Kitchen & Bath Business - November/December 2019 - 36

HOT TOPIC

Keep It Simple

3 straightforward bathroom ideas
to grow your bottom line

IT'S FUN WINNING DESIGN COMPETITIONS. It's cool showing off your
high-end bathroom design with hexagonal or fish-scale tiles, white and gray
marble floors, linear drains and floor-to-ceiling, frameless glass enclosures
only the uber-wealthy can afford. It's impressive having your designs featured
in high-end publications your buddies in the biz can "ooh" and "aah" over.
However, there are also drawbacks to upper-end projects.These jobs come
with challenges for your business and your customer. Not sure what I'm talking about? Think about the following three challenges.
Challenge #1. The more complex the job, the more experienced team you
have to round up. As you know, it's becoming harder to find skilled tradespeople and subcontractors.
Challenge #2. Although projects with fancy tile designs and marble are wonderful sources of beautiful pictures for you, your customer must deal with
the maintenance hassles down the road. Are hard-to-maintain materials a
wise choice for them when they are more time starved than ever?
Challenge #3. More complex projects require intensive site supervision,
coordination and design hours. At the end of the day (or at the beginning
of the day), does the time investment of upscale projects give you a high
enough ROI?
Would it be smarter (and more profitable) to focus on simpler designs
that are easier to install and more affordable products that appeal to broader
groups of people? Doing so will get you in and out of your clients' homes
ASAP; after all, no matter how much you think your customers love you as a
designer or your construction team, in reality you're a paid imposition to their
lives. The quicker you turn a job over, the happier they are.
You may be wondering which products can make affordable, profitable and
stylish design possible all at the same time. Here are three ideas to kick around:

IDEA #1 - SMARTER WALL PANELS THAT EMULATE TILE & STONE

ABOVE Smarter wall panels

that emulate tile and stone;
photo courtesy of Fibo US

If you have a style-conscious owner, you know 'old-generation' molded
bathroom and shower wall panels won't cut it. They don't exactly scream out
authentic or high quality.
Enter Euro-styled laminate panels.These tongue-and-groove panels click,
lock and seal together (like laminate flooring) yet are 100 percent waterproof.
Unlike older-styled panels, faux grout joints are milled into the units so your
customer will 'feel' a joint without needing to maintain this joint.
Time-stressed owners get a no-maintenance, contemporary wall system.
You get in and out of the job quicker. Sounds like a win-win proposition.
IDEA #2 - SMARTER-STYLED SHOWER PANS
THAT WORK FOR THOSE WITH ALL ABILITIES

The need for barrier-free (or lower-profile) shower bases has never been
greater (regardless of whether you're working in upper-, middle- or lowerend market segments). The good news is your customer is living longer. The
bad news (for them) is their bathtubs and higher shower curbs are no longer
a safe way to enter.
You need to ramp up safety but do it 'covertly' while showing cool style.
You need to accomplish this without ramping up (bad shower pun there)

MIKE FOTI is the
president and CEO of
Innovate Building Solutions, an Ohio-based remodeler and nationwide
wholesaler of bathroom
and kitchen wall panels,
shower bases and glass
enclosures.

costs or ratcheting down margins. You need these
smarter options:
A glass-reinforced wet room - This sloped pan
rests directly on joists. It's sleek and creates a
one-level bathroom space without needing to
drop the floor.
A textured, cultured stone pan - With a wood, slate
or stone-textured top surface, you'll get a stylish
look with the durability of a solid surface (all
with a low-profile design).
Contemporary acrylic shower bases - Unlike
low-cost acrylic bases, these pans are modern
in design, built over a firm MDF core and save
installation time.
IDEA #3 - SMARTER PRE-PACKAGED
GLASS ENCLOSURE & BASE SYSTEMS

Just because you're trying to trim project costs,
using production-sized shower pans doesn't mean
your bathroom/shower design can't create a 'wow'
experience. With a 'flex pan' shower base (where
the tiling flanges are added to the pan at the â
job site), you can use the same-sized pan

/ NOV.-DEC. 2019 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.NKBA.org http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - November/December 2019

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