Are you ready for a great new StarCraft Custom Bath™?
You have done all your homework. You have a pretty good idea of what you want in your new bath.

You have read all about designing and planning your new bath and know what you need to know about cabinets, countertops, flooring, lighting and the basic rules of bathroom design. You understand the construction process and have a budget in mind. You are prepared to live with the temporary inconvenience of a major remodeling project.

You are ready to go ahead with your new bath.

OK, the next step is to complete our comprehensive Bathroom Planning Questionnaire. When we have received your questionnaire, we will contact you to set up your first design conference.

Not quite ready yet...
Get started here...
Photo: Dornbracht. Dornbracht Faucet You need to learn as much as you can about baths. You, after all, are the primary bath designer. All the professional does is refine your ideas into a workable plan. The smarter you are about bath design, the better your bathroom will be.

The articles listed below were written by our kitchen and bath design staff to help you learn what you need to know about kitchens. These have been widely reprinted on many other web sites, but here are the very latest revisions of the originals. Take the time to read about the many interwoven elements of a well-designed bathroom. And to complete your education, see our complete articles index.

•  The Design Process: If you plan to make substantial changes to your bathroom, then a construction plan is required. Learn how your ideas are turned into a concept plan and then a construction blueprint in a three-step process using computer-assisted design.

•  The Rules of Bathroom Design: The National Kitchen and Bath Association's guidelines for designing a safe and functional bathroom. If your new bath does not conform to these common sense rules, it will probably not be a success.

Fixtures by Duravit This handsome bath was built at one end of a 48-inch hallway. This handsome and functional guest bath was built at one end of a 48-inch hallway. Wall-hung fixtures make the floor space look much larger than it really is. •  Selecting Bath Fix­tures:The choices of bath­room fix­tures are a lit­tle over­whelming. Tubs, showers, sinks, fau­cets and toi­lets come in so many shapes, sizes, co­lors and with such a great var­iety of fea­tures that choos­ing the right fix­tures can be a chal­lenge. Here are some guide­lines and sug­ges­tions.

•  Sources of Supply: Faucets: Thinking about buying a faucet? Before your do, see our list of major faucet manufacturers with ratings and guidelines on what to look for and how to select a good, lifetime faucet.

•  Flooring Options for Kitchens and Baths: Wood, stone, vinyl, ceramic tile, laminated flooring. What are the pros and cons of each? Learn the fundamentals of bathroom flooring.

•  New and Traditional Countertop Choices: Exciting changes are happening in the world of countertop materials. Is solid surfacing, laminate, stone or tile your best choice? Or maybe something more exotic. Take a look at the incredible selection of modern counter top materials.

•  Porcelain or Ceramic: What is the difference? Is it porcelain tile or is it ceramic tile? Does it really make any difference? Find out here. For more good reading, check out the StarCraft Custom Builders' complete articles index.
The Bathroom Revolution
Small Bath
Abundant natural light combined with careful design can make a small bath seem much more spacious. Per square foot, your bathroom has more equipment than any other room in your house. It’s expensive space, and every inch counts. This is in­creas­ingly true today as bathrooms are required to do more than ever before. Fitting it all in is no simple task.

The role of the bathroom is changing rapidly. The im­por­tance of the bath in our homes has grown dra­ma­ti­cal­ly just in the past 20 years. Spa­cious rooms, closet­ed toi­lets, double bowl la­va­tor­ies, whirl­pool tubs, and large walk-in showers have found their way into our homes. No longer just a func­tion­al room, the bath is be­com­ing a lux­ury re­treat. Purely utilitarian functions of bathrooms are now being relegated to small cubicles. Toilets are housed in separate enclosures; tubs, showers, and lavatories are placed in distinct areas.

Taking the Crook Out of a Crooked Bath

Small bathroom This small bath was dark, poorly lit, and had crooked walls. See how we turned it into a bright, charming guest bath, and made the crooked walls go away without having to rebuild them. As a culture, we are in the process of transforming the bath from a purely functional space into an opulent private retreat. To many homeowners, baths have become "morning" or "evening" rooms. The average bathroom in new housing has tripled in size over past quarter century. Boundaries between master bedroom and master bath are disolving. The bath morphs into a dressing area that seamlessly merges with the sleeping area. Meanwhile new equipment is moving in. Exercise machines are being introduced into the bath area. Personal spas, televisions, telephones, audio equipment, and even fireplaces are being installed with increasing regularity. This small wall-hung vanity with top-mount lavatory both increases storage and reduces the bulk of an ordinary vanity This small wall-hung vanity reduces the bulk of an ordinary vanity to help create the illusion of a larger room, and actually provides more useful storage than the usual bath vanity.

Bedrooms and baths now form a kind of inner-sanctum where people can indulge themselves in the lap of luxury. The bath is becoming our private sanctuary — a place to get away from it all.

Unfortunately, our houses do not automatically adapt to these new trends. And those of us who still own the home we bought 20 years ago probably still have that old, tired, well worn room squeezed between two bedrooms and the stairs. Getting More Bathroom Space
Click to read the article Often the key to updating a bath is creating more space — or at least the illusion of more space. This article examines where additional space can be found both outside and inside your existing bathroom. Read the article.

It's not that we would not like to own one of those new, spacious, designer baths featured in all the magazines and on television home improvement shows. It's just that those expansive flourishes of Italian tile, porcelain plumbing fixtures by the square yard, and as much sparkling chrome as a '58 Cadillac grill all have to have someplace to go, and we just don't have the floor space.

And if we did happen to have an unused 200-300 square feet of space sitting around, we probably have better use for the $30,000 it would cost. We are, after all, Nebraskans. And although we like beautiful living spaces as much as any one, this is one place where common sense tends to prevail — at least most of the time.

Still, you don't have to settle for a dysfunctional and ugly bathroom. A whole lot can be done with even a very small room. And there are ways of finding more bathroom space if you know where to look. Does Your New Bath Fit Your Old House?
Go to "Coordinating Architecture and Interior Styling" How to update your bath and still keep its architectural character is one of the questions we are asked frequently. People are keenly aware that a con­temp­orary chrome and glass bath­room does not work in an Arts & Crafts home, but what does? How do you make a fully functional modern bath look like it could have been a part of an early 20th century house? Learn more about it here.

That's where we can help. We know that most of our clients do not have the floor space required for a grand "designer" bath. So we have become the small space specialists — using imagination, ingenuity and creativity to pack more design, more features and more utility into less room. We know how to plan and build dis­tinc­tive bath­rooms that conform to all of the accepted design rules, building and safety codes. Most importantly, we know how to build affordable baths by painstaking design, cost-saving construction practices and careful substitution of less expensive alternatives that will still give you that special look and feel that is uniquely yours.

We will work with you through a three-step design process to merge your ideas and lifestyle with the available space and structural requirements into a design that meets both your needs and your budget; guiding you through the myriad of choices available for your new bathroom, and helping select the right products and materials for your pocketbook.

Bathroom Remodeling — Some Basic Reading
But, first things first. Before we start helping you formalize your ideas into a concept plan, some preliminaries need to be gotten out of the way.

So don't miss any of the articles listed below on this page. Each one has been written by one of our expert remodelers and contains the distillation of years of bathroom remodeling experience and know-how. You must become a minor expert on bathrooms. Before you sit down with us to work through a plan, you should have a very clear idea of the look you want to create, the features you want to include, and the space you have to work with. They run the entire gamut of design issues: cabinets, fixtures, flooring, lighting and more, much more. For a complete list of articles on this web site, visit our Index to Articles. When you are ready, contact us and we'll get started designing your special bath.


  • Cabinet Basics
    Oak, maple, hickory, ash, cherry. Faced and unfaced. Framed and frameless. Custom, semi-custom and manufactured. MDF, Melamine, Thermofoil, even steel. So many choices. How do you pick the cabinets that are just right for you? Click here to find out.


  • Creating More Bathroom Space
    Our fondness of open spaces within the home doesn't end at the bathroom door. Unfortunately the acreage needed to create that spacious feeling just is not available in many older bathrooms. Often the key to updating a bath is creating more space — or at least the illusion of more space. This article examines where additional space can be found both outside and inside your existing bathroom.


  • Flooring Options for Kitchens and Baths
    Wood, stone, vinyl, ceramic tile, laminated flooring. What are the pros and cons of each? Learn the fundamentals of kitchen flooring.


  • Living Through Remodeling - A Survival Guide
    Remodeling will disrupt just about every routine you have; including some you are not aware of having. But this noisy, gritty process doesn't necessarily mean you will be tearing out your hair. With a little advance planning, it is possible to live through even major renovations with your sanity and good nature largely intact. Check out our remodeling survivors guide.


  • New and Traditional Countertop Choices
    Is solid surfacing, laminate, stone or tile your best choice of counter top? Or maybe something more exotic. Take a look at the incredible selection of modern counter top materials.


  • Redefining the Arts & Crafts Bath
    Designing a bathroom to comple­ment an early 20th century Four-Square house does not require slavish copying of every tiny design detail of a Crafts­man-era house. Witness this elegant bath that follows Art & Crafts design principles while incorporating modern fixtures and refinements.


  • The Rules of Bathroom Design
    The Kitchen and Bath Association has published guidelines for designing a safe and functional bathroom. Created and maintained by a panel of expert designers, these recommendations should be closely followed in any kitchen plan.
  • Saving Household Water
    Fifteen billion gallons of fresh, treated water are used in American households every day. It not only deletes our water sources to waste this water, but costs a fortune in electrical power to treat and pump it into our homes. Find out what you can do to reduce your impact on the environment while saving 33% of your water bill.


  • Selecting Bath Fixtures: Lavatories, Commodes, Sinks and Basins
    The choices of bathroom fixtures are a little overwhelming. Tubs, showers, sinks, faucets and toilets come in so many shapes, sizes, colors and with such a great variety of features that choosing the right fixtures can be a challenge. Here are some guidelines and suggestions for choosing sinks and lavatories for your new bathroom.


  • Selecting Bath Fixtures: Toilets
    The choices of bathroom fixtures are a little overwhelming. Tubs, showers, sinks, faucets and toilets come in so many shapes, sizes, colors and with such a great variety of features that choosing the right fixtures can be a challenge. Here are some guidelines and suggestions for selecting the right toilet for your new bathroom.


  • Selecting Bath Fixtures: Showers and Bathtubs
    The choices of bathroom fixtures are a little overwhelming. Tubs, showers, sinks, faucets and toilets come in so many shapes, sizes, colors and with such a great variety of features that choosing the right fixtures can be a challenge. Here are some guidelines and suggestions for selecting the right bathtub and shower for your new bathroom.


  • Sources of Supply: Faucets
    Thinking about buying a faucet? Before your do, see our list of major faucet manufacturers with ratings and guidelines on what to look for and how to select a good, lifetime faucet.


  • Taking the Crook Out of a Crooked Bathroom
    Among the major problems of this bathroom were that its walls were crooked, and looked it. See how we fixed this problem without rebuilding the walls, opened up the room visually and provided some unique storage in a small guest bathroom.