Kitchen Remodeler in Citrus, CA

Where Citrus ranch-house kitchens usually start

Old floor layers in San Gabriel Valley orchard-country ranch homes

The name recalls the citrus groves that covered this part of the San Gabriel Valley before the post-war building boom. Most houses are single-story, with a compact kitchen that often looks onto the backyard.

The common surprise is underfoot. A 1950s kitchen may have its original 9-inch floor tile and black adhesive under one or two later floors, and both can contain asbestos. Have old layers tested before anyone scrapes them; a floor that tests positive can often be covered rather than removed, which is where waterproof vinyl flooring or a floating floor helps.

Underneath, nearly all of these houses sit on concrete slabs poured on the flat alluvial plain below the San Gabriel Mountains. A slab is a good base for porcelain tile and floating floors, but check it for cracks and high spots before a long plank goes down. The Sierra Madre Fault runs along the foot of the mountains a few miles north, so fasten wall cabinets to studs rather than drywall and leave room for a seismic gas shutoff valve if your plumber recommends one.

Inland summers are hot here, and west-facing kitchens take strong afternoon sun. Painted and thermofoil doors in lighter colors show fading less than dark stains, and quartz tops stay cooler to the touch than dark granite in direct light.

Planning a Citrus kitchen remodel from the Valley

1. Measure each wall, the window over the sink and the doorway into the dining area, and photograph the floor at a heat register or doorway where the layers show.
2. Take the 134 to the 210 and come to the showroom with those notes; one unhurried visit is enough to narrow cabinets, counters, tile and flooring.
3. Borrow samples and check them in your own kitchen in the late afternoon.
4. Confirm dimensions, place the order and schedule delivery to Citrus, with installation if you want it.

Citrus Avenue, the 210 and the services behind a Citrus address

The community fills the blocks between Covina to the south, Glendora to the east and Azusa to the north, with Citrus Avenue, Barranca Avenue and Arrow Highway as the streets most residents use. Citrus College and the APU/Citrus College Metro station sit just north in Glendora and Azusa, a handy landmark when giving a driver directions. The 210 is the main link west to the Valley.

With no city hall of its own, Citrus gets building permits from LA County Public Works and fire coverage from the county fire department. Power runs on the Southern California Edison grid and gas lines belong to SoCalGas. Several retailers deliver water locally, much of it pumped from the Main San Gabriel groundwater basin, which tends to be hard. That leaves white spotting on dark stone and stainless, so consider lighter, honed or speckled surfaces near the sink.

Covina, Glendora or the county: who permits a Citrus kitchen?

Citrus is unincorporated, so the permitting agency is LA County Building & Safety, even where a street address reads Covina or Glendora. City and county lines zigzag through this area, so check your parcel before starting. Replacing cabinets, counters and floors without moving anything is usually treated as cosmetic; moving plumbing, gas or wiring needs a permit and licensed trades, which you can verify on the CSLB website.

We have no Citrus project photos to share yet. What can be checked: archived copies of the showroom's website show the same Sherman Way storefront going back to 2015, and neighbors in Covina and Charter Oak make the same drive.