Completed client project. The owners came to us wanting a whole-home finish remodel that made their rooms feel connected without replacing materials that still suited the house. Their 1991 home in Dublin measured about 3,357 square feet, sat on a 12,964-square-foot lot, and had stucco walls, five bedrooms and three bathrooms. The record described it as 1.5 stories, with tile, vinyl and carpet flooring, an updated kitchen, and fireplaces in the family room, living room and primary bedroom. I also compared the home's scale with Redfin's record of 295 Dublin single-family closings: the median home was 2,353 square feet on a 5,951-square-foot lot, the median build year was 2000, none dated before 1960, and 29 percent dated before 1980. The most common build decades were the 2010s, 1960s and 2020s, and 63 percent had an HOA fee. That context supported a finish schedule tailored to this larger 1991 house, not a borrowed palette (Redfin Dublin closings).
The photographs on this page are from the Designed & Curated portfolio and show finishes we have used on other projects. They are not photographs of this house.
My first question was: Which existing finishes did they want to keep, and where did the house feel disconnected? On site, we measured the transitions between tile, vinyl and carpet and found that the 1.5-story layout and split-level rooflines created changes in ceiling height as well as changes underfoot. We mapped the thresholds before choosing replacement flooring, so the new surfaces followed the house's actual level changes. We also found the three wood-burning fireplaces in their recorded rooms, and kept them as the fixed points around which the color and floor choices had to work.
The floors between the living spaces
We kept sound tile where it served the room and selected a medium-toned oak finish for the dry areas where carpet or vinyl no longer supported a consistent look. We checked the flooring against the tile at each transition rather than assuming one material could run uninterrupted through every room. That mattered in a house with several levels and a mix of floor types. We kept the bedrooms' softer finish where it still worked, and used the oak tone to carry visual continuity through the shared rooms.
The flooring also had to suit the home's zoned heating and central air. We checked existing vents and floor transitions before installation, then kept the new surface heights compatible with the heating and cooling layout. The family room and living room fireplaces remained visible anchors, and the primary bedroom fireplace stayed within its existing setting. We chose a warm white for the connected walls and a muted green for the bonus room, giving that separate room its own character without introducing a competing palette throughout the house.
The kitchen and its existing finishes
The kitchen already had an eat-in area, island and pantry, along with recorded solid-surface, stone and tile counters. The owners wanted the updated kitchen to sit comfortably beside the rest of the house, not to become a reason for wholesale replacement. We kept the counters and cabinetry that worked with the new colors, and selected the adjoining wall and floor finishes to sit well with the different counter surfaces. The gas range, double oven, dishwasher and refrigerator stayed in place, so the finish choices supported the existing kitchen rather than changing its arrangement.
We carried the same warm wall color through the dining area and hall, then kept the fireplaces and window groupings legible rather than surrounding them with strong patterns. The front of the house had stucco, brick accents, a tile roof and white-framed windows, while the recessed entry and red door gave it a distinct arrival point. We chose interior colors that felt calm beside those exterior materials. The finish work addressed the house's rooms and surfaces, not its established exterior character.
The laundry room, lot and daily route
We kept the laundry room usable as a service space, including its sink, cabinets and 220-volt outlet. The three-car garage and the large driveway gave the household room to manage furniture and materials during the flooring work, while we maintained access through the laundry area as much as the sequence allowed. We also kept the house's public water and public sewer connections in view when we selected any replacement plumbing fixtures. The gas water heater remained part of the existing service arrangement.
The lot's rectangular shape, gently sloped ground and terraced back yard informed how we handled the home's edges and entry. The soil map identified Clear Lake clay with 3 to 7 percent slopes, moderate drainage and up to 50 percent clay; the public flood map placed the property in FEMA Zone X, an area of minimal flood hazard. The CAL FIRE map identified high hazard severity, so we kept the landscaping context in mind when considering the stucco and brick exterior. We left the automatic sprinklers and established yard arrangement intact while the interior finish work proceeded.
For any plumbing fixtures included in the work, we checked them against the 2025 California Plumbing Code, which Dublin followed; the City did not have separate water-conservation rules specifically for residential remodels (City of Dublin Building & Safety Division).
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