Tustin packs three very different housing eras into one city. Old Town, around El Camino Real and Main Street, has homes from the 1910s through the 1940s. Tustin Ranch, around the golf club and up toward Peters Canyon Regional Park, was built mostly in the 1980s and 1990s. Tustin Legacy, on the former Marine Corps Air Station near The District and the historic blimp hangar on Warner Avenue, has gone up since 2006. The age of your house decides more about a remodel than the finishes you pick: what permits apply, what is under the floor, and what has to be tested before anything is torn out.
Here is what we check first, by neighborhood.
Old Town: Historic Rules Apply to the Outside, Not the Inside
Tustin created its Cultural Resources District in 1988 to protect the character of Old Town, and the city’s Historic Resources Survey documents which properties fall inside it. If your home sits inside it, changes that show from the street, like a new window, a skylight, or a bump-out, can require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city on top of the building permit.
Interior work is a different story. A kitchen or bathroom remodel that stays inside the walls generally goes through the standard building permit. The practical advice: if your plan touches an exterior wall, talk to the City of Tustin before you lock in the layout.
Homes Built Before 1978: Lead Paint Rules
Much of Old Town and many North Tustin homes were built before 1978, when lead-based paint was still sold for homes. The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule requires any contractor paid to disturb painted surfaces in those homes, including baseboards, trim, and cabinets, to be a certified firm and follow lead-safe work practices.
Ask any contractor you are considering whether their firm is certified. It is a fair question and a good contractor will answer it directly.
Old Flooring: Test Before You Tear Out
Vinyl floor tile and the black adhesive underneath it were made with asbestos for decades. If your home has 9×9 or 12×12 vinyl tile under carpet or sheet flooring, do not scrape or sand it yourself.
The EPA’s homeowner guidance is straightforward. You cannot tell by looking, so treat suspect material as if it contains asbestos. If a remodel will disturb it, have it sampled by an accredited professional first. If old flooring is intact, covering it with new flooring is often the safest option.
Slab or Raised Floor: Check What Is Underneath
Most homes in Tustin Ranch and Tustin Legacy sit on concrete slabs. That affects what can go down:
- Tile and stone bond well to a clean, flat slab. Large-format tile needs a much flatter surface than standard tile, per the Tile Council of North America, so older slabs often need leveling first.
- Wood over a slab usually means engineered wood flooring, glued down or floated, after a moisture test as the National Wood Flooring Association recommends. Solid hardwood generally needs a wood subfloor.
- Luxury vinyl plank floats over a slab easily but still needs a flat surface. See our luxury vinyl options.
Many of Old Town’s older homes have raised foundations with wood subfloors instead. Those can flex, and flex cracks tile. Stiffening the subfloor is often part of the job before any tile goes in. Our flooring installation page for Tustin covers the process in detail.
Tustin Ranch: First-Generation Kitchens and Baths
A house built in 1992 still has many of its original surfaces: tile counters, oak or thermofoil cabinets, and a wall between the kitchen and family room. These homes are usually solid, with roomy layouts, so a kitchen remodel can put the budget into materials instead of moving plumbing.
One thing to check before you start: HOA rules. Interior work rarely needs approval, but anything that changes the exterior, like a new window or a wall vent for a range hood, usually does. Read your CC&Rs before you finalize the plan.
Tustin Legacy: Upgrades, Not Repairs
Homes in Tustin Legacy are young, so owners are usually replacing builder-grade finishes rather than fixing problems. The best value is often keeping the layout and swapping countertops, backsplash, and cabinet fronts.
If you live in an upper-floor condo or townhome, check your association’s flooring rules. Many set a minimum sound rating for hard flooring upstairs, which affects the underlayment you choose.
North Tustin: Permits Go Through the County
Lemon Heights, Cowan Heights, and the rest of North Tustin are unincorporated, so building permits go through OC Development Services at the County of Orange instead of the City of Tustin. Many of these homes are larger custom builds from the postwar decades, which means older plumbing and wiring are worth checking before the walls are opened.
The Checklist
Before you sign with anyone for a remodel in Tustin:
- Know the year your home was built
- Confirm whether you are in the Cultural Resources District, an HOA, or unincorporated North Tustin
- Look up the contractor’s license on the Contractors State License Board site, and if your home was built before 1978, ask whether the firm is EPA lead-safe certified
- If you have old vinyl tile, plan for testing before demolition
- Find out whether you are on a slab or a raised foundation
- Get the scope, materials, and timeline in writing
See Materials in Person
Our family-owned showroom at 1535 S State College Blvd is about 6 miles from Old Town Tustin and about 8 from Tustin Legacy. Full countertop slabs, cabinet doors, tile, and flooring sit side by side, and our own crew handles the installation. Browse the project gallery, then call 714-278-3576 or request a free quote to set up a visit and an in-home measure in Tustin.