Master Bathroom Remodel – Ambler, PA
This Ambler master bathroom was originally divided into two separate rooms — a vanity and closet on one side, a shower and toilet on the other. The two spaces were connected but functioned as distinct areas, each with its own entry point. The remodel removed the dividing wall, built a new wall to expand the shower footprint, and merged everything into one cohesive master bathroom with a walk-in shower with glass doors, a new vanity with built-in storage shelves, gold fixtures throughout, and a lighted mirror.
What This Project Included
- Removal of the dividing wall between the shower/toilet area and the vanity/closet area
- New wall construction to expand the shower footprint
- Integration of closet and vanity space into the main bathroom
- New walk-in shower with glass doors
- Large-format tile on shower walls and floor
- Built-in recessed shower niche with custom tile shelf
- New vanity with gold-finished faucets and hardware
- Custom-built storage shelves on the vanity side
- Lighted mirror above vanity
- Gold-finished showerhead and shower fixtures
- Modern one-piece toilet
- New exhaust fan
The Two-Room Problem
A master bathroom that was built as two separate spaces reflects a design philosophy from an earlier era — the idea that the toilet and shower should be in a separate compartment from the vanity and dressing area. In practice, two separate rooms with their own entry points in a small master bathroom suite create a disjointed experience and waste wall space on partition walls that could be floor area instead.
Removing the dividing wall between the two spaces was the single decision that changed what this bathroom could be. Without the wall, the shower, vanity, and toilet are all in one open room — a layout that functions more naturally for daily use and reads as more spacious than either room did individually.
Expanding the Shower with a New Wall
Removing the dividing wall was only one part of the structural work. A new wall was also built on the opposite side to expand the shower footprint — effectively trading the wall between the two rooms for wall space that added usable shower area. The expanded shower allowed for a proper walk-in enclosure with glass doors and a recessed niche, rather than the constrained shower that existed before.
Large-format tiles were installed on the shower walls and floor, with a built-in recessed niche and a custom tile shelf for storage. Glass doors close the enclosure. The gold showerhead and fixtures were chosen as part of a consistent finish package applied throughout the bathroom.
Gold Fixtures as a Design Thread
All fixtures in this bathroom — the showerhead, the vanity faucets, the cabinet hardware — are finished in gold. Using one metal finish throughout a bathroom is the same logic as the all-black approach in Langhorne: it creates visual continuity rather than a collection of different finishes that have to be reconciled. Gold against a neutral tile and a white or light-toned vanity is a warm contrast that reads well in a space with natural light.
The choice of gold over chrome or brushed nickel also tends to show water spotting less than polished chrome does — a practical maintenance consideration in a room that gets heavy daily use.
Vanity with Built-In Storage Shelves
The new vanity was installed with custom-built storage shelves on the left side — open shelving built into the wall adjacent to the vanity, rather than a freestanding shelf unit. Built-in shelves at the vanity use wall depth that would otherwise be empty space, and they provide storage that is accessible from the vanity area without requiring a separate piece of furniture. In a merged bathroom where the closet space was absorbed into the main room, having built-in storage adjacent to the vanity partially compensates for the loss of a dedicated closet area.
A lighted mirror was mounted above the vanity, providing close-range illumination for daily grooming.
What the Merger Delivered
The finished bathroom in Ambler is one unified room rather than two cramped separate spaces. The shower is larger than it was, the vanity area has built-in storage, and the room flows logically from entry through the vanity to the shower and toilet without doors or walls interrupting the sequence. At $13,800 for a project that involved structural demolition and new wall framing as well as a full finish and fixture package, this reflects the cost of doing both the structural and cosmetic work in one project.
Bathroom Remodeling in Ambler and Montgomery County
Ambler is a Montgomery County borough with a mix of Victorian-era rowhouses, older single-family homes, and some newer construction. The two-room master bathroom configuration that existed here is common in homes built before the 1970s — a design that made sense at the time but that homeowners today typically want to open up. Belmax Remodeling handles both the structural wall work and the finish work as one integrated project.
For more on our bathroom work, see our bathroom remodeling service page. Homeowners in Ambler can also visit our Ambler bathroom remodeling page for more completed local projects.
Considering a Similar Project?
Master bathroom remodels that involve removing a dividing wall, building a new shower wall, and doing a full finish and fixture package typically fall in the $12,000–$16,000 range in Montgomery County, depending on shower size and fixture choices. This Ambler project came in at $13,800, completed January 2025. To discuss what your bathroom would involve, request a free estimate.