Soto Bay Construction in Oakland

Full remodel of two second-floor bathrooms in a Crocker Highlands home near Lake Merritt. The property's main sewer lateral to the street had already been replaced, which simplified the back-of-house work — but the existing kitchen and laundry drain lines in the rear of the house weren't sized or pitched correctly for the new fixture load. We located the existing sewer routing along the driveway side of the yard, planned the tie-in to minimize excavation, and rerouted the kitchen and laundry drains with proper sizing and slope.

Full kitchen countertop replacement in a Montclair home with a non-standard layout. One run of the kitchen was 32" deep — unusually deep for a kitchen counter (standard runs ~25-26") — which gave the client extra workspace but required careful fabrication. A corner sink was positioned at a 45° angle, which meant the peninsula slabs had to be cut 36" wide to match the layout. Scope included demo of existing counters, new quartz slabs, tile backsplash, and all sealer/finish work.

Targeted scope — not a full bath remodel. Client wanted to remove the toilet, vanity, and existing floor tile, then install new porcelain, while preserving the waterproofing around the existing shower curb. The risk we flagged up front: demoing tile tight against the curb perimeter could crack the outer layer of the curb. If that happened, we couldn't just patch it — you can't re-waterproof without a clean demo area, which meant the job would escalate from a floor-tile + toilet + vanity swap to a full bathroom remodel. A potential 5× jump in scope and cost. Client understood the stakes and agreed to proceed knowing that outcome was on the table. The demo worked out without damage — clean separation at the curb edge. We also patched sections of bad plywood in the subfloor once the old tile came up.

Note: Scope-specific — targeted floor-tile swap with subfloor patching, not a full bathroom remodel. Full bath remodels run significantly higher.