ANTONELLA AND ALEX T. knew what they wanted in their bathroom renovation. They’ve lived in their Newtown, Pa., home since 2005 and had spent the past five years dreaming about the improvements they’d make when the time finally came for an update.

“The bathroom really needed work,” Antonella says. “The tub was falling apart, and we had an enclosed shower that we really wanted to change.”

A native of Canada, Antonella says one design element that especially appealed to her was a zero-threshold entry shower, which she had seen in her native country and in Europe. So, when it finally came time for the couple to approach the renovation project, they had their expectations set, and they knew what they were looking for. The problem was finding a contractor willing to complete the project.

 “We’ve been thinking about [the renovation] for the last five years, but it took a while to select the right designer to do this,” Antonella explains. “It was over a year or two that we looked, because we kept getting a lot of ‘nos.’”

Antonella says it was the nature of their desired lip-less and door-less shower that turned designers off from the project.

 “We did our homework and asked quite a few designers about their capabilities of doing a walk-in shower,” she says. “A lot of them didn’t like the idea of not having a lip, but I know it works. I had seen it.

 “We were almost going to give up [looking for someone who would do it],” Antonella continues. “And then Beco said ‘yes’ right away.”

A staple in the remodeling community since 1956, Morrisville, Pa.-based Beco, Inc., has years of experience when it comes to meeting customer expectations and desires. So when Antonella and Alex came to them hoping to have a specific project completed, President Tim Pesce says he knew he could make it happen.

 “It is a common request from many clients—a shower that has no curb to step over,” he says. “It works out quite nicely and easily in terms of someone aging in place, since they don’t have to worry about that threshold. Plus, it’s a cleaner look.”

Pesce says additional consideration needs to be taken during installation so that water does not impact the bathroom floor outside the shower area. As it is something Beco has done numerous times, it is a design element Pesce is happy to incorporate for clients.

And so, it was with Pesce, and Beco, that Antonella and Alex began the process of creating the bathroom of their dreams. Antonella says she was happy Beco was able to work within their budget and accommodate the inevitable setbacks that happen with most home renovation projects.

 “When it came time to order the tub, it turns out the one I wanted was special order, so it took a long time to come in,” she explains. “Then, [the tub manufacturer] was closed around Christmas so the timeline was pushed back even further. But [Pesce] said, ‘It’s OK, we can still make it work, we just need to get the dimensions.’”

Antonella adds that not only is Pesce meticulous about his work, but the men who work with him on the renovations are as well.

 “I trusted the workers so much,” she says. “They were A-No. 1.”

Pesce has been working on home renovation projects like the one for Antonella and Alex for 35 years. Though this specific project was a bathroom, he also works on kitchens and other upgrades around the home. He says one of the best parts about working with his clients on such projects is knowing the impact the completion of the project will have on their daily lives.

 “The bathroom is usually the first room they’re going to see in the morning and the last one they’re going to see at night,” Pesce says. “The kitchen is pretty close to the last, or first, room they see as well. Knowing we can positively impact someone’s life in a way to make them happier at the start of the day or at the end of the day, makes it all worth it.”

Pesce says working with clients like Antonella and Alex, who knew what they wanted coming into the renovation, can make the job easier, but working with clients who basically come in with a blank slate can be just as rewarding.

“It’s all about asking the right questions,” he explains. “It’s about finding out what and how the homeowners want to use the room.

 “You don’t have to come in feeling like you have to design the project,” Pesce continues. “If you have things you want, that helps me with the design, but telling me, ‘Look, my husband and I have to get ready for work at the same time each morning’ or, conversely, ‘My wife likes to sleep in while I get up to get the kids ready for school’—that is going to help me even more. We know the cabinetry limitations and designs, but we don’t know what your daily routine is and knowing that can help us create a space that works for you.”

With the completion of their bathroom renovation, though Antonella says she is not ready for another project any time soon, she would certainly be ready to work with Pesce and Beco again at any time.

“It was great working with [Pesce],” she says. “He was awesome. I would recommend him for other projects.”

Beco, Inc.
Beco-Designs.com
Morrisville, Pa. | (215) 295-7123

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 20, Issue 4 (October 2019). 
For more info on House & Home magazine, click here. 
To subscribe to House & Home magazine, click here. 
To advertise in House & Home magazine, call 610-272-3120.