While the phrase "the new normal" has certainly been overused in the past two months, this recent virus crisis will certainly impact our future for many years to come. We've already begun to establish new expectations about what it will take to maintain healthy environments in our homes, offices, and schools.  And we may even want to make some changes to our own hygiene habits to improve our the health and safety of our families. 

Over the weekend we found this news story on Fast Company - The Rebuilders, "We may have to rethink the toilet seat altogether'; How the coronavirus could change bathrooms for the better".  We discovered a few new trends that local Illinois home and business owners may want to give some thought to when considering new bathroom designs for 2020 and beyond:

1. Toilet Seat Lids: The article above goes into some scary details about the "plumes" of bacteria that happen with each toilet flush.  While it's common to find toilet seat lids in most residential bathrooms, are they being utilized consistently to reduce viral contamination? Will commercial bathroom facilities begin to upgrade to provide more effective means to prevent the effects of these plumes?   Expect to see improvements in commercial bathroom facilities in the future to reduce contamination. 

2. Splash Reduced Sinks:  According to our partners at American Standard, they are anticipating an increase in sales of deeper bathroom sinks with steeper basin walls. You will commonly see these used in medical facilities and surgical centers where essential workers scrub-up before procedures.  The deeper well most ensure that water doesn't splash back or create bacteria puddles on surrounding surfaces. 

3. Copper and Silver: One of the surprising aspects of the COVID-19 virus is the discovery that it can survive on a smooth surface, like stainless steel, for up to three days. As a result of these recent findings, we expect that our residential and commercial customers will begin to explore other more naturally antimicrobial materials.  According to many studies going back 100 years or more, copper represents once of the best antimicrobial surfaces for those highly concerned with the most hygienic surfaces. 

If you would like to discuss your new bathroom requirements utilizing our Virtual Consult systems, please click here to schedule your first online session! 

This week we sent an email to all of our active Clients outlining details about how our team is handling new demands and legal expectations regarding this global virus crisis. While our daily communications with the clients who have active projects with us have been frequent, we felt posting an article here might help those of you considering Diamond Bath for your professional remodeling needs in the future.

All of our Diamond Bath team members have been asked to immediately share ANY signs or symptoms related to the flu of any kind.  Further, any interactions with people who've traveled outside our country in the past few weeks will be reported internally as well.  Finally, we've taken many new steps inside our Client Selection Center in Crystal Lake to create a truly helpful and yet super sanitary environment for all showroom visitors, including scheduling appointments prior to your visit. 

For Diamond Bath clients with projects scheduled in the coming weeks and months, PLEASE be aware:

1. Our install teams are critical to the on-going success of our business! If you or any members of your family have been ill in the past several weeks or have symptoms that are related to the Coronavirus, PLEASE contact us before your project starts!  Our schedule for the months to come are very busy but we WILL be able to adjust projects and return to your home when it's a more safe environment for all. If any of your family members become ill during the course of your project, please inform us as soon as symptoms are discovered. Do not wait for testing or diagnosis before informing someone from our company. 

2. While we continue to take project deadlines for timely delivery very seriously, during these new few months we must make absolutely certain that all Diamond Bath team members can be transparent about any illnesses they feel without financial or employment repercussions.  They may mean a project expected to take three weeks may take four, or more, but we kindly ask for your patience during this highly unusual time. 

3. If you, or any member of your family, has serious allergy issues, PLEASE let us know.  Each of our three install teams are equipped with portable HEPA Air Scrubber filtration systems that do an incredible job at removing construction dust, drywall, pollen, mold and other debris from the air.  We realize that allergy symptoms are sometimes confused with flu symptoms, and we will do all we can to prevent both from affecting your family members. 

In the midst of January, we were overwhelmed by our sixth straight Superior Service Award (SSA) from Angie's List.  The following month we were surprised to receive our first ever Customer Service Award from Houzz.  But what REALLY made our month was this five-star Google review left for Diamond Bath on our public business page: 

We were thrilled about this Client review because, not only was it our 13th 5-star review on Google, but we also actually knew who "Na Fe" is!  And while we will refrain from revealing his or her identity, we will share at least one important detail:  This bathroom remodeling project took place in Wonder Lake, Illinois.  And, we also want to reveal a handful of the photos our team took (below) as we wrapped up this project in January 2020. 

We can't thank our Diamond Bath customers enough for not only appreciating the work we do, but also taking the time to share their thoughts about our hard work publicly.  Thank you "Na Fe" for the wonderful review!

​Now if you are ready for brand new bathroom this Spring, be sure to visit our Client Selection Center in Crystal Lake (820 E. Terra Cotta Ave -Suite 217- Crystal Lake, IL), or Contact us to arrange a free in-home consultation today! 

What an amazing year 2020 is turning out to be already for our Diamond Bath team! Within the first two weeks of the year we received this notice from Angie's List that we had won their highly coveted Superior Service Award (SSA) for the SIXTH year in a row. Then, less than two weeks later, we get notice from the executives at Houzz that Diamond Bath was Awarded Best Of Houzz 2020 for Customer Service! 

The Best Of Houzz award for Customer Service are based on several factors including a pro's overall rating on Houzz and client reviews submitted during 2019. A "Best Of Houzz 2020" badge will appear on the Diamond Bath profile page on Houzz.com as a sign of our commitment to customer service excellence. 

Liza Hausman, Vice President of Industry Marketing for Houzz conveyed, "This year's Best Of Houzz awards go to an incredibly talented and service-oriented group of home remodeling and design professionals, and we're proud to highlight the winners on the Houzz website and app". 

Diamond Bath founder, Jim Termanas, responded in kind, "We truly appreciate the recognition that our partners at Houzz have provided.  This is the very first time we've been awarded this honor for Best Of Houzz, but we honestly look forward to capturing these accolades in the future because Customer Service is such a primary goal for all of our teams in the field and our office staff here in Crystal Lake as well". 

If you are ready to experience the Diamond Difference, and want to truly understand why our company continues to be recognized by national remodeling platforms, contact us today to schedule a complimentary design consultation today!

While many things have changed as Angie's List and HomeAdvisor have begun to merge into one single company, one thing that has not changed are their standards.  As partners with Angie's List for 13 years now, the Diamond Bath team has continued to adhere to the strict customer service standards that this company became famous for when Angie's List was founded a quarter century ago.  So the entire Diamond Bath team celebrated last week when we received the great news that Diamond Bath had once again earned the Superior Service Award (SSA) from Angie's List for 2019 -our sixth consecutive year (and eight years overall)!

Diamond Bath founder, Jim Termanas, shared his reaction with us: 
"Our efforts are always entirely focused on making our clients happy; from the moment they request a free in-home estimate until the day when we say our final goodbyes at the end of the project.  And while this has happened to us every January for the past six years, we always seem to forget that there's an outside, third-party paying close attention to how truly satisfied Diamond Bath customers actually are.  And to be reminded of this with an award, each year for the past six years, is just something that changes the dynamic of our office and our teams in the field too. It's really an amazing boost for us, while also being a nice thing we can show to potential clients who visit our Client Selection Center here in Crystal Lake."

To those who might be wondering about the Angie's List Superior Service Awards process, only remodeling companies that meet their strict eligibility requirements are considered.  Only companies who maintain an "A" overall grade rating over the course of the prior year are considered. Further, candidates must be in good standing with Angie's List and successfully pass their additional screening process.