Bathroom Remodeling in San Carlos & San Mateo County
Walk-in showers. Heated floors. Custom vanities. Permitted and built to last.
Genuine Kitchen and Bath has completed over 200 bathroom remodels across San Carlos, Burlingame, Redwood City, and the San Francisco Peninsula.
Whether you’re converting a dated guest bath into a clean modern space or building a full luxury master suite, we manage the entire project — design, permits, demolition, installation, and final walkthrough.
One contractor, one point of contact, start to finish.
Local, fully licensed bathroom remodeling experts trusted by San Mateo County since 2004.
What We Build
Every bathroom project is custom-scoped to your vision, never pulled from a menu. Here are the features our San Mateo County clients request most often:
- Custom Walk-In Showers: Fully waterproofed with properly sloped pans, precision tile work, and premium fixtures designed to last decades without leaks.
- Doorless Showers: Clean, accessible layouts that rely on our expert water management and precise slope engineering.
- Double Sink Vanities: A massive daily-life upgrade. We install custom and semi-custom vanities with integrated storage and premium countertops.
- Radiant Heated Floors: A Bay Area favorite for chilly mornings. We install reliable, fully permitted under-tile electric heating systems with programmable thermostats.
- Premium Toilets (Toto & Kohler): We highly recommend Toto’s ultra-reliable Washlet and Drake series for lasting durability and performance.
- Built-In Shower Niches: Eliminate the shower caddy clutter with beautifully framed, waterproofed, and custom-tiled niches that seamlessly match your walls.
Why Choose Genuine Kitchen & Bath?
- Owner-Led Projects: Brian is personally involved from the first site visit to the final walkthrough. You’re never handed off to a stranger—when you call, you speak directly to the person responsible for your bathroom remodel.
- Full Permit Management: We handle the entire permit process—applications, inspections, and final sign-offs—whether your home is in San Carlos, Redwood City, Burlingame, or the surrounding Peninsula. You never have to navigate city building departments alone.
- The Same Dedicated Crew: We don’t pull from a rotating labor pool. The craftsmen who start your bathroom are the ones who finish it, ensuring top-tier tile work, flawless plumbing installation, and a predictable timeline.
- Detailed Written Scope: Before a single tile is removed, you receive a strict written scope outlining the exact work, materials, and fixed cost. No vague allowances and no surprise change orders.
What Determines the Cost of a Bathroom Remodel in San Mateo County?
Bathroom remodel costs depend on the size of the space, what you want inside it, and what the existing conditions look like behind the walls. Here's what typically drives the number:
Fixture Grade
While builder-grade fixtures wear quickly, mid-range and premium brands like Toto and Kohler use superior materials and carry meaningful warranties. In a room used multiple times daily, investing in quality fixtures pays off in long-term durability.
Tile Selection
Porcelain tile is our top recommendation for Bay Area bathrooms because it’s waterproof, durable, and low-maintenance. Natural stone, like beautiful Calacatta marble, adds massive luxury but requires expert installation skill and regular sealing to prevent stains.
Heated Floors
Electric radiant systems add a predictable cost that scales with your square footage. Installed beneath the tile and wired to a programmable thermostat, these permitted electrical additions are the one upgrade our clients say they’d never give back.
Plumbing and Electrical Updates
Older homes often require updates to meet current code, especially if you have galvanized pipes or outdated wiring. We identify these city permit requirements early and include them transparently in your quote—never as a surprise mid-project line item.
Brian provides a realistic cost range during the free in-home consultation, based on your specific space and current Bay Area material pricing, before you're asked to commit to anything.
How We Approach Bathroom Remodel Pricing
Every quote is itemized and fixed before work begins. No open allowances, no mid-project surprises, and no guessing at a final number that keeps shifting. You'll know exactly what you're getting and exactly what it costs before we ever schedule a start date.
Our bathroom projects generally fall into three ranges:
Guest Bath Refreshes: We replace fixtures, vanities, tile, and lighting without structural changes. These are efficient, lower-disruption projects that transform the look and daily function of a secondary bathroom, typically with minimal permit requirements.
Full Bathroom Remodels: A complete gut of the existing space. This includes new tile throughout, new shower construction, updated plumbing and electrical, a new vanity, new fixtures, and layout changes. This is the most common scope for both master and guest bathrooms across San Mateo County.
Luxury Master Suite Builds: Designed to your exact specifications with zero compromise on materials or finish quality. These involve high-end fixtures, natural stone tile, custom vanities, heated floors, frameless glass enclosures, and complete mechanical upgrades.
Call Brian at 650-966-4190 to talk through which tier fits your goals and your home.
Bathroom Renovation FAQs
How long does a bathroom remodel take?
Most bathroom remodels with Genuine Kitchen & Bath take 4 to 8 weeks from demolition to final sign-off. A standard guest bath refresh can be done in 3–4 weeks. A full luxury master suite with custom tile, heated floors, and structural changes runs 6–8 weeks. We give you an accurate timeline at the outset — not an optimistic estimate that quietly slips.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in San Mateo County?
In most full bathroom remodels, yes. Any work involving changes to plumbing, electrical, or structural elements requires permits from your city. This applies throughout San Mateo County — San Carlos, Redwood City, Burlingame, Belmont, and beyond. Genuine Kitchen & Bath handles every permit as a standard part of our service: applications, inspections, and final city sign-offs.
Can I use the bathroom while the remodel is in progress?
In most homes, yes. If you have a second bathroom, we sequence the project so you retain access. If there’s only one bathroom in the home, we’ll talk through phasing and timeline at the consultation so you can plan accordingly. We work efficiently and don’t leave a project half-demolished over a weekend.
What's the best tile for a Bay Area bathroom — porcelain or natural stone?
For most homeowners in San Mateo County, porcelain is the practical answer. It’s fully waterproof, extremely durable, zero maintenance, and available in high-quality formats that genuinely replicate marble and stone looks. Natural stone is beautiful and adds real value, but it requires sealing, careful maintenance, and experienced installation. We work with both regularly and will give you an honest read on which makes sense for your project and how you actually use the space.
Do you install Calacatta marble? What does that process look like?
Yes — we install Calacatta marble and other natural stone regularly. Marble installation requires a skilled tile setter who understands the material: how to cut around veining, which thinset formulas to use, how to seal immediately after grouting, and how to handle a stone that’s softer than most homeowners expect. Done right, it’s one of the most striking finishes available. We’ll show you examples of our completed marble projects at your consultation.
What fixture brands do you use?
We primarily install Toto and Kohler for toilets and plumbing fixtures — both are durable, well-supported brands with strong parts availability and warranty support. For shower systems, we work with Hansgrohe, Moen, and other quality manufacturers depending on client preference and project budget. We don’t use no-name or builder-grade hardware. If you have a specific brand or fixture in mind, bring it up at the consultation.
What Bay Area Homeowners Say
Brian and Dianna are a wonderful, responsive and helpful team. We’ve been talking about remodeling our two bathrooms for nearly eight years, and every time we started the process we would get completely overwhelmed.
Brian met with me promptly after receiving my quote request. He provided ideas, assured me that it was not going to be as difficult as I feared and coached me through the whole structural engineer, city permit and product purchase process. Six months from when we signed our contract our two bathrooms are complete and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
Our home was built in the 1930s so many hiccups came up throughout the remodel process, but Brian and Dianna were always calm and matter a fact, assuring us that it would all work out.
We definitely recommend Genuine Kitchen and Bath for your kitchen and bathroom remodel needs!
Jenny F., San Carlos, CA
I just did 2 bathrooms through Genuine Kitchen and Bath. Brian did a wonderful job for our remodel. I have to say that he is very detailed. In the guest bath, I went with porcelain tiles. All the grout joints were all aligned and looks perfect. They are all straight and no of them looks crooked. I have seen tiles installed either at restaurants or friends’ houses and those look uneven.
For my master bath, I went with the Calacatta Marble. If you are familiar with this marble, they have beautiful striking veins. Brian took his time to connect or coordinate the veins. Now, my bathroom looks like a piece of art. This is important when you are purchasing natural stones.
But also extremely important, to find the right contractor that will do so. Besides the skillful installation, his price was very competitive.
I’ve compared him with two other contractors, and his price managed to beat both of theirs. We will definitely refer our families and friends to Brian.
Vinh V., San Carlos, CA
Ready to Start Your San Mateo County Bathroom Remodel?
Let’s talk about your bathroom. Brian will come to your home, walk through the space, listen to what you want, and give you a straight answer on what it’ll take and what it’ll cost — before you commit to anything.
Call Brian at 650-966-4190 or request a free in-home consultation online.
Serving San Carlos, Redwood City, Burlingame, Belmont, Foster City, Millbrae, San Mateo, and all of San Mateo County.