Innovate Building Solutions Blog - Home Remodeling, Design Ideas & Advice - Bathroom, Kitchen, Basement Design & Remodeling Ideas for the Nicest Home or Business on the Block

How to Remodel Your Bathtub (and Tub Surround) and do it Right the SECOND TIME!

By Mike Foti on May 12, 2025. Leave a Comment

If you’ve got a butt-ugly tub and tub surround which begs the question, “What WAS the previous owner or builder thinking when they installed these god-awful materials?,” believe me you’re not alone. In many ‘hall bathrooms’ (where tub and tub surrounds got together like peanut butter and jelly) it... Continue reading

Accessible Aging in Place Remodeling Bath to Shower Conversion Bathroom Remodeling Shower & Bathroom Accessories

Frequently Asked Questions about Grab Bars in a Bathroom …a Product Everyone Loves to HATE!

By Mike Foti on May 5, 2025. Leave a Comment

I’m coming clean (no bathroom pun intended) right up front. While I lead a business which sell grab bars, for many years I ‘took orders for’ grab bars. And by that I mean, I wasn’t too knowledgeable. I simply asked people what they wanted. I didn’t ask probing questions to guide them to what they... Continue reading

Accessible Aging in Place Remodeling Bathroom Remodeling Shower & Bathroom Accessories Shower and Bathtub Wall Panels Shower Pan and Bases

When is the Best Time to Remodel Your Bathroom? … (with Tips on How to do it Right the First Time)

By Mike Foti on April 29, 2025. Leave a Comment

Your spouse (or partner) has been nagging you for YEARS for the ‘love of God’ to do SOMETHING about your bathroom. But you’ve dragged your feet because you weren’t sure the time was right. After all it’s not a small (or inexpensive) project. And if you’re debating if it’s the best time to remodel... Continue reading

Accessible Aging in Place Remodeling Bathroom Remodeling Shower Pan and Bases

Frequently Asked Questions About Offset Shower Pans (and Why You Should Care)

By Mike Foti on April 21, 2025. Leave a Comment

Perhaps you want to do a tub to shower conversion to age in place BUT you also need to keep costs under control. Or you’ve got a tiny corner shower today you want to expand WITHOUT breaking the bank. Or you want a roomier (and/or high privacy) shower, but you know one side wall has to be shallower... Continue reading

Bathroom Remodeling Shower & Bathroom Accessories

How to Add Shower Storage Which is Efficient, Effective, and (maybe even) elegant

By Mike Foti on April 7, 2025. Leave a Comment

Shower storage is usually sorely lacking. Perhaps you have a ‘builders-grade’ fiberglass shower with those pathetic ‘ledges’ for storage. And as you know with the slightest nudge of your elbow your shampoo bottle ‘plops’ on the shower pan, or on your foot (and doesn’t that feel lovely – sarcasm intended). Or... Continue reading

Accessible Aging in Place Remodeling Bathroom Remodeling Glass Block Shower Shower Pan and Bases

How to Design a Shower with a Pony Wall (knee wall or half wall)

By Mike Foti on April 1, 2025. Leave a Comment

Did your bathroom remodeling contractor suggest a pony wall for your shower and you thought, “What in the ‘Sam Adams’ are they talking about?” If so, you’re not alone. And to get you ‘in the know’ I’ll tell you right now what a pony wall is. Definition of a shower pony wall, half wall, or partition... Continue reading

Bath to Shower Conversion Bathroom Remodeling Shower and Bathtub Wall Panels Shower Pan and Bases

17 Frequently Asked Questions about Shower Replacement Kits you Need to Know so you DON’T WASTE MONEY!

By Mike Foti on March 24, 2025. Leave a Comment

Like so many decisions in life, with shower replacement kits, the more research you do, the more questions you uncover. And you need someone who is NOT a high pressure in-home sales rep looking to close the shower installation sale tonight, or a ‘wet-behind-the-ears’ clerk at a big-box home improvement... Continue reading

Accessible Aging in Place Remodeling Bathroom Remodeling Shower & Bathroom Accessories

How to Choose a Shower Seat …and NO They DO NOT Have to Look Geriatric!

By Mike Foti on March 17, 2025. Leave a Comment

If the words ‘shower seat’ make you think of ‘grandma’ and ‘geriatric’ you’re not alone. And if you Google ‘How to Choose a Shower Seat’ you’ll be overwhelmed with articles exploring choices in geriatric shower chairs. You’ll feel like you’re stuck in a continuous loop of a Life Alert commercial and... Continue reading

Opening Image - 7 Exciting Trends and Highlights from the 2025 Kitchen and Bath Industry and International Builders Show - Innovate Building Solutions, Bathroom Shower Remodeling, Bathroom Concept Trends, Shower Renovation Projects, KBIS Highlights

Accessible Aging in Place Remodeling Bathroom Remodeling Shower and Bathtub Wall Panels

7 Exciting Trends and Highlights from the 2025 Kitchen & Bath and International Builders Show

By Mike Foti on March 11, 2025. 5 Comments

Although Vegas ‘ain’t my town baby,’ (I don’t gamble, I don’t drink, and I left my big gold chains at home!) I still thoroughly enjoyed visiting the International Builders Show and Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas last week. It was just me – and 124,000 of my ‘best friends’ participating... Continue reading

Opening Image - How to Make a Barrier Free Shower NOT Look Institutional - Innovate Building Solutions, Barrier Free Shower Design, Shower Renovation Projects, Shower Remodeling Concepts, Walk In Shower Designs

Accessible Aging in Place Remodeling Bathroom Remodeling Shower Pan and Bases

How to Make a Barrier Free Shower NOT Look Institutional or be a Pain To Maintain

By Mike Foti on March 4, 2025. Leave a Comment

If you’ve been shopping for an accessible, ADA, roll in, or barrier free shower, by now I’ll bet a ‘dollar to donuts’ (yes, that’s a weird saying I know) you’re used to seeing pictures of boring, white plastic shower systems. YUCK! And while these institutional-looking white systems will ‘work’ (and... Continue reading