Acclaim Renovations & Design transformed this outdated bathroom by adding quartz tile and a functional niche

By Patricia Nugent

We’ve all heard the saying, “Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes.” And when you go to sell, they do recoup about a 70 percent return on your investment, higher than you’ll earn for other rooms in your home. But Bob Gallese, owner of Acclaim Renovations & Design, has two words: why wait?

“You could enjoy a beautiful bathroom for years before you sell,” he says.

The integral considerations in a bathroom renovation are visually opening up the space, adding storage, keeping things water-resistant and updating the style with cleaner, more contemporary lines.

“Questions I ask when consulting with the client touch on lifestyle and usage,” he says. “If you don’t use the tub, I say pull it out and put in a larger walk-in shower. The belief that a bathroom has to have a tub in it simply isn’t true anymore.”

To open up the space, he says they often replace shower curtains with glass walls. And they build in-wall niches and open shelving to add smart storage and sleek style.

“For instance, in the before-and-after photos here, you can see we replaced a dated floral-patterned shower with sleek quartz and an in-wall shower niche fashioned from two-inch horizontal mosaic glass tiles to create a striking focal point for the room,” he says.

Another strategy for visually expanding a bathroom is to replace a vanity with a pedestal sink, and then install cabinetry over the toilet to make up for the lost storage space.

“Flooring also makes a big impact in making a room appear bigger,” says Bob.

“I just completed a job where the homeowner was thinking of installing square ceramic tile in the bathroom, but ended up going with luxury vinyl tile planks that look like hardwood in the hallway leading into the bathroom. That can make the space feel chopped up. Running the same flooring through connecting rooms is the right idea.”

Acclaim Renovations & Design powered by One Man and a Hammer is located at 8550 East Avenue in Mentor. The company has been awarded Contractor of the Year by NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry). Call 440-974-8082 or visit AcclaimReno.com to see more photos of this bathroom renovation, as well as many more room makeovers.