When Stephanie and Dave Kreiling moved in to their North Scottsdale home last April, they knew they wanted to change the master bath.

They hadn’t done a lot of remodeling in the past, so they wanted to make sure they researched it thoroughly before deciding on a contractor.

Stephanie said she went on the internet and looked for remodeling contractors. It was there she came across Roadrunner Custom Remodeling, owned by Patrick Benkowski, CR.

Patrick Benkowski, CR, owner of Roadrunner Custom Remodeling, remodeled the master bath at the home of Scottsdale residents Stephanie and Dave Kreiling. Benkowski removed the bathtub and shower and replaced with one large walk-in shower.

“I was very impressed by what I saw on his website,” she said. “The testimonials were excellent, and after we met with Patrick, we knew he was who we wanted to go with.”

The Kreilings wanted to remove their oversized tub and small shower and replace it with one large shower. Benkowski said such remodeling jobs are becoming very popular.

“In this day and age, soaking tubs are becoming obsolete. Most are just big dust collectors,” he said. “People are removing unused large tubs and adding nice big showers to maximize useable living space.”

The Kreilings’ shower features a 6 foot high glass block splash guard, “Spray Granite” cultured marble walls and floors with natural stone deco borders. It also has a fixed shower head, as well as an adjustable hand-held shower.

“The hand held shower is for our dog kids,” Stephanie said. “They (the three cocker spaniels) love it.”

Stephanie said the design enabled them to install a glass block window in the drying area of the shower, creating the feeling of light and openness but maintaining the privacy.

“It is really nice,” she said. “We like the light it provides. This was a pretty dark room before.”

In addition to being happy with their new bathroom, the Kreilings said the job done by Roadrunner was “phenomenal.”

“Patrick was great to work with,” Stephanie said. “We actually had three quotes before we selected Patrick. We liked his cost, but we really liked the suggestions he gave us.”

She said they went with his suggestions, incorporating the existing arch in the bathroom, as well as adding a bench.

“We were able to visualize what he described, and they were very good ideas,” Stephanie said. “He also suggested we use the “Spray Granite” cultured marble to cut down on costs and add low maintenance. We appreciate that now that it is in place.”

Stephanie said they would highly recommend Roadrunner Remodeling, and they “definitely” would use Benkowski again for future remodeling jobs.

Benkowski, who is 2006 president of the Arizona chapter of the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI), has been in the business for 29 years. He has been in Fountain Hills six years.

Roadrunner specializes in kitchen and bath remodeling but will perform any size project for previous customers.

“We take care of our clients forever,” Benkowski said.

Benkowski said bathtub replacements are becoming popular, and the Kreilings’ bathroom worked out well with the shower they chose.

“People are turning their bathrooms in to spa-like places,” he said. “They add body sprays, hand-held shower heads, multi-spray heads. There are a lot of options out there.”

Benkowski said a typical master bathroom remodeling job ranges from $15,000 to $30,000, although there are opportunities to spend more.

An average job takes two to three weeks.

Stephanie said they were happy when the job was done in two weeks.

“It was exactly when Patrick said it would be done,” she said. “It was very pleasant.”

Benkowski, who is a certified remodeler (CR) can be reached by calling (480) 816-0788. To view before and after photos of other remodeling projects, visit www.roadrunnerremodeling.com.