| Here's what they say about us: |
|
Read about the Presto Bathroom in the St. Paul Pioneer
Press: "Modular Unit Upgrades Bathroom in a Day" |
| In April 2000, the Southwest (Mpls.) Journal wrote the following piece in
their Home Improvement section: PRESTO: THE ALMOST INSTANT BATHROOM Minneapolis contractor and plumber designed a unit they can install in less than two days - and for less money If you've got an older Minneapolis home and more than a couple of people living there, you know the problem: One bathroom just isn't enough. But the hassle - not to mention the expense - of putting in an extra bathroom somewhere (and where is that somewhere going to be?) is considerable. Tony Webster knew the problem. He's an experienced plumber, formerly a plumbing inspector for the city, but even he groaned when his wife started bugging him about putting a bathroom in the basement of their Camden home. "I thought, 'Gee, I wish someone did a snap-together bathroom," he said. A couple of more-or-less sleepless nights, a bunch of sketches and one important lunch later, and the "PRESTO Bathroom" was born. It's a pre-built basement bathroom with shower, toilet, sink, fan, medicine cabinet, lights, heater, towel hook -- even the toilet-paper holder. Webster and Peter Barr met while working on a Habitat for Humanity home four or five years ago. Barr was the general contractor; Webster was doing the plumbing. They liked working together and took on other projects from time to time (Barr's specialty was remodeling older homes). When Webster started dreaming about the "instant" bathroom two years ago, Barr was the person he invited to lunch to talk about it. Although they've tinkered with the original designs a bit, the idea is still pretty much what it was when Webster did his original sketches: a pre-fabricated basement bathroom that can be installed in a day and a half. (The patent on the PRESTO is pending.) The PRESTO comes in several modular pieces that can snap together once it's in the basement. "It used to be in one chunk," said Barr, "but then Tony threw his back out." They also found that one piece wouldn't fit down some basement stairways. Now, Webster says, "There's no one basement we can't get into." The plumbing and wiring are built into the PRESTO frame and just have to be connected to the plumbing and wiring in the home. Once the PRESTO is fixed in place, Barr said, "it's as rigid as regular construction." "We're more than competitive in cost," said Webster. (The bathroom plus installation is likely to be just $5,800.) "But the real appeal is the speed of installation." Because the bathroom is "pre-built," Barr said, 70 percent of the installation time is eliminated. They could install a PRESTO in just a day, he said, but the extra half-day is needed to make sure the proper inspections are done. That day and a half is a lot easier for most homeowners to handle than the two, three, or even four weeks of construction to put in a custom bathroom. The cost is a significant factor, too. To do a traditional basement bathroom, Barr said, plumbers often charge about $5,000 -- not including the fixtures. "We've had bids against us of $8,000 up to $16,000," he said. Webster and Barr, as Barr.Web Industries, began building and installing PRESTO bathrooms last year. They put them in about a dozen homes in 1999 and have done another 10 since the beginning of this year. Both left their other jobs this year in order to concentrate on the PRESTO. Barr.Web has factory space in the Seward neighborhood. Right now, Webster and Barr are the sole employees of the company. Every PRESTO is pre-built by the two of them (they take about a week to put together), then installed by the two of them. Eventually, they hope to eliminate that second part. "We want to manufacture, not install," said Barr. "We can have plumbers and electricians install them." The response to the PRESTO has been encouraging, Barr and Webster said. "Most of the response is, 'Wow! It's a really cool idea,'" said Barr. Several real estate agents have told the two that for some homes, a PRESTO can add enough value to the house to pay for itself when the house is sold. |
| Note: this story is reprinted with permission. It does not constitute an endorsement by the newspaper of the product. |
Questions or problems regarding this web site
should be directed to