Kitchen Remodeler in Monrovia, CA

Craftsman and Victorian kitchens around Old Town

Monrovia’s older streets hold late-1800s Victorians and early 1900s Craftsman bungalows. Their kitchens were service rooms: tall ceilings in the Victorians, built-in cabinets and a pantry in many bungalows, plaster walls and fir or oak floors over raised foundations. Most have been remodeled at least once, not always sympathetically.

Owners usually want a kitchen that works today but looks like it belongs. Inset or Shaker doors, painted finishes, marble or a soft-veined quartz, subway or handmade-look tile and a wood floor stained to match the rest of the house are common choices. Tall Victorian ceilings may call for stacked uppers or open shelving above.

The setting adds its own risks. Monrovia sits on the Sierra Madre fault zone at the base of the mountains, so tall cabinets need secure attachment to studs, and owners of the oldest houses should have a structural professional look at original foundations before heavy stone goes in. The 2020 Bobcat Fire burned in the mountains above the city, and canyon-side streets fall in fire hazard severity zones where exterior work follows stricter rules. Raised floors over crawlspaces can sag near the old sink wall, where decades of small leaks soften joists, so check underneath before setting new base cabinets. Hot, dry summer air also opens seams in wide old floorboards.

Kitchen remodeling choices for Monrovia period homes

Myrtle Avenue, the Aztec Hotel and Monrovia Canyon

Monrovia incorporated in 1887, among the earliest cities in the San Gabriel Valley. Old Town runs along Myrtle Avenue near Library Park, the Aztec Hotel of 1925 still stands on Foothill Boulevard along old Route 66, and A Line light-rail trains serve a station south of downtown. Monrovia Canyon Park, a city park with a short trail to a waterfall, sits at the top of Canyon Boulevard, and the 210 crosses the city’s southern half.

Water is a city-run service in Monrovia, while Edison and SoCalGas cover power and gas. Permit questions, including whether a house is a designated landmark, go to the city’s Community Development department.

Along the Foothill Freeway to the showroom

1. 1

   Document the period details

   Photograph trim, built-ins, door hardware and the existing floor so finishes can be matched.

2. 2

   Measure high and low

   Older walls are rarely plumb; measure at floor, counter and ceiling, and note ceiling height.

3. 3

   Take the 210 west

   Then the 134 and 170 to Sherman Way; the trip is direct outside rush hour.

4. 4

   Confirm and book

   After a final size check, the order ships to your Monrovia home, with installation if you want it.

Monrovia permits, historic review and lead-safe work

Monrovia has its own building division, which handles permits here instead of LADBS. Interior surface swaps are generally cosmetic, while rewiring, plumbing moves or wall removal require permits and licensed trades; verify them on the CSLB site. The city also runs a historic preservation program, and a designated landmark, or any change visible from the street, may need its sign-off before work begins.

Because nearly every house here was painted long before 1978, federal lead-safe practice under the EPA’s RRP rule applies once old cabinets and trim come off. No Monrovia projects appear on this page, by choice. Neighbors in Arcadia and Sierra Madre use the same showroom.