More than Just our name
Legacy is our name but it is more than just a cool sounding title. We were born out of a need to help one person at a time to live in comfort and safety in their bathroom.
Our work stands the test of time so that you can leave a legacy for those you love. Whether you need a safety shower installed for mom and dad
or you need high quality quartz countertops to prevent bacteria growth, we can help
Our Legacy
by Carlton Cole
People think when you own your own business, you are rich, or at the very least, you want to be rich. Well, I can admit that it is a nice thought to not have to worry about money and to know my family is taken care of. The truth is, I wanted to be a rockstar and tour the world. The old Yiddish proverb says, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." Instead of rocking, I ended up plumbing. I didn't realize that God was preparing me for more than just vanity and fame. He was preparing me for a family.
In 2022, my grandmother had a heart attack, and when I got the call, I almost did as well. My grandparents were in their 80s, and I knew I didn't have long to see them, so I went home. In upstate New York, where I grew up, my grandparents didn't have so much as central heating or air conditioning. In the winter, the home was heated by a wood stove that kept the cold winter air at bay. In the bathroom was a cast-iron tub with dilapidated tile that my grandfather had installed when he built the house in the '70s. Needless to say, this was not the way I wanted my grandparents to live.
humble beginnings
While my grandmother was still in the hospital, I tore out the old tub and tile and found that the real damage was behind the walls. Mold and mildew had taken up residency, and I had the eviction notice. Underneath the bathroom, I saw the plumbing, again installed by my grandfather decades before. It was not only a code violation but also a sign that God still works miracles. How it ever drained, I will never know, but that was immediately remedied.
A new shower valve, a walk-in shower with a built-in bench, a new vanity, and a vanity light, and we were there. My grandparents finally had a shower they could use. I'll admit I was very proud to have done it in just one weekend, and I was even more proud that my family could see the skills I had learned after moving to Kentucky. I couldn't wait until my grandmother saw it.
In the end.
I headed home and stopped at the hospital to visit my grandmother. We spent about an hour just chatting. The memory of her laugh and her smile still warm me like that cast-iron stove kept her warm in the winter. I wish I had spent just a little more time visiting with her. She came home a few days later and stayed with my father, one door down from my grandfather, as she recovered. She kissed my grandfather three times—quick, soft pecks—and smiled. Sixty-two years of marriage, and they still loved each other dearly. She got up and walked to the next room, and suddenly she fell. A stroke, three weeks after her mild heart attack, gave me just enough time to see her one last time. Nine days after her funeral, my grandfather passed away. Neither of them ever got to see the bathroom I was so proud to show them.
In the end, it is vain of me to think that the point of the remodel was a pat on the back and to be praised for doing one nice thing for the people who raised me and made me the man I am. It did change something in me, though. Today, I put my all into making sure people have what they need to live a better life. My grandparents never got to see the bathroom, but my hope is that when I'm their age, my son will run this business that started out of a desire to help his great-grandparents.
