Borrowing Space for Bathrooms

Oakland, CA

Master bathroom with custom floating double-sink vanity made from Kirei Board, green glass tile backsplash, and large-format dark gray floor tiles.
Close-up of the enlarged walk-in shower in the remodeled primary bathroom, featuring green linear tile, a built-in bench, and pebble-stone shower flooring.
Freestanding oval soaking sink beneath a window with city views, framed by green glass tile wainscoting in the expanded primary bathroom.
Small powder room entry off the living area featuring custom built-in shelving and warm wall colors.
Built-in arched wall niche with soft accent lighting and a small display shelf, showing refined architectural detailing added during the bathroom remodel that borrowed space from surrounding areas.
Remodeled guest ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom with white tile walls, black accents, glass shower enclosure, and a floating vanity.
Guest bathroom vanity area with custom floating white cabinet, black fixtures, and vintage-inspired lighting.

Borrowing Space for Bathrooms

Oakland, CA

  • Year Built: 2018

    Pushing into nearby areas allowed us to make two different styles of Bathrooms more comfortable and functional for an urban homeowner.

    We remodeled two full Bathrooms at a new home for an old client.

    Master Bathroom:

    • We created a modern full Bathroom with a separate shower and tub by expanding into an adjacent closet. The rest of the borrowed space became the cabinet and niche facing the hall.

    • Levitch created a custom floating vanity cabinet with two sinks instead of the single sink there previously. We fabricated the cabinet in our shop from Kirei Board, which is an environmentally-friendly material made from sorghum straw.

    • The client liked the green glass tile from another Bathroom remodel so much he decided to use it here also. The floor is covered in dark gray, large format tiles.

    Guest Bathroom:

    • For this “Jack and Jill” Bathroom accessible from both the Media Room and Guest Bedroom, we borrowed space from the adjacent Media Room closet to enlarge the very tight shower.

    • A black and white color scheme features gray and black mosaic tile floors, white wall and shower tile, and a custom white floating vanity also built by Levitch, with black accents.

    Since we were remodeling both of the client’s Bathrooms, we staged construction and set up a temporary shower so that the Owner would have Bathroom facilities available throughout construction.

    We overcame some additional challenges since the project is in a condo building.

    • While we protect existing spaces as a normal part of our remodeling work, we had to adhere to strict rules about construction access and protecting adjacent areas from damage during construction, including placing and removing temporary floor protection at the beginning and end of every workday.

    • In order to move plumbing to accommodate new fixture locations, we had to drill into the building’s concrete floors.

    Photography by Treve Johnson

  • See how things looked before we started, below, including before & after floor plans.

  • “Maurice and his team are the best, from start to finish. This is my third project with them, and I’m confident there’ll be a fourth.“

    N. S.

Process

Before:

After:

Guest Bathroom before remodel showing outdated single-sink vanity, narrow shower, and older finishes prior to expanding the space for improved function.
Original Master Bathroom before remodel, featuring a single-sink vanity, basic mirror, and dark upper wall paint prior to expanding the space into the adjacent closet.
Master Bathroom remodel in progress showing the custom floating Kirei Board vanity under construction, with layout templates for dual sinks and green glass tile installed on the wall.
Arched wall niche under construction in the hallway, created from borrowed space during the Master Bathroom expansion.
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