Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling in Costa Mesa, CA
Costa Mesa is two cities in one. The Eastside is small 1940s and 50s bungalows on tight lots, and it has been remodelled harder and more often than anywhere else we work — most of these houses are on their second or third kitchen. Mesa Verde, west of Harbor, is settled 1960s tract housing around the golf course with far more of its original fabric intact. The Eastside job usually starts with working out what somebody else already did.
Harbor Boulevard divides two different jobs
East of Harbor, Costa Mesa is small 1940s and 50s bungalows on tight lots, and it is the most heavily remodelled housing stock we work in. These houses have been extended, opened up, re-roofed and re-planned — often more than once — by owners who wanted more from a small footprint. Most of them are on their second or third kitchen.
That changes where a project starts. Before design, we survey: what is original, what was added, and whether the earlier work was framed properly. Old permits or drawings, if you have them, are worth real money at this stage, because they replace assumptions with facts and stop us pricing defensively against what might be behind a wall.
It also explains why custom cabinetry is so common here. After two or three rounds of alteration, ceiling heights step, walls are not parallel and openings sit wherever somebody once wanted them. Stock cabinetry in that context means filler strips down every run; built-to-size cabinetry simply fits.
Mesa Verde is the calmer half
West of Harbor, Mesa Verde and Halecrest are settled 1960s tract housing on larger lots around the golf course, and far more of the original fabric is intact. Closed kitchen, soffit above the wall cabinets, plywood boxes still square, tile counters.
That is a textbook refacing job with the wall opened and the soffit gone, plus a slab worktop. More predictable than the Eastside, and usually less expensive for a comparable result — which is worth knowing before you assume the two halves of the city cost the same.
The 17th Street corridor
The later infill, lofts and townhomes around 17th Street and the arts district have contemporary open plans and plumbing that does not move. The work there is cabinet interiors, surfaces and lighting inside a fixed footprint — short projects where the whole change is in what you see and touch.
Bathrooms in Costa Mesa
Eastside bathrooms are small and often previously altered, with the same survey-first logic as the kitchens. Mesa Verde bathrooms are original-layout hall bathrooms and primary suites where there is usually more room than the existing enclosure suggests. Both are covered under bathroom remodeling, and both benefit from flooring being decided at the same time rather than after.
Getting started
Kitchen Cabinets and Beyond has built across Orange County since 1995 and holds California contractor license #902246. Costa Mesa is about twenty-five minutes from the showroom.
Book a Costa Mesa kitchen consultation — and on the Eastside, bring whatever you know about what previous owners did.
Near Costa Mesa
We also work in Newport Beach, Fountain Valley and Santa Ana — see every Orange County city we serve.
Two cities, divided by Harbor Boulevard
Costa Mesa's Eastside has the smallest lots and the most ambitious remodels in the county — 1940s and 50s bungalows that have been reworked, extended and reworked again. Knowing what a previous owner did is half the job.
- Eastside Costa Mesa
- Mesa Verde
- Halecrest
- College Park
- 17th Street / SoBeCa
What we build in Costa Mesa
Eastside work leans custom because so little is standard any more; Mesa Verde leans refacing because so much of the original is intact.
- Cabinet Refacing Same boxes, new doors and fronts Cabinetry
- Custom Cabinets Built to your measurements Cabinetry
- Kitchen Remodeling Designed, supplied and installed Remodeling
- Bathroom Remodeling Vanities, tile, glass and stone Remodeling
- Countertops Quartz and stone, seen full-slab Surfaces
- Flooring Hardwood, tile and luxury vinyl Surfaces
What Costa Mesa homeowners ask
On the Eastside especially, knowing which walls a previous owner moved saves real money. Any old drawings or permits are worth digging out before we meet.
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Our Eastside house has been remodelled before. Is that a problem?
It is a variable rather than a problem, and it is the reason we survey before we design here. Earlier work is sometimes excellent and sometimes framed badly, and the two lead to very different scopes. Any old permits or drawings you can find genuinely save money, because they replace assumptions with facts.
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Why is custom cabinetry so common on the Eastside?
Because after two or three rounds of alteration, very little in these houses is a standard dimension any more. Ceiling heights step, walls are not parallel, and openings sit where somebody once wanted them. Stock cabinetry in that context means filler strips everywhere; built-to-size cabinetry just fits.
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Mesa Verde feels much more original. Does that change the approach?
Considerably. Mesa Verde houses generally still have their 1960s layout, boxes and soffits, which makes them textbook refacing candidates — open the wall, take the soffit out, new doors and a slab worktop. It is a more predictable and usually less expensive project than the Eastside equivalent.
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Lots here are small. Is an addition worth it?
Occasionally, but Eastside setbacks and lot coverage limits make it a harder route than it looks, and the cost per square foot is high. Reclaiming space you already have under roof is nearly always the better value, which is where we start.
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How far is Costa Mesa from your showroom?
About twenty-five minutes, down the 55 from East La Palma Avenue in Anaheim.
Bring what you know about the house.
- Showroom hours Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Sunday closed
- Showroom 2910 E La Palma Ave, Ste B, Anaheim, CA 92806
- Service area 24 Orange County cities we serve
Reviewed by Orange County homeowners
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Tom & Glenna Laguna Beach Rated 5 out of 5 stars“You have a great design showroom. It was a wonderful place to start with our remodel and gave us some great ideas. The cabinet installer was a true craftsman. The whole process went smoothly and was on time.”
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Naz Alibhai Home owner Rated 5 out of 5 stars“Our kitchen was in desperate need of a complete remodel. Emad not only came up with the most amazing design we could have imagined, but delivered it from the drawing board to the end result.”
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The Gouldies Newport Coast Rated 5 out of 5 stars“Emad and his team transformed our first home in Newport Coast into our dream home. He guided us through the entire process, stayed within our timeline and finished the entire kitchen and bath.”