1980s Bathroom Update

Transforming a Cramped Space with a New Layout, Shower, Tub & Vanity

Burnsville, MN

The Ginther family reached out to JBDB to update their primary bath. Built in 1986, the bathroom had a number of features that not only made the space look dated but also limited the room's functionality.

Our goal was to rework the layout to better support modern living. This involved extensive work to remove existing features and create new framing to support the updated layout.

Home Location

Burnsville (Keller Lake Drive)
Style

1986 Tudor Revival
Project Type

Primary bathroom
Scope of Work

New layout, jacuzzi tub removal, new subfloor/framing, and plumbing/ductwork rerouting
Project Leads

Designer: Morgan Longhenry
Timeline

9 Weeks
Featured Brands

Sherwin-Williams, Hanstone, Coretec, Delta, Top Knobs, Signature Hardware, and Kichler

Reworking the Layout of a Dated Space

The most prominent feature in the primary bathroom was a large built-in jacuzzi tub that occupied a significant amount of space. This left little room for the shower, which was limited to a small footprint. Meanwhile, an angled wall chase between the vanity and shower made the room feel dated and cramped.

With large elements like these, reconfiguring this kind of space isn’t as simple as swapping in a new tub and refreshing the vanity. It required a lot of prep work and rerouting of systems.

Removing the Jacuzzi: With its large tub deck, taking out the jacuzzi meant that we needed to replace and repair parts of the subfloor.
Expanding the Shower Footprint: To make the new shower larger, we had to relocate the vent stack and plumbing connections originally located in the wall between the vanity and shower.
Shifting the Vanity: To accommodate the larger shower, we also moved the vanity, which meant shifting the plumbing for the sinks.
Reframing the Half-Walls: With the vanity repositioned, we created new half-walls for the water closet and to divide the vanity from the shower.

Elevating the Design Through Colors, Finishes, and Hardware

Typical of an 80s bathroom, this space needed new colors, fixtures, and finishes to make it feel bright and welcoming. Lead designer Morgan Longhenry created a relaxing and modern palette with green walls, white finishes, and black hardware.

Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Retreat (SW6207), a soothing green-gray shade.
Flooring: COREtec Premium Irene Walnut to bring warmth to the palette with water-resistant durability.
Counters: HanStone Brava Marfil for an elegant marble alternative.
Bath tub: Signature Hardware freestanding tub to maximize floor space.
Cabinet hardware: Top Knobs
Vanity wall lights: Kichler
Fixtures: Delta

A Relaxing Retreat with Function & Flow

By trading the unused jacuzzi tub for a luxurious freestanding bath and a massive walk-in shower, JBDB transformed a frustrating layout into a seamless everyday luxury.

While heavy mechanical rerouting and structural carpentry aren’t the most glamorous parts of a remodel, this project shows they are often the foundation of great design. Investing the time to fix what’s behind the walls is what ultimately allowed this gorgeous aesthetic to come to life.

“This project is the first of three from this homeowner. We loved reimagining this space for them and making it a more functional master bathroom. I loved the use of green in this space to make it a more unique, but still a relaxing bathroom.”
– Morgan Longhenry, Designer

I can’t say enough about how impressed we are with James Barton Design-Build. I never had any doubt about the quality, but I didn’t expect to feel so comfortable with the amazing team you gave us.

Kevin & Jennifer Bollum, Apple Valley, MN

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Detailed, professional, reliable and a pleasure to work with. So often contractors are late or unresponsive, but not JBDB!

The Theisens, Rosemount, MN

James Barton Design Build is a professional but approachable group of people. The team and the sub-contractors are the best of the best when it comes to quality work and eye for design. The designers will get to know your thoughts, ideas, budget and style for your home project or remodel and help to make it a reality.

Erin and Eric, Apple Valley, MN

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Teamwork is paramount at James Barton Design-Build. There’s no room for egos here, no finger pointing, no passing the buck. Just a total focus on working together to take care of our clients: resolving issues to deliver the products of their dreams with minimal problems.

James Madsen, Owner & President, James Barton Design-Build

Anyone that provides customer service on such a high level and pays attention to the smallest detail (even setting our clock) is someone who will go the extra mile and do exceptional work. It's awesome to be working with JBDB!

Susie Smith, Lakeville, MN

Thank you so much for the extra efforts you and your team displayed in fixing someone else’s mistake. Your “Lead by Example” attitude is truly exceptional. Thanks to the JBDB team, we've received many many compliments!

Jay Micholic, Rosemount, MN

Emily, Ryan and Troy were great to work with though our entire project! The project commenced and finished on the dates established by Troy, adjusting the schedule where necessary to accommodate all of the variables involved with an assignment like ours! We could not be happier with our end product and cannot wait to work with this team again on our next home improvement project!

Tarrah & Dan, Chanhassen, MN

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I could not have asked for a better experience. Craftsmanship was top notch, scheduling was excellent, response to customer’s concerns/questions-excellent!

Tom Smith, Lakeville, MN

When we met with JBDB it was clear they had the most realistic idea of what we were trying to do.

The Petersons, Burnsville, MN

This is the 4th project we’ve done with JBDB – they are an excellent company to work with and all their employees are great people as well as professional! Such a great team!

The Kauls, Burnsville, MN

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The truth is, awards are really more for our homeowners than they are for us. They’re the ones who made the award possible by bringing us their dreams and by placing their trust in our work.

James Madsen, Owner & President, James Barton Design-Build

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When James Madsen heard the Chamber was considering moving into new offices, he offered to build a new conference room and storage room at no cost to the Chamber. The following year, he built an addition to the community center. This year, he provided a daycare in a building he co-owns and helped them purchase and install a new playground. True philanthropy is when you just do what is right and needed without asking for notoriety.

Ed Kearney, President, Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce

Each year “Remodeling Magazine” recognizes 50 companies who have set the standard for professionalism and integrity through smart marketing, exemplary business practices, unique design, and extraordinary impact in their community or the industry at large. We are proud to include James Madsen, of James Barton Design-Build, as one of our Big50 inductees.

Sal Alfano, Editorial Director, Remodeling Magazine

“I hadn’t been able to see the vision. We’re so glad that JBDB could.”

Bryan Wilson, Chanhassen, MN

We have followed your projects for at least 5 years & based on what we saw expected great work, but you EXCEEDED our expectations! Every detail met with our satisfaction. The entire team was fantastic!

John & Nancy Tauer, Apple Valley, MN

When our friends enter our new space, their reaction is wonderful. They gasp when they see how beautiful everything is and what a difference it makes. “You have a new home” is the constant refrain.

The Martins, Apple Valley, MN

Every step of the project was itemized and scheduled. The schedule was followed like clockwork. The finished product is beautiful and was completed on time.

Doug Andersen, Apple Valley, MN

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Outstanding from beginning to end, we were impressed with the quality of work, attention to detail, professionalism, communication, and responsiveness by everyone on the JBDB team.

The Lees, Apple Valley, MN

James was extremely knowledgeable and listened to our issues,” said the homeowners. “We liked the advantage of having a full design before building to maintain timelines and budget, and we didn’t want to project manage the construction or different components of the build. Throughout the design process, we learned more about how JBDB operates and felt confident the job would be completed exactly like we envisioned.

Elise and Brian, Edina, MN

It was a fantastic project! The job John did getting all the subcontractors lined up was awesome. The project flowed so nicely. There were no problems that the JBDB team could not resolve!