Crimson Loves Repeat Clients!

Back in 2008, Crimson completed a kitchen remodel for a couple in Naperville.  Now, three years later, they’re coming back for more.  This time, we’ve moved upstairs to update the master bathroom and the hall bathroom.

In the master bath, new Fieldstone stained cabinets with granite countertops have been installed.  The cramped corner shower unit has been replaced with a custom shower surrounded by frameless glass giving it a much more open feel.  It is dressed up by a combination of ceramic and natural stone tile.  The design also includes brand new plumbing and lighting fixtures and brushed nickel accessories.

The hall bath is also undergoing some changes.  New ceramic tile flooring has been installed along with ivory painted cabinets and granite countertops.  The existing tub has been replaced with a more up-to-date tub and decorative ceramic tile adorns the walls surrounding it.

In the next week, the rest of the plumbing fixtures will be installed, the walls will be painted, and the bathroom will be ready for the family to use once again.

Before

After

Converting A Finished Basement To A Bedroom Suite

We have just started work on a basement bedroom suite in Naperville.  The existing basement was one giant finished room.  We are splitting it in half and using half for the new bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet.

One of the challenges in fitting a bedroom in a basement is having the code required window.  In this case we had to dig in a new window well and install a four foot square window.  This will allow for some natural light in the basement as well as allow for someone to escape if there is a fire or emergency.

The window well was dug out by hand (8 feet deep!) because there was not room to get a piece of excavation equipment around the side of the house.  This is very common for these situations and we usually end up hand digging the windows.

So far on this project the room has been stripped of old paneling, we have dug in the new window well, and we have cut up the floor and installed the new underground plumbing required for the bathroom.  Overall this project will take about 8 weeks.  Stay tuned for more updates.

NARI To The Rescue Project

Crimson Design & Construction is a proud member of NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, specifically the Greater Chicagoland Chapter, which headquarters is in Des Plaines, IL.

Crimson Design & Construction is a proud member of NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, specifically the Greater Chicagoland Chapter, which headquarters is in Des Plaines, IL.

Recently Joel Kristianson, A.I.A., and co-owner of Crimson Design and Construction, was asked to participate in a community service project led by Tony Tripp, of Tripp Builders, and his committee NARI to the Rescue.

NARIGC is active in a wide array of community service activities to help families in need of remodeling assistance for any number of reasons.  Contractors are asked to donate time, services and/or materials on a project.

Tony found a family in need of assistance remodeling their outdated 1960s home, a small 3 bedroom ranch in Elk Grove Village. With its narrow doorways and hallways, 2 very small bathrooms and a small kitchen area, Mr. and Mrs. Evans were looking to update their home to better accommodate their special needs children.

NARI to the Rescue wanted to help the Evans’ family by making their home more accessible for their 16-year-old handicapped daughter who was diagnosed with a severe form of Cerebral Palsy.  The family’s most important need was for a handicap accessible bathroom in order to give Ms. Evans the privacy and independence a teenage girl needs at this time and in the future.  Currently Mr. and Mrs. Evans have to physically lift their daughter in and out of the bathtub to bathe her because the small bathroom has a traditional step-in bathtub/shower.  A proper toilet support system also must be installed as well as opening the narrow hallways and doorways to allow Ms. Evans wheelchair to easily move from room-to-room.

Joel was asked to volunteer his time and expertise to this project by designing architectural drawings for a fully accessible bathroom, complete with a handicap accessible shower which would allow Ms. Evans to roll her wheelchair in and out of the shower base without assistance.  Joel enlarged the new bathroom space by approximately two feet by taking two feet from the rarely used dining room.  The hallways and doorways were enlarged to allow Ms. Evans wheelchair to fit through, giving her the freedom to move about the house on her own.  The plumbing system also needed to be updated to maintain the handicap accessible toilet system.

“I chose to participate in this project because I believe that NARI to the Rescue is a good way to give back to the community.  This story especially touched me, and then, after visiting with the family, I was thrilled to have been a part of such a worthwhile cause.  The Evans family is a very kind and special family,” Joel said.

Joel started by first meeting with the Evans family to discuss their needs and wants.  He then came up with a concept that would best incorporate their goals for the project while keeping within the allotted building codes and housing limitations.  Joel then created the drawings and met with the client and the committee to discuss the changes.  Lastly, the permit drawings were turned over to the Village of Elk Grove for final approval.  Once the drawings were approved by the Village, the materials were ordered and the subcontractors began demolition on this exciting project.

The Greater Chicagoland Chapter of NARI is a not-for-profit trade association committed exclusively to the service of the professional remodeling industry; representing professional remodeling contractors, product manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, trade and consumer publications, utilities and lending institutions. NARI represents the spokesgroup of the industry and an ally to the nation’s homeowners .

Crimson Design and Construction is proud to be a supporter of community service projects and other national philanthropic organizations.

Oswego Bathroom Renovation

We just recently wrapped up a bathroom remodel in Oswego.  The picture to the right is a before shot I took on the day we started.  The bathroom is very small (only 4′ x 10′) but it still has a full shower, vanity and toilet.  We also managed to find space for a utility cabinet next to the toilet when it was done.  The new shower is a combination of slate and porcelain tiles.  The shelves in the shower are made of solid slate – really cool.  The shower has a custom base to best use the space available.   The shower door is a frame-less glass door using glue chip glass to give some privacy to the shower.  The new vanity is from Fieldstone Cabinetry and is made of cherry.  It was customized to make it shallower than a standard vanity to increase the floor space of the room.  The countertop and the shower threshold are a variety of granite that closely resembles soapstone.  The sink is stainless steel.  All the plumbing fixtures are from Kohler.

Overall, we were able to pack a lot of function into a very small room.

Naperville Master Bathroom and Aurora Bathroom Renovations

Stephanie recently took some photos of a couple of projects that we just completed. The first photo is of a Master Bathroom in Naperville. We used a cherry cabinet from Fieldstone Cabinetry and Kohler fixtures.

This is the shower from the same bathroom. Stephanie selected all the tile and and the coordinating fixtures.

This is the bathroom in Aurora that we recently completed. Stephanie selected a multi-shaded green glass tile that is really cool and contemporary. Note the matching green cabinet knobs. The shelves in the shower are made of Corian for a sleek low profile look. Again, the cherry cabinet is from Fieldstone Cabinetry and the fixtures are Kohler.