Home

The Difference

Pam Stoler
248.840.0044

Sal Impastato

248.763.2223

www.PamAndSal.com

Clean Luxury

Five bathroom upgrades that don't
cost a bundle.

Spectacular Fox Lake views plus golf
course frontage from this well maintained
spacious ranch sitting on 1.48 acres.
Vaulted foyer with open staircase to living
room with wall of glass overlooking the
lake. Island kitchen boasts large breakfast
room with tray ceilings. Walk-out lower
level has family room, library, 2nd kitchen
and screened in porch. 4-car garage. Work
with the cool 70s mod interior or make it
your own. $599,000

Pristine 4 bedroom Farmington Hills colonial
with beautiful vaulted great room addition.
Spacious slate foyer with open staircase leads
to living room and formal dining room
with crown molding. Bright island kitchen
boasts large bayed breakfast area. Family
room features fireplace and parquet floors
with folding doorwall to great room. Private
library, main floor laundry, great sub, located
close to golf courses w/ 11 parks and common
areas. Hillside Elementary $299,000

Move right into this 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath
Royal Oak Cape Cod. Living room boasts
hardwood floor, low ceilings and open
staircase. Maple kitchen with snack counter
opens to large dining room with hardwood
floors and doorwall to deck. Spacious master
bedroom features walk-in-closet plus bath
with whirlpool rub and separate shower.
Finished lower level with bath, newer
windows throughout, 6 panel doors and a 2
car garage. $225,000

Meticulously maintained private entry end
unit ranch. Very open & bright floor plan.
Vaulted ceiling in living room & dining
room. Eat-in kitchen with hardwood flooring
& doorwall to courtyard. Dining room
boasts hardwood floors. Living room opens
to double doorwall leading to rear balcony &
large backyard. Master bedroom boasts wall
of closets, master bath & door wall to second
balcony. Partially finished private basement.
2-car attached garage. Pet friendly. $89,000

Hall

EXCE k SIVE, AFI-TIA 3 ti

CH UST

: LERNATIONAL REAL

I;

48

March 3 • 2011

ESTATE

n ter.corn

I

t's probably safe to say that no
potential buyer ever passed on a
house because the bathroom was
just too lovely and luxurious. And few
of us would prefer to come home at
the end of the day to decompress in
an outdated bathroom with a shabby
shower and cabinets that have seen
better days.
A beautiful bathroom can help
potential buyers overlook other flaws
in a home. And the bath is one room
where homeowners can be confident
their renovation dollars will yield
not only improved home value, but
enhanced enjoyment as well.
• Lighten up with a skylight
When it comes to creating a com-
fortable, energy-efficient ambiance
in a room, it's hard to beat Mother
Nature. Natural light helps reduce
dependency on artificial light sources
and the electricity they consume, and
can have a positive effect on mood
and overall health.
You may hesitate to add a large, clear
window to a bathroom, but skylights
are a great way to add the luxurious-
ness of natural light without compro-
mising on privacy. Choose a venting
style which can also be a cost-effective
way to help vent humidity, steam and
odors from a bathroom.
New models, like Velux America's No
Leak Skylight, eliminate leak worries;
when properly installed, Velux sky-
lights are no more prone to leaks than
any other quality window. Visit www
veluxusa.com to learn more.
• Shower yourself with luxury
Ripping out that old ceramic tile and
replacing it with the trendiest stone
may not be in your budget, or your
shower's future, but swapping out a
standard showerhead with something
more luxurious probably is.
It's easy to find a variety of shower-
heads — from rainfall and massaging,
to hand-held or dual-head and multi-
jet — that will elevate your daily wash-
ing routine to a spa-quality experience.
What's more, a new showerhead is one
of the easiest bathroom renovations to
do yourself, even if you have no previ-
ous experience.
• Accessorize, accessorize
Who doesn't love warm, plush bath
towels? Or foot-soothing rugs that pro-
tect tootsies from cold floors? It makes

sense not to skimp when it comes to
choosing towels, area rugs and other
accessories for your bath. Even top-
quality accessories cost less than major
renovations, and they can go a long way
toward making your bathroom feel pol-
ished, put-together and posh.
From good bath linens to a towel-
warmer that can make them feel extra
cozy, accessories are an economical,
effective way to add luxurious touches
to your bathroom.
• Upscale downstairs
Think your downstairs powder room
or first-floor master bath can't soak up
some sun? Think again. To bring natu-
ral light and warmth into a first-floor
bathroom, simply add a sun tunnel.
This variation on the traditional
skylight uses reflective tubing con-
nected to a low-profile acrylic dome
that sits on your roof to deliver dif-
fused, natural sunlight to interior
spaces, allowing you to enjoy the lux-
ury of natural sunlight in your first-
floor, windowless bath. Add a light kit,
and you've got a 24-hour light source.
• Heat things up
If you've ever stepped out of a relax-
ing warm shower only to find yourself
shivering in a cold bathroom, adding a
touch of warmth to the room may seem
like the ultimate luxury. You can find
an array of heaters that work well in a
bathroom setting, from wall units that
will put warm air at body level, to over-
head lamps that warm from above.
You can even find combo units
that both heat the bathroom and
warm your towel at the same time, or
exhaust fans that remove moist, cold
air and replace it with warm air. n

Article by ARA Content