otherwise, things went smoothly and the team responded quickly to any challenges that were thrown at them. My bathroom went from late 80's white tile with coral trim and small bath tub to ultra-modern Asian luxury spa. The hardest thing about the project was keeping my husband from peeking at the progress as the bathroom was my anniversary gift to him and he did not get to see it until it was completely finished. I highly recommend Jake and his team for any remodeling that you need done. They got my project done on time and on budget. The other quotes that I had gotten were $8000-$10,000 more than I paid and I know that I would not have received the personalized attention and great design advice that I got from Jake. The quality of the work is top-notch and we are delighted with our showcase bathroom. Check out my before and after pics!