A Downtown Loft Bathroom Renovation Proves The Power Of The “Joy” Factor

Thursday, February 27th, 2020

When it comes to home renovations, perhaps the most meaningful aspects for homeowners to take into account are their family’s lifestyle and needs. To create homes that families truly love, homeowners need to ask, ‘What would make it easier for our family to live in this home? What changes would genuinely make us happier?” In fact, “joy” is very much of a measurable and crucial factor when it comes to home renovations, according to the Joy Scores in a 2019 report by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

For example, homeowners reported a “Joy Score” of 9.3 out of 10 after a bathroom renovation project, based on the level of happiness homeowners reported with their renovations. Along with this joy score, 70% of them said they have a greater desire to be in the home since the renovation has been completed. A young couple living in a downtown loft in Knoxville can attest to the importance of the “joy” factor. One of the homeowners, an architect, said, “The second bathroom in our loft is our guest bath, but it’s also the bathroom that our 3-year-old son uses, so it’s well-used.” When she and her husband moved into the loft a year-and-a-half ago, they knew that both the style and function of the bathroom wouldn’t work well for them. “The bathroom had a basic fiberglass shower, and a floor and wall tile finish that we really didn’t like,” she said, adding, “One of the main considerations for renovating the bathroom was adding a bathtub. I knew that having a tub in a loft might not be the current trend, but I love bathtubs, and we knew it would be helpful with our young son.”

A Floorplan For A Tub

Because she’s an architect, the homeowner designed the floorplan of the bathroom remodel herself to reflect features, including a bathtub, that would better suit her family. Some of her friends who were also architects had worked with McCamy Construction and recommended she talk with them about the actual renovation work. “We knew that McCamy had a great reputation, and after soliciting bids we felt they were the right fit for what we wanted to do,” she said. “In some ways the remodel was simple, because we weren’t moving walls but there was also a good amount of space that we could utilize much better,” she noted. “However, because we’re in a building with neighbors below and beside us, we needed to be careful about moving any plumbing, or being too disruptive with noise outside of normal business hours.” She said that the plumbing work did create a small water leak in the unit below theirs, but that the McCamy crew did a great job of making sure there was no damage and staying on top of any potential problems. Regarding attention to details like that, the homeowner said, “Even though our bathroom renovation was a small project compared to others they might do, McCamy made us feel like we had their full attention.”

One added benefit that the renovation provided was the opportunity to implement sound reduction measures so that less noise passes through the shared wall of the bathroom and the adjacent loft. “We’re thinking of incorporating sound acoustics throughout the loft as a future project down the road,” she said.

A Style Of Their Own

The homeowners knew what they wanted style-wise, so they felt confident selecting the tile and all necessary accessories for the bathroom’s decor. “We chose a hex tile design for the floor, which we love,” she said. And what they couldn’t find, they built. “My husband and I built the vanity ourselves. I had become frustrated trying to find what we wanted when it came to a vanity, something that was unique, good quality, and not so expensive. So we designed and built what we had in mind, with a steel frame that is open and exposed and a simple quartz top.” Now that the renovation is complete, the homeowners can’t imagine still having the bathroom as it once was. Their 3-year-old son loves bath time, especially with all the bubbles, and they appreciate that their loft has some different features that other units in the building may not. “There’s always a hesitation before going forward with any change like this,” the homeowner said, “but redoing this bathroom has made a big difference. I think it’s important to make improvements that work best for our family while we’re living here and that make our home as nice as it can be. It’s not just for the sake of selling in the future, but to get the max benefit during the time we’re here.” She’d give their bathroom renovation a top score on the joy scale. “We’re definitely happy and everyone at McCamy was so great to work with.”

Helping homeowners envision and create the home that makes them happy and best suits their needs is our passion at McCamy Construction. Sometimes, custom solutions mean reworking the upstairs floorplan to allow for easier access to young children’s rooms and a more luxurious master bath for the parents. Or designing separate entries to a master bathroom and bedroom closet just right so that two doctors who work different shifts wouldn’t disrupt the other while one was coming or going and one was sleeping. Envisioning and executing the smartest solutions for home renovations is why homeowners choose McCamy Construction. From home renovation or building a custom home, McCamy has the experience and expertise to match your lifestyle and vision. We take into account the way your home looks, feels, and functions for a bigger picture perspective as we customize your design solutions. Take a look at some of our other projects on our website and blog, or follow us on Facebook to see progress on exciting projects we’re working on. Whatever your dream may be, we can build it and we would love to meet with you. Schedule your consultation by filling out this form or give us a call at (865) 247-7068.