Here’s how one Cape Cod contractor remodeled his own bathrooms—without spending a lot of time
or money.
What does a contractor do when it’s his home that needs renovation? Just ask Master Builder Cregg Sweeney, who moved his family from the San Francisco Bay area to Cape Cod to be closer to extended family.
“We found what you’d call a real “fixer-upper,” Sweeney says of their 1985 ranch in Orleans. “Let’s just say we had more to do than paint.”
One of the more satisfying parts of the renovation of their house was the remodeling of the bathrooms. While he typically specializes in larger-scale remodels with detailed carpentry, Sweeney wanted a quick fix for his own bathrooms. He did the work himself while he was working on a whole-house remodel elsewhere in Orleans.
“It’s what a builder’s life is all about,” says his wife, Karen. “You work on your own house on the weekends and at night. Unfortunately, this approach makes everything take a little longer.” The end result, however, is lower costs.
The home’s two full baths—modest spaces with no natural light—were in need of a complete makeover but were in places that might be remodeled later. The goal was to modernize and refresh the rather dated and predictable rooms. Because neither bathroom had any windows, Cregg used white fixtures and woodwork to brighten the spaces.
The smaller of the two bathrooms, which lies off the front hall, included an outdated almond shower, fixtures and vanity. He replaced the toilet and updated the bathroom’s overall look with a pedestal sink, which could easily be relocated in a future remodel. Rather than remove the shower, Cregg was able to save it by refinishing it with Klenk’s white acrylic refinishing epoxy paint, thereby saving about $1,000.
“It’s not a perfect solution or a long-term solution,” says Karen, “but we did it because we thought we might eventually be reconfiguring the spaces in our home.”
White bead board with a wainscot cap and baseboard add interest to the room, and the white glazed octagonal ceramic floor tile, reminiscent of the cottage style the Sweeneys so loved in San Francisco, tied everything together. They used the existing light fixture but updated the towel bars to ones from the Franklin Brass Greenwich collection from Home Depot. A coat of Benjamin Moore’s Beach Glass paint on the walls gives the bathroom a serene feeling.
What was originally a master bathroom the Sweeneys converted to a family bathroom. Offering little space for navigation, the room included a full tub and shower enclosure and wall-to-wall vanity. The room desperately needed to breathe.
Cregg began by removing all of the fixtures except the tub and shower enclosure, which he refinished with the same epoxy paint he used on the shower in the smaller bathroom. He then relocated the plumbing and installed a new toilet. He replaced the long vanity with a pedestal sink, larger than the one in the smaller bath. Two built-in custom cabinets above and adjacent to the sink provide storage. The same white bead board, wainscot cap, baseboard and ceramic tile that were used in the smaller bathroom were used here, as well. Original artwork by daughters Hanna and Natalie add just the right flourish to the family space.
Cregg estimates the cost to remodel the two bathrooms totaled $18,000, including his labor costs. By retaining and refinishing the shower and tub/shower units with the epoxy paint, he estimates he saved approximately $2,000 to $3,000 overall.
Obviously, the Sweeneys saved on out-of-pocket labor costs since Cregg did the work himself; however, Karen finds it difficult to put a price on the labor. “Cregg’s time is valuable, even working at home, and the projects were a practical investment into our house,” she says.
The family is pleased with the outcome. “It was kind of crazy there for awhile,” says Karen, “but we’ve settled in and love the house. Now it really works for our family.”
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Home Remodeling Cape Cod, the Islands & the South Coast magazine
143A Upper County Rd. • Dennisport, MA 02639 • Phone: 508.398-6101 • Fax: 508.398.4711
