A Small Surprise: Compact Bath Pleases with Thoughtful Design
 When Jennifer and Mark bought their house nearly five years ago, they knew they had their work cut out for them. "This whole house was bad," Jennifer says. But the young couple loved the property, which has three acres of land and is close to Columbia, so they quickly began improvements.
One of their earliest projects was in the small upstairs bath-room, which measures 5' by 8' yet had been divided by a floor-to-ceiling wall between the toilet and shower stall. Immediately, Mark and Jennifer installed a new toilet and replaced the vanity with a space-efficient pedestal sink. After that, they were stuck.
"We had done enough to know that we didn't even want to begin to tackle replacing a shower," Jennifer says. Enter Kerry Bramon Remodeling & Design.
The decision to trust KBRD with the project was made easier, the couple agree, by the company's reputation and advertising strategy. Mark and Jennifer heard KBRD ads on KBIA-FM, the Columbia radio station that broadcasts NPR news. "This was someone who advertised in a way we cared about," Mark says. "Their ads emphasized respect for the homeowner."
"For me," Jennifer adds, "the ads said, ‘No job was too small,' so I didn't feel stupid asking for a new shower."
The couple wanted to keep costs to a minimum for several reasons: Jennifer was pregnant during the renovation with their first child; they didn't want to invest so much in the home that they wouldn't be able to recoup their costs when it comes time to sell; and they didn't want to incur a large debt. Yet the couple also had definite opinions about the finished product. "We didn't just want another vinyl insert," Jennifer says. "We wanted a special bath that would give this home a little something special."
When they approached KBRD, they knew they wanted the wall out of the bathroom and a corner shower installed. Beyond that, they were open to suggestions. Mark even adds that remodeling magazines weren't particularly useful, as the "economy" projects featured routinely cost $40,000 and up. But after discussions with Kerry and in-house designer Angela Holloway, the couple was able to sign off on a project that included their new shower as well as updated wiring and even a tile floor.
Jennifer credits Angela with the aesthetic and functional design. "Ninety-five percent of the ideas were theirs," she says, pointing to the tile floor, interior shower light, sturdy grab bar, and the diamond pattern of the shower tiles.
The couple is also pleased with how easy it was to live with construction. They note that job supervisor Jeff Bramon—who was in their house daily, working on the project—was "clean, polite, professional and flexible to our schedules," Jennifer says.
Mark adds, "He really helped us manage the project, gave us lots of good ideas, and managed the subcontractors. He also went to a lot of trouble to minimize disruption to our home, even cutting every tile outside so the house wouldn't have all that dust in it."
Once the project was complete, both were surprised by how much they liked it. "I had no idea it would be so nice," Jennifer says. "I love it," Mark adds.
Best of all, the feedback they've received from at least one person has made the job worthwhile. "Our lender had said that Kerry has credibility for doing quality work, but when the appraiser came out to look at it after it was done, he said it added even more value to the house than we had expected," Mark says.
For Mark and Jennifer, it may have been a small project, but it was well worth the effort. "It's the little things that make you love your house," Mark says.
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