Frank Jackson and his wife Nancy McMahon have lived in their Winchester home for 24 years. For their latest remodeling project, the couple wanted to focus on their master bedroom and bathroom suite.

Upon visiting with Frank and Nancy, we nailed down three key goals for the project:

	Create more storage space.
	Enlarge the master bathroom so that they could fit a bath tub.
	Make the attic and the backyard more easily accessible.

A Tub — At Last

The lack of storage space in the master bedroom had become a major issue in recent years. Frank and Nancy shared a bedroom closet that wasn't nearly large enough to accommodate their needs, and their dresser drawers were packed solid.

The solution involved turning the bedroom adjacent to the master bathroom into a walk-in closet. We also brought on a subcontractor who specializes in installing custom shelving. The result: a large, organized space that allows the couple to hang their clothes, store their shoes and even get dressed in total comfort.

Meanwhile, we enlarged the master bathroom by incorporating the existing bedroom closet. "This gave us enough extra space to fulfill Nancy's longtime dream of having "a nice, deep cast-iron bath tub."

A Safer Passageway

One major annoyance in the original home was the rickety pull-down ladder that led up to the attic. Carrying boxes up and down the ladder had become such a hassle that Frank and Nancy rarely used the attic for storage anymore.

The architect who had been working with the couple proposed building a staircase up from the master bedroom's walk-in closet. We decided to take another path, adding the stairs behind a door in the nearby study — a more accessible location. In addition, we laid down plywood in the attic to increase the amount of usable storage space.

Improving accessibility to the backyard called for replacing the patio door as well as the dilapidated deck off the master bedroom. The new deck stands 8 1/2 feet wide by 4 feet deep and, unlike the old deck, features stairs leading down to the backyard.

Receiving High Marks

Frank and Nancy were particularly pleased that we adhered to our estimated timetable of two to three months. It's safe to say we now have two more satisfied customers.

"I give Custom Contracting high marks on so many things — the communication, the quality of work, the attitude," said Nancy. "They were lovely to work with, and we're so happy with our space."