The season for tear downs and build ups

So my post today is half update and half rant...

First, does everyone remember this post about a double-wide lot for sale in upper Lunada/Montemalaga?  Well that home finally sold for $1.04M not too long ago.  The 120-foot wide lot is undergoing the planning process in the city of PVE at the moment, and it looks like the architects hired for the job are Cauthen Design (http://www.cauthendesign.com/). 

From the website and the planning documents, Cauthen is run from a home in Huntington Beach.  If you look at some of the houses they've done, they look all very McMansion-y and Mock-terranean-ish.  See Exhibits A, B and C below.

 (Source: Cauthen Design)

 (Source: Cauthen Design)

 (Source: Cauthen Design)

The last photo there is not as offensive - actually, it's not half bad.  The first two, however, look like tract homes from Riverside or Ladera Ranch - yet both are actually homes here on the Peninsula!  Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that whatever "Fias Homes LLC" has decided to build is tasteful and takes full advantage of the wide lot. 

Now onto another new home about to go up.  This one is in Valmonte and actually replaces a mid-century home that was designed by a regionally famous architect.

(Source: MLS)

This Valmonte home was actually purchased by Rick Tomaro, brother of architect Louie Tomaro and who is responsible for Tomaro Design's Construction Services division.  He and his wife currently reside in an RPV home which they have just listed for sale at just under $1M (see below).  That home, built in 1962, was remodeled by Tomaro to reflect modern living while retaining most of its 1962 quasi-Crafstmen style.

(Source: Google Maps)

So it looks like the Tomaros are moving on up from RPV to PVE, from a 1,972sf home on a 9,147sf lot to what I can only imagine will be a brand new 4,000sf home on a generous 10,800sf lot in the heart of Valmonte.  The Tomaros bought the Valmonte property in September for $905K.  It was originally listed at $829K as a short sale (the previous owners bought the home in 2007 for $1.15M).  It is worth noting that the Valmonte home has some architectural heritage and its a shame that this undercared for mid-century home will be lost.  Rick Tomaro has hired his brother Louie to design a new home for this property.

The 1,312sf  1950-build home sits on a corner lot, which measures 100 feet wide by approximately 108 feet deep.

(Source: Google Maps)


Let's hope here too that Tomaro works his magic and designs something tasteful - either a traditional/Cape Cod style home or a subtle Italian home.  Tomaro has very limited experience with the Spanish style, so its unlikely that this home will employ that school of architecture.  My guess, based on their previous home in RPV, is that he opts for something more tastefully American.  Maybe something like the below:

Or this:

Both are tastefully done, new construction Cape Cod/Traditional style homes in Valmonte.