A kitchen built for one cook, with a short counter run, a single window over the sink, and cabinets that stop well short of the ceiling. That kind of kitchen is common in older houses, and about half of Exeter’s homes went up before 1980. What follows covers planning a kitchen remodel in an older house, from scope and budget to permits and the drive from our Fresno shop.

What older Exeter kitchens hide

Roughly 1 in 7 homes here predates 1950, and another 37% went up between 1950 and 1979, according to Census estimates. The oldest kitchens tend to have plaster over lath, wiring that was never planned for a dishwasher, microwave, and toaster on one counter, and galvanized supply lines that have narrowed inside, while mid-century kitchens bring soffits, closed layouts, and original finishes. What sits behind the walls stays hidden until the cabinets come off, which is why the in-home consultation looks behind what it can before the plan is set.

New circuits, panel changes, and replacing old supply piping involve licensed electrical and plumbing trades we coordinate, and they are evaluated at the consultation. Fixture-level work, such as new lighting on existing circuits, a new sink, or a new faucet, is simpler to plan.

Lead-safe work in a pre-1978 kitchen

Many kitchens here fall under the EPA’s lead-safe rules, which apply to homes built before 1978. Paid work that disturbs painted cabinets, trim, or walls has to follow lead-safe practices, which changes how the room is sealed, how debris leaves the house, and how cleanup is verified. It adds steps, not a reason to avoid the remodel.

Walls that are not quite square

Older walls and floors are rarely perfectly flat or square, and plaster tends to wave more than drywall. New cabinets and stone or quartz counters have to be shimmed and scribed to meet them, which is part of why older kitchens take more measuring at the consultation. It is also why refacing old cabinets can be tricky if the boxes have shifted over time.

Making a small kitchen work harder

Many older kitchens are small, and the fix is rarely about square footage. Cabinets taken to the ceiling, deep drawers in place of base shelves, a pantry pull-out, and better task lighting can add a lot of function in the same footprint. See how that comes together on our small kitchen remodels page, and read the kitchen lighting plan guide for layering light in a room with one window.

Opening up a closed kitchen

If the kitchen is closed off from the dining or family room, opening it is tempting. Whether a wall can come out depends on what it carries and what runs through it, which means engineering and licensed trades, and it is evaluated in person. The tradeoffs, including the wall space and storage you give up, are covered in open vs. closed kitchen layouts.

Hard water at the sink

Exeter’s city water averaged 160 parts per million of hardness in the most recent sampling listed in its 2025 water quality report, which is hard. Scale collects on aerators, around faucet bases, and as a white film on dark sinks. When you choose a sink and faucet, finishes that hide spotting and an aerator you can remove and clean easily are worth the attention.

Budget bands for an older-home kitchen

A partial refresh of counters, backsplash, paint, and hardware sits near where our kitchen projects start, around $25,000. Replacing cabinets, counters, flooring, and lighting puts a project in typical-remodel territory, around $40,000. Projects with layout changes, premium selections, or significant updates behind the walls move toward $50,000 to $60,000. You get a personalized planning range, not a quote, from the kitchen estimator.

County permits and the 1994 fixture rule

Kitchen permits for homes in Exeter come from the County of Tulare Building Department, which the city partners with for plan check, permits, and inspections. California’s Civil Code also matters in homes built before 1994: final approval of a permitted remodel depends on replacing noncompliant plumbing fixtures anywhere in the house, including faucets over 2.2 gallons per minute and toilets over 1.6 gallons per flush. We confirm permit needs during the in-home consultation.

Inspections through the county

When kitchen work is permitted, the inspection card is picked up at Exeter City Hall on N F Street between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and inspections are scheduled with the County of Tulare Building Department. Work that will be covered, such as new wiring or plumbing inside a wall, is inspected before the wall is closed, and the project gets a final inspection at the end.

Getting here from Fresno

From 4143 E Madison Ave in Fresno, we are about 70 minutes away, with no local office. In-home visits are scheduled Monday through Saturday, and your estimator ZIP code is how we confirm coverage. Because a small kitchen is hard to work around, our guide to living through a kitchen remodel is worth a read before demolition day.