Kitchen remodeling
Bathroom remodeling
Home additions & ADU
Roofing
Windows & doors
Driveway & pavers
FenceFree written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
CGI Construction in Montclair, CA | Sycamore Contractors
We provide independent CGI cabinet and countertop service across Montclair, from original 1950s galley kitchens to newer remodels. What sets our Montclair work apart is simple: we know that most homes here sit on clay soil that moves, and most walls were built plumb forty years before anyone thought about frameless cabinet boxes. So we scribe, shim, and plan seams for the house as it actually is, not as the blueprint says it should be. Call (877) 265-6284 for a free estimate.
Why Montclair Residents Choose Us for CGI Service
We’ve spent years installing and correcting CGI cabinetry, quartz surfaces, and millwork across the Pomona Valley and as a CGI in Claremont independent contractor, not a factory dealer. That independence matters. It means we tell you which CGI lines hold up in Montclair’s pre-code housing stock and which ones need extra wall-scribing to survive it. We measure every cabinet run against the actual wall, not the assumption that the wall is straight. Nate Calloway, our owner, learned this trade the slow way, which is to say he learned it right. He’d rather spend an extra hour shimming a box than hear from you six months later that the doors don’t line up.
We carry genuine CGI doors, panels, and hardware when a run needs extending or matching. Where the original part is the weak link in this climate, we say so and quote a better aftermarket hinge or slide. And when a carcass is swollen beyond saving, we tell you that too. No re-facing a box that will fail again.
Styles & brands we work with







Common CGI Construction Problems We Solve in Montclair
- Thermofoil and laminate door skins peeling on west-facing runs. Montclair summers are hot and dry, and a lot of original kitchens here have single-pane windows on the west wall. That afternoon sun cooks thermofoil until it bubbles and delaminates. We see this most often on CGI boxes from 1990s and 2000s gut rehabs. Fix is usually new doors, not new boxes.
- Frameless cabinet boxes racked out of square. Montclair sits on clay soil that swells with winter rain and shrinks in summer heat. A CGI frameless box installed perfectly plumb on a 1950s stucco wall can be out of square a year later because the wall moved, not because the install was bad. We scribe to the actual wall and plan for movement.
- Particleboard carcasses swelling at the toe kick and sink base. Original galvanized or early copper plumbing in Montclair tract homes weeps slowly over decades. That moisture wicks into the particleboard and swells it, especially under a sink base. If the carcass is out of square and soft, we quote replacement. Re-facing won’t fix what’s underneath.
- Quartz seam and edge failures from floor movement. When a CGI quartz top is set on a floor plane that has shifted, the seam can open or the edge can chip. This isn’t a countertop defect. It’s the slab moving with the soil. We plan seams around known movement patterns in Montclair’s original 1,200 to 1,500 square foot stucco tract homes.
- Pattern matching for partial remodels. Montclair’s stock is largely original galley kitchens. When you add an island or extend a run, matching a CGI door profile from a line installed thirty years ago takes experience. We carry samples and know which profiles are still available versus which need a custom match.
CGI Service in Montclair: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Montclair is built out. There’s almost no vacant parcel left, and much of the housing stock off Holt Blvd and Central Ave went up in the 1950s through the 1970s, decades before modern seismic and energy codes. What that means for your CGI kitchen is practical: nearly every cabinet or counter job here requires a city remodel permit, a garage conversion path, or a lot-line-adjacent addition on a small lot. There is no greenfield route. We pull permits through the city for layout changes, and we know what Montclair’s building department wants to see on a kitchen remodel in a pre-code home. That permit reality shapes how we sequence a job: we don’t demo first and hope the permit clears. We open walls once the permit is in hand, then build to the inspection that follows. It’s slower than the sales pitch some contractors give, but it’s the only way to do it right on a 1950s lot.
On a 1950s stucco tract home off Central Ave, we opened a CGI galley kitchen and found the original thermofoil doors delaminating and a sink base carcass swollen where the old galvanized drain had been weeping for years. We pulled the city remodel permit for the layout change, replaced the swollen boxes with new CGI frameless cabinets scribed to the actual out-of-plumb stucco wall, and set a CGI quartz top with seams planned around the floor movement. The owner got a kitchen that closes square through a full summer.
CGI Models & Products We Service in Montclair
We service CGI Euro-style frameless laminate and thermofoil cabinet boxes, including the lines common in 1990s and 2000s remodels and our CGI service in Ontario area. We also work on CGI painted MDF and raised-panel oak cabinet lines found in original galley kitchens across Montclair’s tract housing, plus CGI quartz surface slabs and laminated laminate counters on post-war kitchens. Our approach to parts is straightforward: genuine CGI doors, panels, and hardware when you’re extending or matching a run; quality aftermarket hinges, drawer slides, and toe-kick sealant where the OEM part is the weak link in this dry inland climate. We stock the common hardware locally so a Montclair job doesn’t stall waiting on a drawer slide.
For full brand context on what we handle, see our CGI sales & service page.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCGI Service Pricing in Montclair
Here’s what CGI cabinet and counter work runs in Montclair, line by line. These are installed ranges, not material-only numbers.
| Service | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Cabinet Installation | $4,000 – $13,000 |
| Countertop Installation | $2,000 – $6,500 |
| Small Kitchen Remodel | $9,000 – $20,000 |
| Kitchen Island Installation | $3,000 – $10,000 |
| Backsplash Installation | $800 – $2,500 |
What drives the number in Montclair is usually the permit and the condition of the walls underneath. A small 1950s kitchen with out-of-square stucco walls costs more in labor than a newer shell because every box gets scribed individually. Your estimate from us is written, line by line, and free. Call (877) 265-6284 to schedule one.
Serving Montclair, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Montclair area and know this community well, and we also offer CGI service in Upland. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – CGI Construction in Montclair
If you’re swapping doors and hardware only, usually no permit is required. If the layout changes, plumbing moves, or you’re converting a garage or adding square footage, yes, Montclair requires a permit. We handle that process for you. Call (877) 265-6284 if you’re not sure which category your job falls into.
West-facing thermofoil and laminate doors in Montclair get direct afternoon sun through single-pane windows, and that heat breaks down the adhesive bond. The fix is replacing the doors with a more heat-tolerant material or adding window film to cut the solar gain. We see this constantly on original tract homes along Holt Blvd. Call (877) 265-6284 and we’ll tell you whether your boxes are worth new doors or if the frames are failing too.
In most cases, yes. We carry CGI door profiles and can match the species and finish. If the original line is discontinued, we have a millwork shop that can produce a close match. Montclair lot sizes mean most additions here are small, so matching matters more than replacing the whole run. Call (877) 265-6284 and bring us a door sample.
In Montclair it’s usually the house. The clay soil under your slab moves with moisture, and that movement cracks rigid quartz at the seam. We inspect the floor plane before we quote any repair so you don’t pay for a new top that fails the same way. Call (877) 265-6284 for an inspection.
Plan for two to six weeks depending on scope and whether your home needs plan review. Montclair’s building department is small and processes work in order received. We submit early and track it so your kitchen isn’t sitting open waiting on paperwork. Call (877) 265-6284 and we’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific project.
Service Areas Near Montclair
We run CGI cabinet and counter service throughout the Pomona Valley and into the Inland Empire. Besides Montclair, we regularly work in Pomona, Chino, Ontario, Upland, and Claremont. See our Montclair service area page for details on local coverage. For work further south, check CGI service in Midway City or CGI service in Fullerton.
Book Your CGI Service in Montclair Today
If your CGI cabinets are peeling, your seams are opening, or you just want a straight answer on whether to repair or replace, call (877) 265-6284. Estimates are free, written, and line by line. We’ll tell you what’s actually wrong before we quote you a fix.
Written by Nate Calloway, Owner at Sycamore Contractors, serving Montclair since the day the first thermofoil door peeled off a west-facing cabinet.