Keith Cook of Cook Construction & Renovation walks through an upstairs bathroom he built in a century-old Brighton home. Other contractors said it could not be done. He explains how he saw the space, what got in the way, and how to tell a real no from a contractor who does not want the job.
Part 1: The Story
Caleb: How did you meet the clients for this project on a historic house?
Keith: I met them at my first networking meeting. I had just joined a group in my hometown, which is my current town, to get to know more people and grow the business. Every member stands up and gives a thirty-second elevator pitch. Mine was, "I'm Keith from Cook Construction. I do bathrooms and kitchens, and I'm working toward basement remodels." This was about three or four years ago.
One man's eyes lit up. At the end of the meeting he came over and said, "I've got a house." I said, "Well, good for you. Most people do." He told me about an older house in Brighton. The master bedroom was upstairs, the mini split up there did not work well, and they hated going all the way downstairs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. He said, "We've had quite a few contractors come through, and they told us it can't be done."
I said, "Let's come take a look." The house was more than a hundred years old, so it had a century of building codes and opinions built into it. I walked upstairs and said, "Oh, yeah, you can put a bathroom right here." The clients' jaws dropped. They asked, "Wait, we can do that?" I said, "It's construction. We can do anything. The house got built, so we can unbuild it and rebuild it. The problem is always what you pay for it." Then I asked, "If you have no budget, what do you want?"
They took me up on it. They started talking about a waterfall shower head, a freestanding tub, and maybe even a sauna. I gave them a ridiculous quote. They said they couldn't do that, and I said I didn't think they could. Then we dialed it back to a tub-shower combo, a 48-inch vanity with a storage cabinet beside it, and a bidet tucked away, with a pocket door to keep things sleek.
They had lived in that house for at least fifteen years before they met me. They had talked to a lot of contractors. Two roofers in my group also got calls from them, and both said they didn't have anyone who could do it. What the clients found in me was someone who thought the bathroom was possible and was excited to build it.
Caleb: Where does that ability to see a space differently come from?
Keith: If I knew, I'd write a book and make a million dollars. I assume everybody can look at a wall and wonder what it would look like painted green, then picture it that way in their head. I spent a lot of time as a kid in a bedroom that never changed. So I had to change it in my mind. That's probably where it comes from.
Caleb: Tell us about the look they wanted.
Keith: She didn't want goth. She wanted timeless elegance in a dark manner. She chose a crisp white, not cream or eggshell, so it stood out against the dark finishes. The accent tile was black and white with a floral pattern. It felt elegant but still neutral, because black and white go with everything.
The floor was a black marble look with small pieces of white in it, set with sharp white grout. The subway tile had jet black grout lines. We also accented the front face of the bathtub. The three walls inside the tub shower match, but the front panel is different. It's hard to describe, so the photos on the website show it best.
Caleb: What were the hardest parts of turning a space that was never meant to be a bathroom into one?
Keith: Upstairs, the layout was easier than people expect. The bedroom sat directly across the hall, and a closet sat to the left of it. That closet happened to fall within an inch or two of the center of the hallway. It wasn't perfect with a laser, but it was close enough that the eye won't catch it.
Ceiling rafters forced the drywall to bend around them. The house had lath and plaster. Raphael at RC Drywall did the hard work. A curved corner met a sharp corner in two spots. It was intense, but they made it work. Drywall-to-plaster transitions are always a challenge in an old house.
Then came the soffit. The new sewer line and water lines had to run down through the living room below, so we built a soffit there. Only about sixteen to twenty-two inches of it was needed. We soffited the whole twelve-foot room so it would fade into the wall. The homeowner asked how far it would stick out. I said it would get painted like the wall, and in a month or two it would fade from view. The husband said, "You're right. I don't even catch it anymore."
Caleb: Describe the protection setup, since it was like a tent city.
Keith: We usually send one of our guys in the day before to prep. Carpet gets carpet shield. Other floors get Ram Board or rosin paper, depending on the area. In the busiest traffic areas we layer rosin paper, then carpet shield to keep it waterproof, then Ram Board on top for extra protection. We cover what we can with tarps and plastic sheeting to keep dust off clothes and anything we don't want to clean later. We don't move your desk, and we don't cover everything. Some drywall dust still lands on things, and that's why we send cleaners through at the end. Protecting the front of the house helps the most.
Part 2: Generalize
Caleb: If someone lives in a historic home they love but can't use, what should they do first?
Keith: Start with one question: are you in a historic district? If you are, you know it. If you think your home is old and wonder whether you're in one, you probably aren't. Historic districts come with requirements, upkeep, and rules for the inside of the house as well as the outside. If you're in one, make friends with the historic society. Find out who runs it and how to get in front of them. They decide what you can do with your house for most of its life.
If you have an older home, from 1970 or earlier, you can keep the character and still get work done. The contractors you want will say, "I'm honest. We can do it." If something costs a lot, they can usually tell you how they would do it.
On this project, the clients wanted better heating and cooling upstairs. I got about six HVAC companies in to bid. Three of them gave quotes, scopes of work, and plans that would hold up over time. The problem was that none of them fit the budget. Some "that's not plausible" answers really mean "that's not affordable."
Ask contractors directly. When the second or third one says no, ask, "Can't I do this because construction won't allow it, or because it costs too much?" Some things truly can't be done. A gas fireplace next to a shower is one. A patio on a roof with no safety rails is another. Other things can be done, but the price is steep. I've seen a single plumbing line run around $35,000 to redo, and most people won't pay that.
Then I sort the answer into three questions:
Is it plausible to build? Most things are.
Is the price the roadblock? A contractor saying no might be pricing the job far below what it costs, and the client knows it.
Am I calling the wrong contractors? Generic contractors who run work through other people avoid older homes, because those jobs carry risk and need someone on site catching problems in the moment. Older homes need a proactive general contractor.
Caleb:
Key Takeaways for Homeowners
Ask whether your home sits in a historic district before you plan. If it does, start with the historic society.
Ask each contractor whether a no comes from a construction rule or from the price. Some things can't be done. Others can, at a cost.
Get several bids, even when the first ones say no. Keith got six HVAC bids to find three workable plans.
Ask how the crew will protect the rooms you walk through, and whether that protection is in the bid.
For an older home, look for a proactive general contractor. Generic contractors tend to avoid that kind of risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you add a bathroom to a historic home?
Often, yes. Find out whether your home is in a historic district first. If it is, talk to the historic society before you plan. Keith built a bathroom in a century-old Brighton home that other contractors said couldn't be done.
How do I know if my home is in a historic district?
If you live in one, you know it. Historic districts come with requirements, upkeep, and rules for the interior. If you're unsure, contact the historic society or your local planning office.
Why would a contractor say a project can't be done?
Some reasons are real, like construction rules or safety. Others mean the price is far above the client's budget. Ask the contractor which it is, and ask whether another contractor would approach it differently.
Should I get more than one bid on an older home?
Yes. Keith gathered about six HVAC bids on this project, and three gave workable scopes. Several bids show what is possible and what it will cost.
