Villa Park homes, up close
The lots are the whole story. A standard parcel here is about half an acre, which in practice means a long driveway, mature avocado and citrus left over from the groves, a pool at the back and a house set well off the road. Horses are still kept on some properties and the trail easements run between them. Nobody walks to anything, because there is nothing to walk to.
For a cleaning crew that translates into two things. First, the houses are large single-story spreads, mostly 2,500 to 4,500 square feet, so a visit is a long walk with a lot of hard floor. Second, the outdoors comes in constantly: leaf litter off the pepper and oak trees, pool water on tile, dust off Santiago Creek and the dam road when the wind blows down the canyon. Standing every-other-week service is what most of these houses run on.
What Villa Park homes are like to clean
Almost everything went up between 1962 and 1980 as custom or semi-custom single-story homes, then a good share was expanded or rebuilt after 2000. Expect 2,500 to 4,500 square feet on one level, tile or stone through the living areas, three or four bathrooms, a wet bar, and sliding glass along the whole back of the house facing a pool. Two-story houses exist but are the exception, and there is no condo or apartment stock to speak of.