Original 1970s cabinets in a dark stain, a hall bath with its first tile job still on the walls, a kitchen wall that blocks any view of the family room. Selma has more homes from that decade than from any other, so if your house is one of them, the kitchen and hall bath are probably showing it. Our shop in southeast Fresno is about 25 minutes away, and Selma sits inside the south Fresno County area we cover.

Raisin capital roots

The first post office opened in 1880, and in 1890 four farmers laid out a townsite along the railroad and began auctioning lots. The city incorporated in 1893 and in 1963 adopted the slogan Raisin Capital of the World, at a time when about 90 percent of U.S. raisins were grown within eight miles of town. Today it sits where Highways 99 and 43 cross and serves as a regional hub for southeast Fresno County and neighboring parts of Tulare and Kings counties.

The city’s own materials also recall an older nickname, A Peach of a City, and Census estimates put the population at about 24,600. Water in Selma comes from Cal Water, which bought the local system from Pacific Gas and Electric in 1962 and still serves it from groundwater wells.

A housing stock centered on the 1970s

Census estimates place the city’s median home at around 1979. No decade built more of the city than the 1970s, at about 21 percent of homes, and roughly half of all homes predate 1980. About 14 percent was built before 1950, while about 1 in 4 dates from 2000 or later. The city has roughly 7,600 occupied homes by Census estimates.

Owners occupy about 59 percent of homes, and the rest are rentals. The right finish level depends on whether you’re remodeling for yourself or for tenants, and the estimator asks for it directly.

What these houses tend to need

In a house from the 1970s, expect a kitchen closed off from the living area, soffits above the upper cabinets and a hall bath with original tile around a tub and shower combination. The EPA’s lead-safe renovation rule covers any home built before 1978 when paid work disturbs painted surfaces, and that takes in a large share of the city’s houses.

The oldest homes, the roughly 14 percent built before 1950, can have plaster walls, cast-iron tubs, galvanized supply lines and wiring that predates modern kitchens. The 2000s homes bring different issues: granite and maple that look dated, and primary baths with garden tubs that rarely get filled. Houses from the 1980s and 1990s, about 24 percent of the stock, fall in between, with oak cabinets, tile counters and fiberglass tub surrounds that now look their age. Our older-home remodeling guide covers the older end in more depth.

Permits through City Hall on Tucker Street

For homes inside city limits, the City of Selma Building Division reviews plans and issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits from the counter at City Hall, 1710 Tucker Street. The city says a permit is needed whenever a structure or an electrical, plumbing or mechanical system is altered, repaired, moved, improved or removed, with some exceptions. Our permit guide for the city has the details.

Its counter keeps weekday hours of 8:00 AM to noon and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Homes in unincorporated areas around town fall under Fresno County instead, and either way your project’s permit needs are confirmed during the in-home consultation.

About 25 minutes from our shop

The drive from our shop at 4143 E Madison Ave is about 18 miles, roughly 25 minutes. The estimator checks your ZIP code to confirm coverage, and once you see your planning range, you can choose an open consultation time on the calendar. Our south Fresno County page covers Kingsburg, Fowler, Caruthers and Riverdale too.

How planning works before the visit

The kitchen estimator and the bathroom estimator each ask about the room’s size, scope, layout, plumbing and electrical changes, and finish level. The result is a personalized planning range rather than a quote, and each room is estimated on its own.

For a sense of scale, kitchen projects start around $25,000, a typical kitchen remodel comes to around $40,000, and larger kitchens with layout changes or premium selections run $50,000 to $60,000. Bathroom projects start around $15,000, a typical bathroom remodel comes to around $25,000, and larger bathrooms run $30,000 to $40,000. During the free in-home consultation, measurements, existing conditions, permits and selections are confirmed; structural questions go to engineering, and new circuits, relocated gas lines or moved plumbing involve licensed electrical, mechanical and plumbing trades.