Handyman in Monrovia, CA

Monrovia housing history

Monrovia incorporated in 1887, which makes it one of the oldest cities in the valley. The streets north of Huntington Drive include many older Victorian, Craftsman and Spanish revival houses, and the city runs an active historic preservation program. South of Huntington and near the 210, the housing becomes more varied, with midcentury homes, apartments and townhomes.

Sources: Monrovia on Wikipedia.

Older houses bring older plumbing. We often find galvanized supply lines, cast iron drains, and fixtures that have been replaced several times on the same rough plumbing. Each repair is a small puzzle, and we take the time to fit new parts to old pipe properly. Expect us to ask how old the house is and whether any plumbing has been redone.

Places in Monrovia

• Old Town Monrovia, the downtown along Myrtle Avenue with restaurants, shops and the weekly street fair.
• Monrovia Canyon Park, at the top of Canyon Boulevard, known for its trail to a seasonal waterfall.
• Monrovia station on the Metro A Line, with Station Square and the restored Santa Fe depot nearby.
• Library Park and the Monrovia Public Library, next to the civic center.
• The Foothill neighborhoods above Foothill Boulevard, where many of the city's historic homes sit.

Background: Monrovia on Wikipedia.

Care for historic houses

If your home is a designated historic landmark or in a historic district, exterior changes may need review by the city. Interior repairs and like-for-like swaps are usually straightforward, but check with the city's planning department before we change anything visible from the street, such as a front door, porch rail or window. Send us what they tell you and we will match it.

Inside, we repair plaster, rehang heavy doors, fix sticking pocket doors and adjust old cabinet latches. In bathrooms, we can replace a pedestal sink faucet, a toilet, a shower cartridge or a tub spout while keeping the original tile intact.

Townhomes and apartments south of Huntington

Owners and managers of multi-unit buildings call us for turnovers and repairs: garbage disposals, kitchen faucets, toilet rebuilds, bath fan swaps, light fixtures and closet doors. A tenant can let us in, and we can work through a list in one visit.

For anything electrical, we stick to swaps on existing boxes. Fixtures, switches, outlets and GFCI protection in the same box are fine; new circuits, panel work or wiring changes are not work we take on.

Hard water and older fixtures

Many Monrovia residents notice mineral spots on glass and chrome. Scale builds up inside faucet cartridges, shower heads, aerators and toilet fill valves. Symptoms include a faucet that is hard to turn, a shower that sprays sideways, or a toilet that refills slowly. Cleaning or replacing the affected part usually brings back normal flow.

Water heaters also collect scale and sediment. If yours rumbles or makes popping noises, a flush may help. If the tank is leaking from the body, it is time for a replacement in the same spot.

In homes near the foothills, check outdoor faucets and the pressure regulator near the main shutoff. High pressure strains fixtures and hoses, and a regulator that has failed can be replaced on the existing line.

Porch and exterior details

Monrovia's older bungalows often have deep front porches with wood railings, screen doors and porch lights that have seen decades of weather. We tighten loose railings, rehang wood screen doors, replace porch light fixtures on existing boxes, and fit new weatherstripping on the front door. For homes in historic districts, keep any change on the street-facing side like-for-like, and check with the city if you are unsure.

Kitchens in historic houses

Historic Monrovia kitchens were small to begin with, and many were updated once in the 1950s or 1960s and then left alone. Owners now want things that work without losing the charm: a better faucet that fits the original sink, a disposal under a farmhouse basin, under-cabinet lights wired to an existing outlet with a plug-in kit, and cabinet doors that close flush again. Original built-ins and pantry cabinets often have bin pulls and latches that can be cleaned and reused, so we try those first.

Old metal drain pipes under the sink may be thin from corrosion. When we change a faucet or disposal, we replace the trap and tailpiece if they are weak, which heads off a leak inside a cabinet you cannot easily refinish.