Arden Hallway Bath Rescue: Contractor Abandoned

Name: Oakwood Remodeling Group
Address: Rocklin, CA, 95677, US
Telephone: (916) 907-8782
Price range: $$-$$$

Project at a Glance

Location: Arden, Sacramento
Project type: Hallway Bathroom Remodel
Key materials: Vintage Moroccan-pattern ceramic tile (floor-to-ceiling shower, walls and ceiling); Hex marble tile (main bathroom floor); Cement backer board and waterproofing membrane
Contractor: Oakwood Remodeling Group, Rocklin, CA (Lic #1125321)

Before & After

BEFORE

Before: Arden hallway bathroom gutted from floor to ceiling — subfloor, shower drain rough-in and vapor barrier visible — The full room from the doorway: subfloor exposed, shower drain rough-in in place, vapor barrier overhead.

Before: Arden bathroom with bare wood lathe and plumbing stub-outs showing no progress since demo — Bare wood lathe and plumbing stub-outs — no progress had been made since the original contractor left.

Before: Arden bathroom showing full depth of gutted shower area and rough subfloor — The shower footprint with the subfloor exposed and the window framing unfinished.

Before: Arden hallway bathroom with exposed framing throughout — no backer board or waterproofing installed — Every wall and the ceiling exposed — no backer board or waterproofing had been installed.

AFTER

After: Arden bathroom with vintage Moroccan tile on the shower floor and the toilet area pony wall, hex tile visible in the main floor — The tiled pony wall enclosing the toilet area, with the same vintage pattern continuing from the shower.

After: Arden hallway bathroom toilet area viewed from above — vintage tile on the surround and hex tile on the floor — The toilet alcove: vintage tile surround, hex marble floor, and new toilet.

After: Arden bathroom custom dark-wood vanity with stone countertop, undermount sink, chrome faucet and custom frameless mirror — The custom dark-stained vanity with stone countertop, undermount sink and custom mirror.

After: Arden shower interior showing chrome handheld shower and separate shower valve on vintage Moroccan tile — Chrome handheld shower on a slide bar with separate valve — tile runs uninterrupted across every surface.

After: Looking up at the ceiling of the Arden shower — vintage Moroccan tile continues across the ceiling — The vintage tile continues even across the shower ceiling — every surface tiled in the same pattern.

After: Arden bathroom shower window with mini-blinds set into vintage Moroccan tile walls — The shower window with mini-blinds, surrounded by the continuous vintage tile.

After: Arden hallway bathroom glass shower enclosure and hex marble floor tile transition — The glass enclosure frame and the hex marble tile floor at the shower entry.

After: Completed Arden hallway bathroom showing the full layout from the doorway — The completed room from the entry — a fully functional bathroom where bare studs stood just months before.

The Challenge

The homeowners in this Arden neighborhood home had hired a contractor to remodel their hallway bathroom. The contractor demolished everything down to bare studs — removing all drywall, fixtures and flooring — then walked off the job without completing any of the finish work. The family was left with a completely non-functional bathroom: exposed framing on every wall, no backer board, no waterproofing, rough plumbing sticking out of the subfloor and open wiring. They needed someone to pick up exactly where the previous contractor had abandoned the project.

Our Solution

We started from bare framing and took the project to completion. After inspecting the rough plumbing and electrical left by the prior contractor, we installed cement backer board and a full waterproofing membrane throughout the wet area, then set the vintage Moroccan-pattern tile the homeowners had chosen. The tile runs floor-to-ceiling on every shower wall — including the ceiling — and continues through the toilet alcove and onto the main bathroom floor in a large-format hex marble. A frameless glass door and panel closes the shower. Outside the wet area, we installed a custom dark-stained wood vanity with a stone countertop, undermount sink, chrome faucet and a custom-cut frameless mirror. New paint and trim finished the room.

Scope of Work

1Install cement backer board and full waterproofing membrane
2Set vintage Moroccan-pattern tile floor-to-ceiling on all shower walls and ceiling
3Tile shower floor and toilet alcove in matching vintage pattern
4Install large-format hex marble tile on main bathroom floor
5Install frameless glass shower door and panel
6Install chrome shower valve, handheld on slide bar and fixed head
7Build and install custom dark-stained wood vanity with stone countertop
8Install undermount sink, chrome faucet and custom frameless mirror
9Install new toilet and complete all finish trim and paint

Materials Used

✓Vintage Moroccan-pattern ceramic tile (floor-to-ceiling shower, walls and ceiling)
✓Hex marble tile (main bathroom floor)
✓Cement backer board and waterproofing membrane
✓Frameless glass shower door and panel
✓Chrome shower valve with handheld on slide bar
✓Custom dark-stained wood vanity
✓Stone countertop with undermount sink
✓Custom-cut frameless mirror

Key Features

✓Contractor-rescue project — completed from bare framing
✓Vintage Moroccan tile on every shower surface including ceiling
✓Continuous tile from shower into toilet alcove and floor
✓Hex marble floor tile
✓Frameless glass shower enclosure
✓Custom dark-stained vanity with stone top
✓Custom frameless mirror

Questions About This Sacramento Project

Can you take over a bathroom remodel that a previous contractor abandoned?

Yes. This is one of the more common calls we get in Sacramento. When a contractor walks off mid-demo, the room is typically left with exposed studs, open plumbing and sometimes open electrical — all of which need to be assessed before any finish work can begin. We inspect the rough work, note anything that needs to be corrected, and pick up from there. In the Arden job, the rough plumbing and framing were usable, so we went straight to backer board and waterproofing before tiling.

How long does it take to complete a bathroom left gutted after demo?

Starting from bare framing with no backer board or waterproofing installed, a hallway bathroom like the Arden project typically takes three to four weeks to complete. The timeline depends on the scope of the finish work, tile complexity and any corrections needed to the rough work left by the prior contractor.

Can Moroccan or vintage-pattern tile be installed floor-to-ceiling in a shower, including the ceiling itself?

Yes, though it requires careful waterproofing and a good wet-area adhesive. In this Arden bathroom, the vintage Moroccan-pattern tile runs on every wall surface from floor to ceiling, and continues across the shower ceiling as well. The key is using a membrane waterproofing system behind the backer board so that moisture cannot reach the framing regardless of where the tile sits.

Do you do bathroom remodeling in the Arden and Arden-Arcade area of Sacramento?

Yes. We serve Sacramento neighborhoods including Arden, Arden-Arcade, Carmichael, Natomas and the broader Sacramento metro. The Arden hallway bathroom on this page is a completed project you can reference for tile work and contractor-rescue jobs in that area.