The crew at HCS Construction Services of Bellevue, longtime members of the Master Builders Association, dedicated their innovative thinking to the project. Led by the creative thinking of Joseph M. Schwab, and aided by the artistic freedom granted them by the homeowner, HCS plunged ahead. With the client's blessing, they made a stylistic departure from the house's 1970s origins, creating a serene, Asian-influenced design with detailed finishes and spatial originality. They fashioned a nook for a Japanese-style jetted tub by easing into the adjacent mechanical/laundry room. Utilizing the awkward space, the tub was made accessible through the walk-in shower, with just a single pane of glass separating the two, for a sleek and light-filled effect. 

With an overall feel indicated by the homeowners, but leeway given on the materials to achieve the look, HCS came up with some unique and interesting touches from an underlying necessity to cut costs. The homeowner had fallen for the look of stone floors, but the magazine shots they admired had featured prohibitively expensive materials. Instead of putting the kibosh on the dream, HCS used river rock stones pounded into concrete, achieving a similarly textured and organic look and feel. The owner had also favored the look of teak for the countertops, so the contractor used deep-stained walnut with a polyurethane finish, for a much less expensive and more durable result. 

Thanks to HCS Construction Services for contributing their ideas and information on behalf of the Master Builders Association. For more information on the MBA, go to www.masterbuildersinfo.com.

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