Greenbrae is a small, mostly residential part of Marin tucked between Larkspur and Kentfield, and much of its housing went up in the years after World War II. Those mid-century homes are solid, but their bathrooms are showing their age: pastel tile, a tub with a sliding glass door, a single sink in a vanity that's too low, and a fan that's loud but doesn't do much. Greenbrae is also home to MarinHealth Medical Center, and we hear from a lot of people nearby who need a bathroom that works after a surgery or a hospital stay, either for themselves or for a parent moving in. Greenbrae has no town government of its own, so it's the county, not a city hall, that reviews bathroom permits here, which affects timing and paperwork.
We remodel bathrooms across Greenbrae, from the streets off Sir Francis Drake to the homes up the hill. Many projects here are updates to original mid-century bathrooms, or an accessible bathroom remodel planned around someone's recovery or long-term needs. Others are a simple tub-to-shower conversion that makes daily life easier. When time matters, like a discharge date coming up, we'll tell you honestly what can be done before then and what should wait. Phone us for a visit, and once we've seen the room, the estimate comes to you in writing.
Updating a Mid-Century Greenbrae Bathroom
Bathrooms from Greenbrae's early decades were built with what was available at the time, and a lot of it is past its useful life. The colored tile often sits on a thick mortar bed over wire lath, which is sturdy but heavy and hard to remove cleanly, so demolition takes more time than in a newer house. Behind that tile, old steel water pipe and heavy iron drain lines are the norm, and the wiring may not have a ground or GFCI protection near the sink. Some owners love the retro look and want to keep a bit of it, like a vintage tile color in a new pattern, and that's easy to plan for. Most want a cleaner, brighter room: larger porcelain tile, a vanity at a comfortable height, better light and a quiet fan that vents outdoors. The framing and subfloor get a close look once the old tile is off, because decades of small leaks around the tub tend to show up there. Many owners also ask for a linen cabinet or a recessed medicine cabinet, since these rooms were short on storage from day one. Homes in nearby Kentfield from the same period often have very similar bathrooms.
Getting a Bathroom Ready for Recovery
When someone is coming home after a hip replacement, a fall or a long illness, the bathroom is usually the hardest room in the house. Stepping over a tub wall, getting up from a low toilet and reaching for a towel bar that won't hold weight are all real risks. Some changes can be done quickly, like a comfort-height toilet and grab bars anchored into solid blocking. Others take a bit more work, like replacing the tub with a curbless shower, a built-in or folding seat and a hand shower you can use sitting down. If a walker or wheelchair will be coming through the door, the doorway itself may need widening. We'll talk with you, and with family or a caregiver if that helps, about what's needed now and what may be needed later, then plan the work in the right order. Greenbrae addresses are permitted by the county rather than a town, so we build the county's review time into the schedule and handle the application and inspections. A night light near the floor and a clear path from the bed round it out. How we build the curbless version is laid out on our walk-in shower page.