Looking for a ''green'' contractor to do a small remodel, update of my small bathroom. Not looking to replace everything, but want it to look fresh and great.

I am looking for someone to do a small bathroom remodel in an older home in north Berkeley- essentially a facelift as I want to replace original fixtures, flooring, shower tiles, mirror cabinet, and paint but not change the placement of fixtures or change the size of the bathroom. Does anyone have a recommendation for a great contractor for a job like this? Thanks. Kate

We have a large closet in our bedroom that we would like to turn into a bathroom -- most likely a half bath as that seems like all that will fit. Anyone have experience with this type of project? What kind of permits do we need for this? We are looking for recommendations for someone who can look at the space and help us figure out what will actually fit...and then maybe do the work too. thanks

Hi, I would like to rip out my existing vinyl tub/shower in the master bedroom and put in an open shower with gorgeous tile. Can anyone recommend a designer for ideas and a contractor for the work? Thanks! Keri

Handyman/Contractor for shower replacement
Hi, Looking for someone who is an honest worker. My shower stall off the master bedroom needs to be replaced - I live in El Sobrante area off Hilltop Drive. Know any reliable resources? Yolanda

I highly recommend Catherine and Dan at Custom Spaces to anyone looking to remodel a bathroom. When we needed a budget- friendly makeover for a compact and challenging Jack-and-Jill bath, they came forward with fantastic ideas. They were able to find attractive fixtures that were not only within our budget but also met the size specifications we needed to leave enough clearance for swinging doors. They also chose clean, tasteful, and very budget-friendly finish material, such as floor and wall tiles, lighting, faucets, and a medicine cabinet. Our tiny bathroom now looks fresh and beautifully updated. happy client

I live in Fremont and am planning a complete (all new fixtures, flooring, tub & shower, but in the same locations) remodel of our master bathroom. Does anyone have a contractor they have used (prefer license and bonded) to recommend? Our tastes run middle of the road, not high end. Thanks! Judy

We would like to turn a large bedroom closet with a sink in it into a bathroom and have no clue where to start as we are new to home ownership/renovations. Do we need a bathroom designer or will a contractor be enough? Where should we go to pick out tile, fixtures, etc.? We want a bathroom that's pretty basic, goes witht he rest of the house (built in 1907), with quality fixtures/etc. that won't go out of style when we are selling the house in a few years. Thanks sarah

Hello, We have a problem!! Our shower is leaking ( understatement) and we need someone to remove the tile, replace the damaged subflooring and then waterproof and retile. Do I need a contractor, a tiler? Is there someone out there who can do this kind of job? I would be eternally grateful and much cleaner if anyone out there could point me in the direction of such a person. Smelly and in need of a shower!!

I'd like to recommend the contractor my husband and I choose to remodel the bathrooms in our house. The job consisted of installing a shower downstairs, installing an exterior tankless water heater, completely remodeling our upstairs bath, and replacing our existing plumbing. We choose Larry Guillot not only because his bid was one of the more reasonable ones we received, but also because he provided us a bid and scope of work document within 24hrs of meeting with us and was ready to start right away. His team removed our water-heater tank, ran pipes, and installed a new exterior tankless heater in one day! This was real important to us since we have 2 little ones and a momma who needs her showers. The only issue we had concerned one of Larry's tile subcontractors, we called Larry and he came to our house on Memorial Day to take a look, agreed it needed to be addressed and called in a good friend of his to help us out the next day. The entire project took about 3 weeks. The guys worked so fast I found myself scrambling to buy fixtures in time for them to install! We would not hesitate to call Larry again, and feel so relieved to have found a dependable contractor with a great crew for a reasonable rate. Larry Guillot larry[at]quakeprepare.com 510-558-3299 http://www.quakeprepare.com Amber

Jim Zwaal is an amazingly creative bathroom remodeler. We asked him to just replace a sink & tub and he asked us what we ideally wanted, (which was a master bathroom we didn't think was possible). He then came up with a plan which created 2 full bathrooms where one and half existed, ( with no apparent extra space). The building inspector was very impressed with the plumbing solutions he had devised, and commented several times on the high quality of the work. He was able to fit everything in by creative thinking, and he has a very artistic as well as practical side, always considering attractiveness and appearance as well as function, including with tile work. He is very busy and it may take a while to hear from him, but he's worth the wait if you need a creative design plan and good workmanship. His phone # is 652-8258. Joan

Hi all We need to do a complete bathroom remodel. Can anyone give advise on how to start? Would it be best to hire a designer first and then a contractor? Or has anyone had success with a design/build contractor? If so does anyone have any recent recommendations for a contractor, designer or both? Archives are a couple of years old. Thanks. julie

What made a really big difference was adding a few decorative bathroom furniture pieces we got from an online furniture store.

The biggest thing was adding a new vanity sink and mirror set that replaced the old school one we had in there. Here is a link to the one we bought: http://www.everythingfurniture.com/md-vanity-set-3.html It is a metal and marble one; the existing plumbing attached easily and was hidden once we put a few things on the bottom shelves like extra TP and some accessories.

The cool glass sink gives off a custom decorator touch, but without the custom price tag.

Overall keep an eye on your contractor, keep them honest and look all around, especially on the web for checking out ideas and contractors as well.

Check this link to check out a contractor you are thinking about using before signing anything. http://www2.cslb.ca.gov/CSLB_LIBRARY/license+request.asp Many times after you sell your house prior work will need to be validated that it was done by licensed / insured contractors, so be careful what you do and who you use. It's worth paying a little extra t get it done by the right contractor. Scott

Hello BPNers! My husband and I just purchased a house that has mold/rot in two outdated bathrooms (one is usable, but we were told the other is best to stay out of until it's fixed). Since it will be $7k or more to remove and replaced damaged framing, subfloor, and stall shower pans, we figure we might as well remodel the bathrooms at the same time. Can anyone recommend someone they have recently worked with to redo bathrooms? Money is definitely a consideration for us, and we're in Oakland. Thanks for any help you can provide! Amanda

Does any one have any recommendations for an awesome contractor to do a complete remodel of a small bathroom? (tiles,plumbing, fixtures - the works!) We are willing to pay more for someone licensed and insured. Also a working knowledge of ''green'' building practices would be great. (Recycled material, low energy lights, low-flow plumbing etc). Thanks for any advice!

I have had two projects with Kari, and my current one involves a major remodeling for more than half of my house due to water damage which includes remodeling of 2 full bathrooms and one half bath.

Both experiences with Kari have been wonderful. She would spend time to explain different options and to take me to different stores and help select materials (appliances, faucets, cabinets, tiles..etc). In my opinion, Kari has done so much more than a normal contractor would have, and she makes my experience of going through this water damage less painful.

Kari is very talented, very resourceful, and most importantly, she can work with any budget the homeowners want to spend. Also, despite her busy schedule, she is always very responsive and nice to work with. My recommendation of working with Kari is without reservation.

Hello. We're fairly new to the Richmond area and we're starting to plan a bathroom remodel in our small home. We're open to suggestions on good, reliable, and affordable contractors (w/ or w/out permits) and places to go for fixtures. All postings are dated, so hopefully someone out there has recently gone through a successful remodel. Thanks in advance Elaine

I recommend Jim Zwaal for bathroom remodeling. Jim is in the middle of remodeling my bathroom, and so far, he has been very meticulous and a provider of great/practical design ideas. I got Jim's name from this list and I have not been disappointed. Jim can be reached at 510-652-8258. Cathy

I can recommend a contractor named Jim Zwaal, who has done a lot of work for my parents in berkeley and can do big and small jobs. He is scrupulously honest, does excellent work (and takes pride in his work) and is very reasonable. He works on his own. His home number is 652-8258. Karen

I love our remodeled bathroom which is quite small, but turned out quite lovely. We had wonderful help on both our kitchen and our bathroom from an architect: Ann Marie Celona 420-1128 She is brilliant and easy to work with, unlike several others we consulted. Our contractor for the bathroom was Jesse Young 527-8143 who I also recommend very highly. Very high quality work. I have seen several other jobs he has done and they are superb. I am happy to let anyone look at the work. Sherry

I've known Steve for the past two years, in his capacity of coach for my daughter's softball team. Seeing how well organized, on top of his job, and in control of the team he is, I would trust him with any contractor job!

We have a lot of confidence in Mark Manske and Steve Tiffin, who have recently formed a contractor partnership after working for over 15 years each for other contractors. They've done a variety of work for us, very competantly and VERY reasonably (they significantly underbid the major contractors). We used to rent Steve's house, which had a beautiful kitchen that Steve and mark did together. They do all the work themselves which eliminates dealing with multiple sub-contractors. Mark's particular specialty is tile work. They are both very pleasant, timely and honest. They rely on word of mouth for their business, so they will make sure you are happy and satisfied with their work. They will also work with you on how to reduce costs if that's an issue. You can reach Mark at 526-4428 and Steve at 655-1591. Good luck! --Raissa + Denis

Bathroom Designer

Hello, we are about to have our 1970's pink tiled bathroom remodeled (full tear down/remodel) and are looking for recommendations on designers to help us provide a sketch to our contractors, as well as help us with materials selection/purchasing. We are working with a very limited budget for a designer ($1000-1500), so any recs for affordable, great designers would be most appreciated. Thanks! Catherine

I need to take three bathrooms in my 1924 Berkeley house down to the studs to remodel them. I need help with designs - it's overwhelming. I'd like someone who can come to the table with ideas/designs and move things along.