A Kitchen, Bathroom & Fireplace Transformation

A Kitchen, Bathroom & Fireplace Transformation​

These 30 year newlyweds were ready for a refresh – for their house

30 years into their marriage and nearly 20 years in the same house, Alvin and Joanne were ready for a refresh — not the marriage, Alvin emphasizes.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long! We still feel like newlyweds who got married yesterday,” he says.

But the house was starting to feel a little dated, and the couple heard from a friend that Granite Transformations did really great work. As a former interior designer Joanne took the lead on most decisions, and then Alvin came up with a plan to celebrate their love at the same time.

“I said honey, I don’t think we can afford to do all this, and convinced her to postpone the fireplace and bathroom renovations. But of course in my head I thought, I’m going to make sure we get this done.”

Alvin worked with Granite Transformations to orchestrate a surprise, and they completed the bathroom and fireplace renovations while Joanne was away working as a flight attendant.

“The crew from Granite Transformations were great about working on the surprise. They’d bring paperwork to the school where I volunteer, separated invoices to keep things secret — things like that.”

Alvin emphasizes that his wife was the decision-maker for all the gorgeous design details, and he just said, ‘yes dear.’ But if he didn’t know her preferences, how did he pull together the surprise?

“The fireplace matches the marbled countertops in the kitchen, so that was a no-brainer,” Alvin says, and Joanne had already started to pick things out for the bathroom before they put the project on hold. “I said why don’t you put all your top picks in the folder for later on? And then I took all that to Granite Transformations.”

Joanne, of course, loved the surprise. And Alvin says when visitors come over says they’re always stunned by the transformation. The backsplash Joanne picked out is always a favorite, and the whole space looks totally updated.

“The countertops are great — they’re indestructible! I don’t have to worry about hot pans or water damage — nothing scratches, nothing burns,” Alvin says. “And the crew that did the installation was excellent. I’m a little cautious about having people in my home — I’m a retired police officer so I’m fairly protective — but these were total trustworthy guys.”