In 2012 Gregg Stahr was lead designer on this master bathroom addition in Wilmette, Illinois. As lead designer, Gregg worked to determine the suitable layout for an efficiently laid out master bath for this 80 plus year old home taking into account the existing structure and working around existing furnace flues and plumbing.
The choice between the charm of older homes and the convenience of modern ammenities can be difficult, but is it a choice everyone should have to make? Why not have both?
The charm of an older home is often in the details. Classic trim, hand-crafted woodwork, original oak floors; these are just some of the things that give an older home a lot of character, but that charm can come at the price of family feuding for time in the one shared hall bathroom. Many people love the charm and character of these homes but would like the modern convenience of a master bathroom.
This Wilmette home was every bit the classic charmer that had been upgraded in every way with the exception of the bathrooms. The current family had been sharing a single hall bath for years, and it was time for a change. SWA Architects was brought in to give this home the modern amenity it was lacking, a true master suite.
A master bathroom addition can be one of the trickiest additions to add to an existing home. With a single story home, or one with a first floor master bedroom, the task can be easy, but more often than not, a master bedroom is located on a second floor making the task a bit more difficult. In some cases, a larger addition needs to be thought out that would also incorporate a first floor addition below the soon to be master suite, but in this particular scenario the existing master bedroom sat above and adjacent to an existing first floor addition that was put on the home years earlier. This allowed for the perfect spot to locate a master bathroom and walk-in closet, converting the existing stand-alone master bedroom into a true master suite.
While having an existing first floor to build over made locating a master bathroom addition easier, this convenience came with its own set of construction dilemmas that had to be thought through thoroughly in order to ensure this addition would be feasible. SWA Architects carefully analyzed existing conditions before design to avoid costly issues presenting themselves during construction such as; incorporating a chase to extend the furnace flue through to the new second story roof, identifying locations where new structural supports would be added to carry new loads, and determining paths of plumbing in the shallow floor space between the new master bathroom and existing first floor below. All of these issues were carefully incorporated into a master bathroom plan that met the owners initial desires of a 4 piece bath including a separate tub and walk-in shower along with a double bowl vanity and walk-in closet.
