Kevin met our owner, Tom Wolff, as a patient through his chiropractic clinic. Years of working as a contractor had left Tom with herniated discs and chronic back pain—but Kevin’s non-surgical therapies had done wonders to relieve the symptoms. Over time, the two developed mutual trust and respect, and after hearing countless stories about Syracuse Bath Pros’ work, Kevin asked Tom to come out for an estimate on his own bathroom.
Kevin and his wife Amy lived in a classic colonial-style home likely built in the late 1800s—charming, full of character, but a lot of work. As parents to a young child and with demanding schedules, DIY wasn’t in the cards. That’s where we came in.
The bathroom was located up a winding staircase, the only full bath in the three-story home. It was showing its age: a discolored tub, peeling wallpaper, and a persistent leak from beneath the tub that had started staining the dining room ceiling. After a full inspection, Tom laid out their options and encouraged them to take a few days to consider. We’ve found that our best customers are the ones who take their time, do their research, and understand the value we bring—this very write-up is part of that commitment to transparency.
The plan was straightforward but comprehensive: remove the old tub and the outdated header above it, replace it with a brand new tub and cultured stone slabs extending to the ceiling, skim coat and repaint the walls after removing the wallpaper, install LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) to replace the worn hardwood floor, and finish it all with a new toilet, vent fan, vanity, medicine cabinet, and vanity light. This is what we at Bath Pros refer to as a “light full bath remodel”—it doesn’t involve moving plumbing or changing the layout, but it still transforms the space from top to bottom.
Two days later, they gave the green light. We took a 40% deposit and aligned the project with their vacation in late May—roughly ten weeks out, which fit our calendar perfectly.
On a Thursday afternoon, just as Kevin and Amy left town, our traveling install technician Shannon Boyer (yes—brother of Ricky Boyer) showed up to begin demo. Unlike the “1-day” bath companies you see on Facebook, we dedicate an entire day to demolition—and for good reason. Our installers are people, not machines. Burning them out helps no one. And a full day of demo gives us time to inspect underlying issues thoroughly.
And there were issues.
A note in the wall revealed the bathroom had been last remodeled in 1993 and partially again in 2013. Behind the tub? A Frankenstein mess of plumbing: lead, galvanized, wrought iron, PVC—all cobbled together with Fernco fittings. It’s no wonder there was a leak. We cleaned up what we could, but since some of the piping ran into adjacent rooms, we noted those limitations in our update to Kevin and Amy.
The tight staircase also forced us to cut the back wall panel to get it in. If you know where to look, you might spot the seam—but it’s virtually invisible to the untrained eye. On top of that, the vanity Kevin left for us to install was six inches longer than the original. We made it work, but it certainly added a challenge in an already narrow space.
Despite those hurdles, Shannon—a retired Marine (Oorah!)—worked straight through Memorial Day and wrapped the project in just six days. If you notice from the photos, the last piece of cultured stone crown molding arrived cracked in half from the Onyx Collection. This was a bummer for us as we really wanted the completion photos, but we’ll have to wait. We scheduled a service call to have this replaced just as soon as it’s sent out from the factory.
When Amy saw the photos of the finished bathroom, she was so happy she cried. Those are the types of reactions that keep us doing what we do. The couple returned home to a brand-new bathroom that blended historic charm with modern convenience, and we couldn’t have been prouder.
Actual Customer Testimonial:
If you’re in the Syracuse or greater Central New York area and looking for a remodeling company that’s as honest as it is skilled, give Syracuse Bath Pros a call at (315) 217-1151. We’ll tell it to you straight—no gimmicks, no pressure, just respectful service and real results.
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