My Sweeten Story: A Bathroom Remodel Lands the Right Materials

• Homeowners: First-time homeowners Carly and Peter posted their bathroom remodel on Sweeten
• Where: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York
• Primary renovation: Refresh an outdated bathroom
• Sweeten general contractor
• Homeowner’s quote: “[My contractor] answered all of my questions about the bathroom materials we were considering, how to take measurements, and what other things to consider. [He] guided me through the entire renovation.”
• Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches residential renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering know-how, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free.

Written in partnership with the Sweeten homeowner Carly. “After” photos by Kate Glicksberg for Sweeten.

Our 1,000-square-foot co-op in a building constructed in about 1841 was our first purchased home, after renting for a decade in the West Village. After nearly two years of living in the home, we were ready. 

But we wanted to start small with a bathroom since we had never been through a renovation before. Posting our project to Sweeten made it easy to begin because of their curated list of contractors to choose from.

Our bathroom is large, with high ceilings and room for a lot of storage, including our stackable washer dryer, shelving, and closet space. For the most part, we just wanted to update all the fixtures and materials, improve lighting and personalize it to our needs. I was open to reimagining the storage areas if it fit within our budget, especially in the vanity area.

Originally, I had really ambitious design choices like using three types of Moroccan tile and wallpaper. However, since this was our first renovation, I felt we should keep it simple. First, I’m no designer, and second, we did this during Covid when getting materials was a real challenge. 

I did a lot of shopping and sourcing ahead of time prior to contacting our contractor. Shopping online or a big box store was overwhelming and confusing for me. I also wanted to use quality materials that were a little higher end.

Our Sweeten contractor introduced me to a local plumbing supply store. The proprietor there had years of experience and knowledge; he helped me source everything except the tile. My contractor was able to coordinate all deliveries without me being there (such a relief!).

The first thing I chose was the vanity. We wanted a unique piece that had a lot of storage space. I found something classic — but not basic. It had rose gold hardware, and I then matched my other fixtures with it. After that, I moved on to choosing a medicine cabinet with built-in LED that has clean, simple lines. For the tile, I went to a specific tile website with a curated collection, rather than the endless options available online or at a big box store.   

My biggest challenge was keeping all my selections simple so as not to overwhelm our space.

Our Sweeten contractor also helped me visualize the space. The layout didn’t need to be changed, he said, it was already being used as efficiently as possible. The whole process went smoothly, and my contractor allayed my fears of what a “normal” budget was and what our responsibilities were as the homeowner.

He answered all of my questions about the bathroom materials we were considering, how to take measurements, and what other things to consider. My contractor guided me through the entire renovation.

We really love the clean design, and the new bathroom works exactly the way we want to use it.

BATHROOM RESOURCES: Marble Tech Bianco Gioia 12×24; polished porcelain tile: TileBar. Kohler Purist fixtures in gold; Kohler Veil toilet; Otto Home Goods Ashley 36″ white bathroom vanity; Blossom Pillar medicine cabinet: Carroll Gardens Plumbing Supply. Majestic chrome glass shower door: Glasscrafters.

A note on fixtures and appliance deliveries: If you’re on a tight timeline, Appliances Connection has over 50,000 items in stock and ready to ship nationally. If you’re in the NY/NJ metro area, in-stock items typically deliver within 2-3 days.

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Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Sweeten.