Viva Tyson Part 2-January-February 2011 Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Building a Sumptuous Master Bath Can Require Finesse and Ingenuity
How the Brills of Burke, VA got a bigger, luxurious master bath without bumping out - and all before moving in.

ByTracey Longo


Marie and Greg Brill purchased a foreclosure in Burke, VA, and the big colonial needed a good bit of help, especially the master bath, which was dated and damaged. In fact, the couple needed a drastic structural renovation of the master bath before they moved in and hired Michael Nash Design & Build and Homes, the award-winning Fairfax-VA-based firm, to take on the challenge.
"There were just too many flaws with the existing bath for comfort's sake and the aesthetics were all wrong,"said Marie Brill."We wanted a bath that not only was functional, but was as beautiful as the rest of the home we were moving into and we knew we had to pretty much gut the old one to get it."
The solution? A complete redesign. "The couple needed fairly dramatic changes to their master bath before moving in so they hired us to design an upscale and luxurious bath that would meet both their living and design needs," said Sonny Nazemian, the president and CEO of Michael Nash Design & Build and Homes, Inc.
The design of the old bath was crowded and tight, with much of the space taken up by a large 5' by 10'tub and tub deck, a very small phone-booth size shower, limited vanities with no room for storage and a commode that was located between the tub and vanity in an awkward, tight space. The aesthetics were no better, Nazemian said. The bath was constructed out with builder-
grade materials in outdated colors and styles. Worse, the plumbing was leaky and the water had caused mold.
"We redesigned the whole space to be highly functional while fitting the Brills' sense of style and luxury," Nazemian said. "We installed a luxurious custom, frameless glass shower and relocated plumbing so we could add a soaker tub." The firm also custom designed cherry vanities with ample storage space, and large mirrors and used black granite countertops and natural tiles of varying sizes to complete the sumptuous feel and design of the room. For comfort, the commode was relocated to dormer space the firm smartly utilized.
To give the new bathroom adequate and pleasing light, Michael Nash Design & Build and Homes added a leaded glass French door to the bathroom's entrance - that along with the window gives the room two sources of natural light -- and installed all new recess and vanity lighting. In addition to replacing all insulation, dry wall and sub flooring, the firm also installed high efficiency exhaust fans that are vented to the roof, to ensure the new bathroom stays dry.
"We love our bathroom,"said Brill. "It's lovely and exactly what we wanted. As important, it was delivered on budget and in just about a month, so we could move in right on time."The Brills were so pleased, they also used Michael Nash Design & Build and Homes to redo two other baths and their kitchen.

A Single couple needed drastic changes to their
master before moving in.
Problems:
• The layout of a big 5'x 10'tub deck taking over most of bathroom space
• Vanities had little to no room for storage.
• To the right of bathroom dormer window with very small phone booth size shower
• Commode located in between the tub and vanity with an uncomfortable tight space
• Builder grade materials, outdated colors, and style
• Plumbing that had leaking with signs of mold was also an issue.
Solutions:
• Redesigned whole space
• Took down wall, between attic space and bathroom and enlarged a luxurious shower, with custom frameless enclosure.
• Relocated plumbing for new soaker tub added insulation and durock to seal off conditions for mold
• Designed his/her burgundy cherry vanities with much more storage space than before
• Relocated toilet into dormer space for a more comfortable feel
• Installed high efficiency exhaust fan and vented them to the roof
• Energy saving faucets were installed
• Rich dark porcelain tile in many different sizes to enhance space and make the room to appear even larger.
Overall Result:
• Client desperately needed new traffic space and new style concept. Contractor delivered a total satisfaction to the client with custom desired amenities and a better flow to the once crowded bathroom.