Design Build Specialists

Sequence is where whole house remodels go sideways. When phases overlap out of order, work gets torn out and redone. Knowing what happens and when is the difference between a schedule that holds and one that doesn't.

On older Marin and Sonoma homes, it's common to find outdated wiring, undersized framing, dry rot near old plumbing, or load paths that were never engineered. A team that has done this work before names that risk upfront and budgets a contingency for it. Structural work is inspected before it gets covered, so the bones of the house are signed off before anyone closes them up.

A kitchen remodel on its own typically runs 8 weeks or more. A full whole house project spans several months once design, demolition, mechanical rough-ins, finishes, and final inspections are all accounted for.

For most residential remodels, a standalone architect is overkill. A design-build model folds design, engineering, and construction into one accountable team. That matters because a detail that would be expensive or impractical to build gets caught during design, not after demolition. You get drawings, budget, and construction from people who all answer to the same project.

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.

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.