There's no magic like when a homeowner and the contractor they trust with their home communicate well and work together even better.

Sometimes, that relationship yields not only a happy client but also countrywide recognition. And it's no surprise when it's a well-established company at the helm of such a jaw-dropping, wildly successful transformation.

The Harleysville-based Gehman Design Remodeling is no stranger to putting its name on award-winning kitchen and bathroom remodels: They've been winning any combination of industry awards at the local, regional and national level every year since 1996. But a recent main-bath overhaul was a particularly special undertaking that garnered a Residential Bath $50,001-$75,000 National Contractor of the Year (COTY) award, an honor that the National Association of the Remodeling Industry bestows on contractors whose professionalism, quality of work and discriminating eye are an asset to the industry.

"All members of NARI are invited to submit their projects for award consideration," begins Dennis Gehman, founder and president of Gehman Design Remodeling. "The reality is that not every project is worthy of entering for an award—and I don't mean that in a negative way, many times it just relates to the budget—but this client has a wonderful sense of taste, and she's fairly specific about what she wants. So when she knew what she wanted to put into this rather dated master bath, she called us back because we've worked great together on previous projects."

Having a close client relationship allowed the Gehman team to directly and effectively address project hurdles that made themselves apparent early on, like making a tight space feel more warmly open, the zero-entry shower sloping into a linear drain, adding storage elements without eating up flooring space, navigating a 420-pound freestanding soaking tub into a second-story bathroom and maximizing shower real estate without crowding the space.

And while there were a number of limiting factors the Gehman team was up against, those constraints inspired outside-the-box solutions while highlighting just how well an experienced cadre of talented renovation experts can rise to any occasion to deliver novel solutions without sacrificing any design elements.

"One of the main things our client requested us to do is make the master bathroom feel bigger," says Gehman. "Creating an open and inviting feel without moving walls would be a challenge: We suggested a free-standing tub, glass shower wall, floating vanity and a wall-hung toilet to create additional open floor space, as well as a recessed linen closet. Our client was pleased with all of the suggestions and gave us the go-ahead to create the space that they were thinking of after seeing it on our 3D design software."

After about nine weeks, Gehman and his team were ready to declare the bathroom redesign successfully completed—though the project's journey was far from over as it landed the industry's best in show, first at the Bucks-Mont NARI chapter's awards, then the Region I awards that span from Pennsylvania to Maine, and finally emerging as the top design in its category nationwide.

"The atta-boy is for our employees, for our team: They work hard, and for them to get that recognition is wonderful," Gehman affirms. "And the clients are always honored, because they have to sign off and give us permission to enter their projects. We keep them posted—and since the local awards are a gala event, we tell the clients when their projects are in the running and we'll invite them to join us if they want. It feels good that we won, especially when you see photos of the other projects in the running: They're all gorgeous! It's really the top level that you're competing against."

But as validating as awards can be, making another client's dream a reality was truly the most rewarding result.

"Those happy clients, that's really the best part, that's what we strive for," says Gehman. "When clients are happy, it's a relationship and repeat business in the future, and it's referrals because they're going to tell their family and friends and neighbors and coworkers how happy they are with the result."

Gehman Design Remodeling
355 Main St., Harleysville, Pa.
(215) 513-0300
GehmanRemodeling.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 23, Issue 12 (October 2023).
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.