Kentfield sits at the foot of Mount Tamalpais between Greenbrae and Ross, and its homes range from older family houses near the College of Marin campus to large properties in Kent Woodlands. Many of the bigger homes here had their primary bathrooms remodeled in the 1980s or 1990s, and those rooms date themselves fast: a jetted tub set into a big tiled deck, polished brass fixtures, cultured marble counters and a small shower stall in the corner. In the older houses down the hill, the bathrooms are smaller and often original. Kentfield is unincorporated, so the county handles building permits, and parts of the area sit in wildfire zones with their own rules for things like replacement windows.
We remodel bathrooms throughout Kentfield, from homes along College Avenue to properties up in Kent Woodlands. The most common Kentfield project is a primary bathroom remodel that trades a dated jetted tub for a large walk-in shower and better storage, or a full bathroom remodel in an older house that needs new plumbing and wiring behind the walls. Some owners are updating a second or third bathroom for guests or grown kids, which can often be simpler and faster. Get in touch to book a walkthrough, and we'll measure, talk through options and send the scope and price on paper.
Updating a 1980s or 1990s Primary Bath
The primary bathrooms from that era were built to impress, and some of what made them feel luxurious now just takes up space. The jetted tub in its tiled deck is the classic example. It's often the biggest thing in the room and the least used, and after this many years its pump and jets are often failing. Taking it out usually frees enough floor for a generous walk-in shower with a bench, or for a freestanding soaking tub if you still want one. Cultured marble counters and brass fixtures are easy to replace, but we also look at what's behind them: copper lines that may have pinhole leaks after 30-plus years, a shower pan built before modern membranes were common, and an exhaust fan that was undersized for a room this large. Lighting is usually the biggest surprise. Rooms from that era often rely on a strip of bulbs over the mirror, and layered lighting makes a huge difference. Warm-toned tile and wood can keep the room from feeling cold once the brass and marble are gone. Owners in Tiburon with homes from the same decades usually face the same choices.
County Permits and Wildfire Zone Rules
Because Kentfield is unincorporated, the county issues bathroom permits here instead of a town office. The process is similar, but timing and review can differ, so we factor it into the schedule from the start. Larger homes in Kent Woodlands often have long sewer laterals running down the hill, and adding a bathroom or more fixtures may mean checking the line's condition first. Some Kentfield streets fall inside the county's wildfire-zone boundaries, and there, any window that's added or swapped out must be double-glazed and tempered. That rule comes into play the moment a remodel adds or enlarges a bathroom window. We confirm whether your address falls in one of these zones before ordering anything. Inside the room, the usual code applies, from protected outlets near water to an outside-vented fan. Homes near Corte Madera Creek also see flood risk, so we check that too, just as we do for clients in San Anselmo upstream.