RemodelWest has just completed a project in Cupertino, California. The homeowner was very involved in the process and has provided our audience with a testimonial for Remodel West Construction. Throughout this entry, you will see that “Peggi”, the homeowner has made comments on various aspects of her new home. In this post, we deliver a comprehensive analysis of the defining elements included in this project. In total, Remodel West designed and built this homeowner’s Kitchen, Family Room, Guest Bathroom, and Master Bathroom. When we do a project of this size, we typically break it up into different phases; this allows the house to remain in a livable condition during the entire remodel. In this case, the homeowner moved completely out of the house and construction occurred in all areas of the home, simultaneously; thus allowing the project to be completed in just 5 months!

Kitchen Before
Here in the before shot of the Kitchen, we show you what we started with. Notice the Almond tile with brown grout and the fluorescent overhead light. These are defining characteristics of a home built in the 1980’s. The homeowner’s goal was to update her design with a more current style and color scheme while maintaining a traditional, yet timeless design. RemodelWest was able to capture her ideas and make them a dream come true.
During the design process, the homeowner works closely with RemodelWest’s design staff to make their visions become reality.
Senior Designer, Sarah Spiroff has earned the credentials of Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) and Certified Bathroom

-Kitchen After- "The kitchen is a delight for me. The cabinets are beautiful. Sarah did a marvelous job of designing the look, including the caning and the corbels. Crystal did just a marvelous a job in the execution. I love the wood and the color. Of course, the marble counter tops are truly special. I thank Sarah for finding the slabs and persevering to obtain them for our project. All the appliances are such improvements over what I had, it's a joy to work in the kitchen. We're still trying to find where we've put everything, but there were three cooks in the kitchen on Sunday, and all approved of the new layout and the new look. We had both TV's going while dinner was being prepared!"
Designer (CBD) from the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Sarah was the designer assigned to this project and worked closely with the homeowner to achieve the traditional, yet up to date design. Here is an after shot of the Kitchen. At first glance, it is beautiful; the striking contrast between the countertop and the cabinets capture the essence of traditionalism.
The first things to catch your eye in this photo are the cabinets. Sarah and the homeowner selected a darker Alderwood Cabinet with a glazed finish supplied by Crystal Cabinets. Also, note the valance installed above the kitchen sink window. This was custom designed with an arch to fit perfectly above the kitchen sink window.
The next item to pop in this image is the countertop. A combination of a classic marble material called Calacatta Classico used primarily on the island, and a new option for countertop made from recycled material called Quartz used as a countertop for the perimeter of the kitchen. Pictured is a color called Quartz-Reflections, made by CaesarStone.

close up on tile detail on backsplash
Take a look at the close up on the tile detail of this backsplash. Tiles were made for the backsplash design that were to resemble the marble countertop, as you can see the two materials are an exact match. She also included and designed a glass tile mosaic to add another modern flare to the kitchen.
The flooring used in the Kitchen was a hard rock maple. It uses a water-based finish made by Bon Ami. This finish is a green material because it is a water-based solution. With the flooring and the countertop in a light color and the darker colored cabinets, it brightens up the room and achieves the rich, comfortable style of living that the customer had desired.
In order to establish continuity throughout the house, the maple flooring was used in the Family Room as well. In this room, you can also find the fireplace. Using Crystal Cabinets, Remodel West designed a Fireplace Mantle to coordinate with the kitchen cabinets by giving the same color and glazed finish, and also designing it to share the same structure as the valance placed above the kitchen sink window. Take a look at the before and after pictures of the Fireplace Mantle.

- Fireplace Mantle Before

- Fireplace Mantle After
On this project in Cupertino, there were really only two areas of structural design implemented. Designer Kirk Goodere, who is Certified by the
Build It Green Organization as a Certified Green Building Professional, is responsible for all the structural design that goes into a project. If you take a look at the before shot of the kitchen you will see that there is a door adjacent to the refrigerator. It was Kirk’s idea to move this door in order to decrease the amount of traffic that came through the kitchen when the chef was hard at work. In the after photo, you can see that the doorway has been removed from that area, allowing more workable space for the countertop. Although it isn’t pictured, the door was relocated to the area on the right of the double oven. Peggi was also pleased with the relocation of the door, “Moving the door to the other side of the kitchen has made such a difference in space, in workflow, and in sight lines. The way you designed the new doors and openings in the dining room really opened up the room to the rest of the house.”
Moving upstairs to the Master Bathroom, the homeowner wanted to use the same materials as used in the Kitchen; again trying to pull the traditional look with some modern flare. The same
Calacata Marble Counterop and darker alder wood cabinets were used and also a Travertine Tile laid in a Versailles pattern added to this traditional style. Compare these before and after shots of the Master Bathroom to really capture the transformation.

Master Bathroom Before

-Master Bathroom After- The master bath is striking. The wall color wakes me right up in the morning! I love the marble in that room too, and of course, the cabinets. The stones in the shower are not as smooth as I expected them to be, but I love the look.
There was an element of design included in this Master Bathroom that is not considered standard to every bathroom design. The homeowner had a piece of stained glass that she had salvaged from a previous home many years

custom designed window with salvaged stained glass
ago and wanted to use somewhere in this project. This is where the second aspect of structural design was implemented by Kirk Goodere. Using a design software, he enlarged the window opening above the toilet and had a custom window made especially for this artwork.
Using the colors from this window as inspiration, the homeowner worked with Sarah to select the color scheme for the painted walls and tile design. This is where the homeowner visualized a teal wall with teal tiles included in the mosaic design. The picture on below captures the different materials

elements of custom design captured in one photo
used in this design to complement the custom stained glass window. The elements to take note of in this picture are the stained glass window in the reflection of the mirror, the design of the tiled wall including the teal color and the marble material, the dark color of the alder wood cabinet, and the custom made marble piece designed to frame the mirror.
Also included in the design of the Master Bathroom was the shower. Here we used a newer material supplied by
Island Stone. This material is part of the Pebble Series and the color is called French Tan. It uses a variety of sizes and colors of rock and arranges them in a pattern to be used for the shower floor in this particular project. Not only does it add a modern flare to this traditional style design it is also very comfortable and therapeutic on the

Island Stone shower floor
feet. The shower is equipped with two shower heads; one is fixed to the wall and the other is handheld device. Also inside the shower is a bench seat, again made from the
Calacata Marble material. This bench was placed strategically in the shower so that when seated, the handheld shower head is in a easy to reach location.
Remodel West Construction also employs a staff of field employees who work on the job for the duration of the construction period. Pat Leary is one of RemodelWest’s Lead Carpenters and managed the construction being done on

team performing demolition during early stages
this project in Cupertino. On the left, you can see a picture of our team performing the inital demolition work.
If you have any questions about this project and the materials involved please visit the official RemodelWest website. There you can take a look at our portfolio, learn more about the way our business is designed or even set up an appointment for a more personalized experience.
RemodelWest has been in business since 1992 serving Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, San Jose, and surrounding communities.
Bill Reid
Founder and Owner of Remodel West, a residential design and construction firm, originally established as Cupertino Kitchen Design in 1992. I have created a very progressive company with a high level of quality standards. Over the years, the company has built revenues to 8.5 Million and scaled operations as we rolled with the times. By re-branding the business in 2007 to Remodel West, we aimed to better align our name with the scope of work performed.
I am a Certified Graduate Remodeler through NAHB and Certified Green Building Professional through Build It Green and most recently Certified Renovator through the EPA which is now a federal requirement.
My primary goals are to design and build more eco-friendly projects, to do projects for those clients seeking high quality. My professional background stems from twenty-six years of hands on experience beginning in 1985 in cabinetry design and sales, and progressed to my involvement with a startup company from 1987-1991. In 1992, at age 26, I started Cupertino Kitchen Design/RemodelWest. My strengths are creating a vision for our company, planning, and empowering our employees to accomplish our goals. Sue and I have been married 26 years with three wonderful children, Jessica, Michael and Adam and of course our dog Ellbee. We live in Los Gatos and enjoy visiting our home in Lake Almanor, fishing, brewing beer, reading and relaxing.