With a third child on the way, Carlos and Britt knew they were destined to outgrow their St. Paul home. They desperately needed another full bath and bedroom. They contacted APEX to squeeze both into their home’s already tight second floor, preferably without adding a dormer. As soon as designer Lisa Stoll saw the space, she went hunting for an alternative that would satisfy building codes and meet their needs.
Carlos and Britt
It was not possible to add a code compliant shower to the second level without a dormer and that would have exceeded their budget. Rather, she suggested creating three-quarter bath and bedroom in the basement. Matt’s production crews substantially finished the project just before baby #3 arrived.
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- Clear-glass shower door
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- Tile shower
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- Basement bathroom
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- Bathroom with tile shower
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- Mosaic tile niche
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- Low curb
The project involved cutting into the foundation to install a large egress window and partitioning the area for the new bedroom. [St. Paul requires addition of an egress window whenever a basement with no secondary emergency escape is finished or remodeled.] APEX also demolished an interior masonry wall to make room for the bedroom closet and preserve bedroom space. The bathroom features a large tile shower with a hinged glass door and low curb. The lounge area received Marvin windows and built-in storage.
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- Basement bedroom with egress
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- Basement exercise space
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- Built in shelves
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- Marvin basement window
Remodeling lessons
This project demonstrates the importance of consulting a designer early in one’s remodeling journey, preferably one who is associated with a design-build contractor. “Most people know their wants and needs. But they don’t necessarily see the best solutions, anticipate building code obstacles or grasp costs, Lisa observed. “My job is to listen, bring fresh eyes and draw plans that will look beautiful and work for their lifestyles.”
This project also illustrates the common question: Is it better to remodel my existing home to gain living space or to move to a bigger home? While both remodeling and moving can be costly and disruptive, consider what is possible before planting a For Sale sign on the lawn.
“Our experience is that we can almost always find ways to make better use of space through remodeling and improve our clients’ quality of life at home,” APEX President JB Biancini said. “The real question is whether it will be worth the investment.”
“I pride myself on being straight with people, Biancini continued. “If it really makes more sense to move than to remodel, that’s what I will recommend.”
Basement Plan
Carlos and Britt say they love the way their project turned out. They already have recommended APEX to two neighbors and friends who are considering interior and exterior remodeling projects of their own.
“JB and Matt were great partners throughout the project! We really enjoyed working with them both. Matt especially was involved in a lot of our decision making and helped us move through a couple of bumps on the project. We appreciated their commitment to getting tasks done the right way!” Carlos said. “We would highly recommend APEX to anyone thinking of having some home remodeling done. We were most impressed with how accurate their schedule with regards to when tasks would get done, and how quickly it went once we had agreed on the scope of the project / had a start date. They have a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, which we appreciated!”
Contact JB and Lisa to discuss your own remodeling goals.
