We often describe how TriFection’s team of master craftsmen is the best in the business. Owners Jeff Roberts and Jeff Reina have assembled a true All-Star lineup of trades. The same group we entrust every day to take very good care of our clients is the only group they would consider to remodel their own homes. After witnessing so many 
TriFection clients achieve stunning home transformations, Jeff Reina and his wife Velda concluded it was time to beautify and modernize their master bathroom in Katy.
No special privileges when it comes to remodeling process
Like most clients, Jeff and Velda were eager to complete their remodeling project. The old cabinets were showing their age, and the white cultured marble shower & bathtub areas were so uninspiring. However, the start date for their project would be determined no differently than for anyone else – when it’s ready to start, meaning all designs have been approved and all selections have been made. Anyone who has spoken to a TriFection professional knows how passionately we feel about this principle to avoid the many common problems others encounter when remodeling. We stick to it in a very disciplined manner. Jeff and Velda would have to methodically work through the process before a start date would be considered, same as for all of our clients. Based on busy work schedules and a few husband & wife differences of opinion on selections, the lead time for this bathroom update was over a year.
Choices of previous TriFection clients provided great ideas
With the advantage of seeing so many different remodeling projects every day, Jeff identified various design and selection elements he wanted to incorporate in their new bathroom, such as a big shower with frameless glass and a bench seat, diagonal tile pattern with inserts on the shower walls, long recessed niche accented with glass tile, cherry cabinets stained Auburn Anigre, marble tub deck, etc. Velda certainly had her own wish list as well, including the selection of Calacatta marble, pendant lights above the vanity, an ornate chandelier above the bathtub, tile wainscot in the water closet, etc. Happy wife means happy life, so the budget expanded and compromises were made.
Cherry in charge
Jeff and Velda agreed the bathroom should have a more contemporary feel. The first actual selection was cherry wood cabinets with Shaker style fronts. Shaker is the most popular choice among TriFection clients because its simplistic elegance serves both contemporary and traditional tastes. We built new custom vanity cabinets, two medicine cabinets as well as a headknocker cabinet and recessed magazine rack in the water closet. The selection of gorgeous Calacatta marble from Omni Surfaces with a straight polish edge for the countertop, tub deck, knee wall, bench seat and window sills provides a very natural contrast. Brushed nickel Tempo Modern silver bar pulls from Berenson Hardware completed the desired look.
A digital showcase shower
The new shower was enlarged with numerous amenities included. First, our framers had to cut back a wall to add about 10 inches of space on one side. They also framed in a new pony wall on another side to provide more privacy 
and a home for a secondary recessed shampoo niche. The primary elongated niche was framed in the third wall and is beautifully accented with a Sand & Surf glass mosaic liner tile, which was also installed below the Calacatta marble-topped bench seat and above the tub deck. We adorned the shower walls with 16″ Velvet Oyster porcelain tile from Crossville on a diagonal pattern This tile features the look of natural stone but without the same required maintenance. Rome Silver inserts from Keystone provide even more character to the design. The shower floor really pops with a silver travertine installed in a mini-Versailles pattern.
With help from the experts at Ferguson, Jeff and Velda chose a Kohler plumbing package that includes a 10″ rain shower head and handheld showering unit on slide bar, both in a brushed nickel finish. The show-stopper, however, is the new technology that controls the water flow for the shower and bathtub. We installed a digital three-port thermostatic valve with digital interface on two remote keypads. These devices operate like smartphones and allow operation from the touch of a button. Jeff and Velda can now turn on the water and set the exact desired temperature before entering the frameless glass enclosed shower or new jetted tub.
Rounding out this bathroom retreat
TriFection laid new tile on the bathroom floor, using different sizes of the Velvet Oyster porcelain in a trifold pattern. The 12×24 tiles were used for a broken joint pattern wainscot in the water closet, topped with a decorative pewter 
liner. We also insured the whole space was well lit with additional recessed LED lighting in the main bathroom and water closet as well four Elaine Everett pendant lights above the vanity and a glass chandelier from Carol’s Lighting above the bathtub. Surprisingly, finding the perfect paint color proved to be challenging. Anyone who thinks there are only 50 shades of gray hasn’t seen the full Sherwin Williams fan deck or observed how paint colors appear differently in natural and artificial light throughout the day. Another TriFection client’s choice of Passive Gray finally resolved the issue for Jeff and Velda.
An enjoyable walk in the shoes of TriFection clients
With his master bathroom makeover now complete, Jeff has experienced the TriFection remodeling process from both a business owner’s and homeowner’s perspective. He appreciates even more the importance of thorough planning prior to an onsite start date. He also better understands those occasional moments of anxiety homeowners can experience when remodeling. Most importantly, however, Velda and he possess an even greater respect for the extraordinary skill level of TriFection’s craftsmen who delivered their new showcase bathroom.
