Finding your suppliers - The suppliers you most likely will be using include:

Errors and common omissions during the home building process can reduce the energy efficient nature of a home from reaching 100%.  Many of these mistakes are small, but a few are so big that they can truly negate a home's energy efficiency.  Always be sure to equip your home with a tight-fitting chimney damper.

A fireplace can often ad value and charm to a home, but a poorly equipped fireplace (i.e. one without a good chimney damper) can impair your home's ability to regulate temperature.  Unless a damper is secured and closed when the fireplace is not being used, any air you are using to heat or cool your home is essentially being wasted like leaving a window open!  In addition to a top-notch damper, consider the following items:

1.  An outside intake to the firebox - this allows for the fireplace to pull its combustion air from outside, vs. pulling heated air from your living room.

2.  Adding glass doors to your fireplace area is another way to increase the draw of air from outside and the glass front will actually help the fireplace radiate heat into the house.

The greatest advantage of post and beam construction is the sense of solidity, character and integrity that the large exposed timbers lend to the structure itself.  A home done with stud construction, without the large exposed framing members, will feel quite different from the same house built with large exposed framing members. 

Where posts and beams, rather than the walls, carry the load of the roof,  you can also have larger and more frequent openings for doors and windows, and large interior spaces.  Post and beam houses can be designed to fit almost any style. Usually five people and perhaps even a crane may be needed during the frame construction period.  

The disadvantages in post and beam construction are few. In some areas, engineering may be required, but this is usually not too costly. It can also be difficult to find high-quality large timbers.  Since there are fewer framing members in each one carries a greater load, the cuts in your general work must be more exacting then in stud construction, where many small framing members carrying the entire load.  In earthquake areas, as well as in hurricane and tornado areas, houses have to be built better. Because of this factor post and beam houses often have to be connected with large metal brackets.

This is especially true for houses in California. In this case your work does not have to be as exacting since the joints are not made from wood but of metal brackets, bolted to the wooden framing members.

Do plan your lighting design carefully to ensure it meets your needs, and dont leave decisions until the last minute.  There is often a tendency to overlook lighting but it is essential to plan ahead as wiring will have to be positioned before any such wall tiles and floor fixtures and fixed in place.

Take into account the natural light in the room when planning the design.  Is your bathroom flooded with light in the morning?  Can you position basins and mirrors near the window to make the most of this?  What other types of lighting (artificial) will be needed to act as supplement after the sun goes down, or during winter months when light is scarce?  Also consider how many panels and controls you will need and where they should logically be positioned to maximize efficiency and ease of use for guests.

For the best results, ensure that your light source does not work from one switch if possible.  If a complete lighting makeover is impossible, consider a minor chance for a dramatic effect - a skylight is one idea.  You can also replace a single bulb with a small track of 3 or 4 low voltage spotlights.

Some of our latest high end clients include bathroom remodeling pros in University Park/Dallas, Highland Park TX, Los Altos CA, Greenwich, Castle Pines and more.  

Like anything else involving home decor, it's simply a matter of personal preference when it comes to adding wallpaper to your walls.  Some types of wallpaper are suitable in high-humidity bathrooms.  Hundreds of patterns and colors are found in cloth, vinyl-coated paper, non-woven material, silk and standard paper.


There are plenty of specialize types of wallpaper available, including thicker commercial grade designs that can protect wall surfaces in a bathroom used by children and semi-impervious varieties that are similar to envelopes used by FedEx that neither stretch nor tear (within reason).


Although bathrooms with frequently used showers may need to be covered in a vinyl wallpaper for durability, powder rooms and half baths can feature a more delicate, high impact wallpaper such as silk or grass cloth.


Tip:  Buy an extra roll.  If you opt for wallpaper, buy an extra roll and tuck it away.  In the event that a wall is damaged, having the paper on hand means you wont have to try and track down the old pattern that may not be available any longer.

Ceiling are often forgotten zones, given a coat of flat white paint and then ignored.  Consider the ceiling as more of a "fifth" wall than just a forgotten part of your bathroom, where an immaginative use of color, trim or other accents can liven up the room and give it a unique appeal.  

Darker paint colors can make a ceiling look closer and lower to the ground; while light colors give the illusion that it's a little further away.  Experiment, too, with trim and crown molding ideas to break the ceiling up from the walls and give it its own space.  Also, a collection of framed prints or antique photos can dress up a bathroom.  But before adding pictures, consider that the bathroom often handles steam and moisture may pose long-term risks for paper.

BKRpros.com is proud to announce new coverage areas for local shower remodeling contractors including Omaha, Virginia Beach, Long Beach CA, Sacramento, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Orem Utah and the Kansas City area.  We anticipate further growth in the coming months as we roll out nationwide and continue to cover both coasts of the US.  We anticipate Canada as the next logical target once every major city of the US is established.

One element that keeps this contemporary bathroom (click to enlarge) from looking dim or overly roomy is the usage of solid oak and wood surfaces.

Details are muted.  Drawer and door pulls in the vanity, are clearly visible but subtle.  The high wood wall by the tub is unadorned except for a grid pattern that helps give it some scope. A single band of bold green is the one stroke of color noted.



The shower design in a bathroom like this also helps the room feel clean and luxurious.  Because of its simple style and light above it, this conventional built in doesn't look imposing, even though there's room for plenty of storage and shelf space.


On the other side of the spectrum, going for traditional designs in a bathroom does not necessarily mean making it dull or bland. There is a retro-themed bathroom that can be very stylish and one of a kind. The great part about a traditional bathroom design is that it makes you feel more at home and relaxed.

If you don't mind having your toiletries and other bathroom items out on display, open storage can be effective, particularly if you don't have a lot of space.  Open shelving, for instance, is a great place to store rolled or stacked towels.  Baskets, bins and vintage containers are other good places to store not only towels but smaller toiletries, extra toilet paper and anything you want to put your fingers on quickly.

Be creative in your design choices (learn more)

In really tight spaces where floor space is at a premium, make the most use of the walls by employing wall-mounted shelves, towel bars, hooks and other hangers that offer a place to stow everything from an extra towel to your bathrobe, a hanging basket of cologne or perfume, or a sachet.