Design Build Specialists

08/27/2026

The floors were already replaced before we set foot in this kitchen. That's not a head start. It's a constraint: finished flooring that isn't moving, and every cabinet base, toe kick, and transition has to land against it exactly.

Four areas needed real work. The hood and range zone was completely redesigned. The microwave was retrofitted into a new location. The pantry was rebuilt to function as one. The countertops came out and honed quartzite went in.

Then we painted the boxes, replaced every door with cream raised-panel profiles, and updated the drawers to match. The existing cabinet details set the standard. The new work had to meet it.

This is what a reface looks like when the scope is honest and the tolerances are tight. Not every kitchen needs to be gutted. But when you keep the bones, the retrofit work has to be exact or it shows.

Design Build Specialists has completed over 300 kitchen remodels across Marin and Sonoma over 40 years. We're members of the NKBA and hold an A+ rating with the BBB. Those credentials exist to reduce your risk, not decorate our website.

If you're trying to figure out whether your kitchen needs a full remodel or something more targeted, DM us. That's the kind of conversation worth having before you commit to anything.

08/25/2026

Small bathroom, full spa. Walk-in shower, marble tile, brass fixtures, light wood vanity — all in a compact Marin footprint that actually works.

Over 500 bathroom remodels across Marin and Sonoma. We know how to make tight square footage pull its weight.

Want to see what's possible in your space? Send us a message.

Send us a message to talk through your bathroom.

08/22/2026

A galley kitchen that actually works — floor-to-ceiling storage, white quartz counters on both walls, and stainless appliances that fit the space instead of fighting it. This San Rafael kitchen went from tight and underused to one of the hardest-working rooms in the house. Over 300 kitchens completed in Marin and Sonoma. We know what fits and what doesn't.

Thinking about your kitchen? Message us — no pressure, just a real conversation about what's possible.

08/20/2026

Most bathroom regrets come from putting new tile over an old floor plan. Nothing works better than before – it just looks newer.

This bathroom remodel began with a full space plan redesign. We opened the room into a barrier-free zone where the freestanding soaking tub and walk-in shower share the space. A floor-mounted brass tub filler and hand shower anchor it. Rainfall overhead. White and gray-veined marble runs the floors, lower walls, and into the shower.

The details had reasons:
🛁 Dark stone accent wall behind the tub for contrast, not competition
🪞 LED-framed mirror built into the wall, motion-activated and dimmable
🔩 Dark wood vanity, brass hardware, white quartz counter
📐 Custom shelf worked directly into the feature tile wall

We've done 500+ bathroom remodels over 40 years. In this area they run about $18,000 for cosmetic work up to $100,000+ for a primary bath like this.

Before any of that, we price and timeline the project through our Design Build Clarity Plan™. Schedule it as a standalone service, no obligation. The quote holds unless you change the scope.

Want real numbers before you commit? Message us for a consultation.

08/17/2026

The master bath wasn't big enough. Instead of forcing the layout, we reworked. Freestanding tub, Carrara marble shower, marble hex floors — all in the footprint that was already there. Sometimes the space you need just needs creativity and clean lines.

08/15/2026

Four bathrooms remodeled in a single house — and each one reads completely differently.

One has a freestanding soaking tub, brass fixtures, and a sage green accent wall catching the morning light. Another is built around a frameless glass shower with cream subway tile, a green accent panel, and brushed gold hardware. A third leans warm — oak cabinetry, a black circular mirror, forest-green tile flanking the vanity. The fourth is compact but precise: sage-green subway tile, a brass-framed mirror, open shelving, and not a single inch wasted.

Same house. Same remodeling contractor. Four distinct rooms that feel intentional, not accidental.

Here's what makes multi-bath projects harder than they look: the finishes have to hold together across rooms without being identical. Get that wrong and the house feels like a showroom floor — every room competing instead of connecting. Get it right and the whole home feels considered.

Over 500 bathroom remodels in Marin and Sonoma over 40+ years. We've worked through this problem enough times to know where the decisions actually matter.

Save this if you're planning more than one bathroom at once — the sequencing and coordination questions come up early.

08/11/2026

The original layout was closed off, the cabinetry dated, and the ceiling structure limited both light and flow. What you see now is an open-concept kitchen with dark walnut-grain pressure laminate cabinetry, white quartz countertops, a waterfall-edge island with a Franke undermount sink and Grohe fixtures, and a new white shiplap vaulted ceiling with recessed lighting — all kitchen remodeling work managed by Design Build Specialists, serving Marin and Sonoma for over 40 years.

▶ Start your Design Build Clarity Plan™
Request Consultation: https://www.design-build-specialists.com/request
📞 Call us: (415) 892-3932

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Design Build Specialists has provided remodeling in Marin & Sonoma since 1986. Serving Corte Madera, Lucas Valley-Marinwood, Marin, Mill Valley, Novato, Petaluma, San Rafael, Santa Venetia, Sausalito, and more.

📍 394 Bel Marin Keys Blvd , Novato, CA 94949
https://google.com/maps/place/Design+Build+Specialists,+Inc./data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x494d2491a85c680c

🕒 Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM

08/05/2026

Four bathrooms. One house. One team that knew the scope before the first tile was ordered.

When a project runs across every bathroom in a home, the margin for mid-project surprises gets thin fast. We price and timeline the whole thing upfront — every room, every hidden condition we can find — before anyone commits.

40 years in Marin and Sonoma. Over 500 bathroom remodels completed. We know what these homes hold.

Thinking about one bathroom — or four? Message us and we'll tell you what a realistic plan looks like.

08/03/2026

Heated floors. A towel warmer timed to the shower. A vanity that dims itself to a night light, then turns off on its own. This Novato master bath was designed around how the room actually gets used — not just how it looks. Barrier-free shower, freestanding tub, wall-hung vanity, floating shelves. Over 40 years and 500+ bathroom remodels in Marin and Sonoma — this is what experience looks like.

If you're planning a master bath remodel, send us a message — no pressure, just a real conversation about what's possible.

08/01/2026

Master Bedroom with a Custom Closet!

Design Build Specialists, Marin County Home Contractors. The Most E...