Here’s how Acclaim Renovations & Design dramatically transformed this Leroy Township home
By Patricia Nugent
If there was an HGTV show based in Cleveland about resurrecting a great design from a poorly designed home, the Bateman renovation would make an epic episode.
Sonny and Cindy Bateman bought their 61-year-old, one-story ranch home in Leroy Township in 2017. Spread over 1,500 square feet, it included three bedrooms, a tiny dining room, an even tinier kitchen and a large family room that was an addition from the previous owner.
“I didn’t even want to spend time in the kitchen, as it was so small and walled off from our eating area,” says Cindy. “We tried to come up with a solution, but the space for the dining room was really no bigger than the space for the kitchen, so we wouldn’t gain anything by moving it.”
Last year they decided to call Bob Gallese of Acclaim Renovations & Design, since the company came highly recommended.
Angles and Corners and Buildouts, Oh My!
“My first impression walking into the home was how closed off everything was,” says Bob, who did a walk-through along with his super creative Project Manager Mark P. “It was simply a dysfunctional layout. The largest room in the home, the family room, was walled off from the rest of the space, which was chopped up.”
Their initial impression was to take down that wall and building out the kitchen into about two feet of the family room, creating a long counter workspace including cabinetry and the kitchen sink. They also created a beam leading into the vaulted ceiling of the family room and placed lights along it to shine down on the workspace.
“We loved Acclaim’s concept of creating an open kitchen workspace where none had existed,” Cindy says. “They even wrapped nooks of space around the tight angles and corners of the room. That’s something we never would have thought to do.”
Now what used to be the tiny kitchen has been transformed into a nicely appointed laundry room. They also moved the front door to the other side of the open space, so you walk into the center of the design, instead of off to the left of it.
“A nice bonus is that they created additional closet space by reconfiguring our footprint,” she says. “There’s so much better flow now. Our home finally feels welcoming.”
Says Mark, “One of my favorite parts of the renovation is to the layout. In the old design, you walked into a flat wall from the front door. Now the first thing you see is a wide-open dry bar area with built-in wine rack, cabinets and a backsplash created from the same dark, rich wood as the kitchen cabinets.”
Putting all the Selections Together
“Acclaim was a big help in guiding us through the selection process to put together flooring, cabinetry, a countertop and backsplash that coordinated beautifully,” says Cindy. “He suggested different colors that brought in all the colors of our existing fireplace in the family room.”
They went with a luxury vinyl tile that looks like tile instead of mimicking a wood look, as they wanted to complement the dark gray cabinets.
For the finishing touch, Acclaim also did an exterior reface on the front of the home, adding stacked stone and vinyl siding in a craftsman style.
In the End...Was it Worth it?
With such an extensive renovation to the whole first floor of the home, the Batemans had to wonder after all was said and done if it was worth it. The answer is a definitive yes.
“We brought in a real estate agent just to see what he thought the value of our home would be now,” she says. “He did a market analysis and said we would be competitive with new homes in our area.”
And Bob and his crew did their best during the two-month job to make sure the home was as livable as possible for the Batemans.
“Throughout the process, everyone we worked with at Acclaim was so professional,” says Sonny. “All of the tradesmen who worked on our home were very experienced and competent. They worked diligently and were very considerate of our needs.”
So, What’s Stopping You?
Bob says there are several self-defeating fears that homeowners have to overcome before pulling the trigger on a home renovation:
- “I don’t want unfamiliar people in my home.” Acclaim tradesmen are not rogue subcontractors, but trustworthy craftsmen.
- “I can’t afford it.” Acclaim uses several different financing companies that put any renovation into a doable monthly payment.
- “What if something goes wrong?” Acclaim’s 24/7 portal Co-Construct communicates every aspect of the job, so nothing is left to chance.
Acclaim Renovations & Design powered by One Man and a Hammer is located at 8550 East Avenue in Mentor. The company has been awarded Contractor of the Year by NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry). Call 440-974-8082 or visit AcclaimReno.com to see more before and after photos of the Bateman renovation, as well as other dramatic room makeovers.