By Duane St. Clair

The recent upgrade to the master suite and bathroom in Terry and Pat Burton’s vintage Westerville home is a “second generation” remodeling, Terry says.

That’s because it replaced a bath and suite that was part of a major two-story addition 20 years ago, when the Burtons upgraded and expanded their home that dates to “1920 or before,” he adds.

Terry, who works as a realtor, says owners become their own worst enemies: they live in homes for long periods of time and “don’t realize they’re going out of style,” he says.

After the 1988 expansion more than doubled the home’s size, the new master bath had a shower plus a Jacuzzi, a trend from the era.

“I used it about a half dozen times,” Terry says. “(Each time), it drained the hot water tank.”

When the Burtons decided it was time for change, they turned to Larry J. Grabinger Jr., owner of Accurate Home Improvements Inc., to help plan the upgrades, which came after they stripped the bath of the tub, a shower, sink and cabinets and floral wallpaper. Grabinger had done other smaller improvements for the Burtons in recent years.

The Burtons wanted a 21st century design trend. Custom cabinets with a granite top were built for the cozy niche where the built-in Jacuzzi had been. They selected a claw foot tub, set at an angle for accent, to go in the space. Italian-made council-style sinks book-end the bathroom door, which connects to a short hall to the bedroom. Medicine cabinets with attractively designed mirrors hang above each. Plumbing and other metal fixtures are chrome while the cabinetry, sinks and tub are white.

The shower is 7-feet-by-4-feet with a frameless glass door. The shower features ceramic tile with granite seats and a granite threshold that match the tub-area counter top. The glass is sealed in silicone and set in a groove in the threshold that will withstand normal use and never leak, Grabinger says.

A walk-in closet on one side of the bedroom access hall was remodeled with custom shelves and storage. A smaller closet remains on the opposite side of the hall.

The Burtons wanted to keep bedroom furniture to a minimum, which was accomplished by having whole-wall cabinetry custom-built and placed where a dresser or other furniture might have been. The finished piece includes drawers and shelves for clothes and accessories, and it also has space for electronics.

The project experienced a minor challenge, Grabinger notes, when the cabinet-maker failed to measure doorway and hallway access, making it impossible to fit the large finished cabinet sections into the room. As a solution, Grabinger removed the double exterior bedroom windows: the cabinet pieces were then lifted through the opening with only a quarter inch of clearance space.

At Grabinger’s suggestion, the Burtons had engineered Brazilian wood floors installed in both rooms. For the bathroom, Grabinger recommended wainscoting because the materials are virtually waterproof. Since the Burtons expect to be in the home many more years, they selected upscale items, such as the sinks, the tub and custom cabinetry, all of which add quality to the project.

Duane St. Clair is contributing editor for Westerville Magazine.