Vintage Bathroom Remodel in Milwaukee
The design of this Milwaukee bathroom remodel fits this 1930s home with a built-in linen cabinet, a leaded glass window, 3 arched doorways, and historic trim, doors and door knobs. This 1930s bathroom remodel in Milwaukee’s Story Hill neighborhood includes accessibility features including grab bars, a walk-in shower and a handheld showerhead.
The goals of this project:
- Maintain the historic charm of the 1930s bathroom
- Design with accessibility features for aging in place
Highlights of this Milwaukee Bathroom Remodel:
- Walk-In Shower & Bathtub – The homeowners wanted their bathroom to include accessibility features. We added grab bars and reinforced some areas for future grab bars if needed. The walk-in shower has a minimal threshold and a handheld showerhead for easy use.
- Heated Floors & Built-In Linen Cabinet – A built-in linen cabinet had been deteriorating over the years and was partly unusable because of the radiator being in the way. We removed the radiator and installed electric floors as the heat source. We also refaced, painted and added roll outs behind the bottom doors of the cabinet.
- New Vanity – The homeowners needed more storage and countertop space so we replaced the pedestal sink with a vanity. A traditional style faucet fixture looks similar to what you would have originally seen in this 1930s home. The countertop is quartz that looks like a classic marble without the maintenance of marble. A traditional profile edge gives it an elevated look. A new medicine cabinet over the sink also provides storage in a bathroom the entire family uses.
- Arched Doorways – This bathroom features three arched doorways – one in the entryway, one over the bathtub and one near the toilet. Our team carefully worked around the arches, as It was important to keep these architectural elements.
- Tilework – The patterned floor tile is a fresh take on the traditional black and white historical bathrooms. It pairs seamlessly with the traditional subway tile walls and hexagon shower floor tile.
- Historic Design Elements – Custom doors and trim match the existing in the home, as well as door knobs. It was important to salvage and clean up the leaded glass window and keep the existing arches. Beadboard walls, cabinet hardware and overhead lighting were carefully selected to fit the period of the home.
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Project Details
Project Year: 2023
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Updates Included: Master Bathroom
Features: Handicap Accessible Zero Entry Shower, Custom Vanity, Quartz Counters, Heated Floors, Tiled Shower and Floors, Delta Faucet, Cast Iron Kohler Bathtub, Beadboard Walls, Medicine Cabinet, Vintage Lighting & Grab Bars
Estimated Cost: $100,000 – $120,000
Homeowner Review
“We want to thank Stacy for all the time, thought and effort she put into the design; we are very pleased with the results. Each of the employees and subcontractors were very good.
Corey and his demo crew had a challenging task removing all the cemented tile and lugging the new cast iron tub upstairs, but they handled things very well. Corey, who did the tile work, spent a lot of time and effort to get things right and he did a really excellent professional job.
Although we do not want to neglect those who handled the plumbing, painting/staining, and electrical work, all of whom also did very good work, we particularly want to give a “shout out” to the project manager Brian, who handled everything on site. He has a great attitude, but as importantly really knows his stuff. He is a very hard worker, attentive to every detail, and great representative for Kowalske.”
– Maurita, Homeowner (Google Review)
