Carmichael Mid-Century Master Refresh

Project Brief

Location: Del Dayo, Carmichael — between Fair Oaks Boulevard and the American River.
Year built: 1962 (single-story California ranch).
Scope: Full master bath refresh — demo entire space, expand the shower into the original tub footprint, replace vanity, salvage and re-set original 1-inch hex floor.
Timeline: 28 days demo to walkthrough.
Investment range: $42,000 to $52,000.

Existing Conditions

A textbook 1962 Del Dayo master — 9x9 feet, original cast-iron alcove tub-shower combo on the right wall, 36-inch builder vanity with formica top opposite, original 1-inch hex floor in white with a black accent border, and 4x4 pink wall tile around the tub. The tile was actually intact and the homeowner appreciated the nostalgia, but the underlying surround was failing: soft drywall behind the tile, oxidized chrome, original Delta valve from 1962 that no parts remained for. The pink had to go.

Floor was beautifully preserved — 95 percent of the original hex tile was sound, with a few cracked white pieces near the toilet. The window above the tub (single-pane casement, original) was failing at the frame. The lighting was a single boob fixture above the mirror with a 1980s-replaced fluorescent buzz.

Design Approach

The brief was to honor the mid-century proportions while bringing the materials into 2026. The tub-shower combo gets demoed and the shower expands to a 60x36 walk-in shower with low-curb entry, frameless glass, and a single linear drain. The shower walls get clad in 24x48 large-format porcelain in a soft warm white (Daltile Marble Attache Lavish in Tibet) with a matte finish — a clean foil to the historic floor. The original 1-inch hex floor outside the shower gets fully salvaged and re-set over a fresh Schluter membrane; the cracked white pieces get replaced with matched stock from a Sacramento tile-salvage shop.

The vanity is the design centerpiece — a 60-inch floating walnut piece custom-built by a Sacramento millshop, with a single Cambria Black Forest quartz top and an integrated Robern medicine cabinet above. Trim throughout is matte black (Brizo Litze) — a deliberate hard contrast against the warm walnut and the original hex. Lighting goes Cedar & Moss Akron sconces in matte black, plus a single recessed can over the shower with a vapor-rated trim.

Build Notes

Three discoveries during demo. First, the original 1962 framing in the bottom plate of the wet wall was studded with original square nails — fascinating but irrelevant; we re-framed with current lumber. Second, the casement window above the tub had concealed water damage at the sill that extended into the framing for about 12 inches; we replaced the window entirely with a Marvin Essential casement (matched the original profile) and rebuilt the sill. Third, the slab beneath the original tub had a small crack we monitored — non-structural per the County structural review, sealed and proceeded.

The salvage and re-set of the original 1-inch hex floor was the most labor-intensive part of the project. We saved 88 percent of the original tile, which after grout-haze removal and Sacramento Tile Salvage supplement looked indistinguishable from a freshly-laid period floor.

Materials List

• Shower wall tile: Daltile Marble Attache Lavish 24x48 in Tibet, matte finish
• Shower floor: Daltile Keystones 1-inch hex in Almond, matte
• Niche tile: Daltile Marble Attache 12x24 in Tibet, vertical lay
• Bath floor: salvaged 1962 1-inch white hex with black border + matched supplement
• Shower glass: 3/8" frameless tempered with matte-black hardware (Brizo)
• Shower valve: Brizo Litze thermostatic in matte black
• Rainfall head: Brizo Litze 10-inch rainfall in matte black
• Handheld: Brizo Litze with slide bar in matte black
• Linear drain: Schluter Kerdi-Line, brushed-stainless grate
• Vanity: custom 60-inch floating walnut, single sink, by Sacramento millshop
• Vanity top: Cambria Black Forest quartz
• Sink: Kohler Verticyl rectangular undermount
• Sink faucet: Brizo Litze widespread in matte black
• Medicine cabinet: Robern PL Series, 36-inch, recessed, integrated lighting
• Lighting: Cedar & Moss Akron sconces in matte black, vapor-rated can in shower
• Window: Marvin Essential casement, profile matched to 1962 original
• Toilet: Toto Drake II in cotton white
• Waterproofing: Schluter Kerdi membrane and Kerdi-Line
• Glass coating: EnduroShield (included)