Friday, December 30, 2011

Densification alert - Update - Part 1

Happy Holidays to everyone!  In the true spirit of giving, one HoPV reader has kindly sent me some more information about the plans for one of the double-wide lot teardown candidates (click here and earlier post here) I wrote about.  Well, as I had feared, indeed the owner of these lots has elected to split them back into their two very small constituent lots, totaling roughly 6,200sf each (with 60-foot frontages).

(Source: Google Maps)


On the larger of the two lots, 1609 Via Garfias (which totals approx 6,500sf), a 2,880sf home with a two-car garage is proposed.  The home has 5 (!) bedrooms and 3.5 baths.

 (Source: TT)


(Source: TT)

As you can see from above, the home is Spanish in style.  There are a few things I like about the home.  First, the layout is unique - its not like the usual quasi-symmetric new build facades you see like the Doug Leach Lunada Bay I wrote about before.  Similarly, the fact that there is a little courtyard on the right side provides additional space for convening and gathering - a plus.  But unfortunately, that's where my accolades for the home end.  Let's start with the garage - the walls around the door look a bit on the skinny side.  The garage door itself? Not a fan of the panels - but lets at least hope they're actually made of wood and not the brown-painted plastic variety.  Do they really need a set of stairs leading from master to the courtyard?   I like the idea if it were an interior courtyard, but for an exterior one that leads to the outside? I'm on the fence.  On the windows, the scale is right but the proportions and placement look a bit off.  The top of the windows abut the molding and my guess is they're not properly recessed.  The entry tower, while I love the idea, looks undersized relative to the two other masses and garage.


First floor:


Second floor:

I like the uniqueness of the first floor layout.  Its different.  Unpredictable in some ways.  The living room is cozy, the foyer is equally snug.  It's nice walking into a house and not being able to see straight through to the backyard.  It's equally nice to not face the stairs upon entry (and bad feng shui!).  I'm not crazy about the placement of the guest bedroom door - it's directly in front of the entry.  The family/dining room and kitchen area are superb, though.  I really like the sizing and layout.  On the second floor, the rooms are small.  12x12 is hardly ample space for a luxury custom home bedroom.  Also, to have only one shared bathroom to accomodate THREE small bedrooms, obviously this architect doesn't have kids!  

All in all, the numbers don't lie.  2,900 square feet is not enough space to fit 5 decent bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a formal living room, a dining area and full size family room and kitchen.  Its just too small for the size.  To add to that the lot is only 108 feet deep or so, with the home itself taking 70 feet of that plus 20 feet for a driveway.  That only leaves 18 feet for the backyard!!!

Like I said before, the buyer of the lot should have put a nice sized 4,500sf home on the double lot rather than crowd it with two undersized homes.  PV is not the place for densified living!  That's what the beach cities are for!!!

More on the second home to be built here later.  Stay tuned.


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cape Cod estate in Valmonte

So I hinted at this home in an earlier post - it is one of my favorites in Valmonte.  It is large, well situated on the lot, and has loads of character: the Westley Residence.

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: NJC)


Designed by Doug Leach and built in 2007/8, the 5,600 square foot home sits on a double lot that spans 18,270 square feet!  The original single-level ranch home and lot were purchased in 2004 for $1.8M by a Yale PhD/cell and molecular biologist and her husband, a real estate developer (himself, a Cornell & Harvard grad).


 (Source: Bing Maps)

(Source: Google Maps)

As you'll notice, the new home is sited in nearly the identical spot as the home it replaced - even the garage is in the same spot!  The lot itself, at nearly half an acre, is among the largest in Valmonte.  It actually spans two legal lots, each roughly 64x143.


(Source: LA County Assessor)

There's a ton to love about the home.  The wrap-around porch.  The color and texture of the exterior shingles.  The landscaping. The alternating roofline and mix of windows.  The size and substantial-ness of the porch columns.  The color combo.  All in, a very comfortable family home. 

The rear elevation is equally attractive and the back yard landscaping is elegant yet simple.  In fact, I think it looks as though it has some neat features like a NanaWall, which opens up the family room into a stone patio.


 (Source: Google Maps)

If I were to nitpick, here are a few things I would highlight: the windows in the garage door (which are actually a no-no in PVE and violate the Art Jury's guidelines).  I think having windows in a garage door detracts from the house - cheapens it, perhaps.  A paneled or solid white garage door would be better (an easy fix too!).


(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: NJC)


The front setback - well, here I'm on the fence.  On the one hand, the 30-foot front setback (or technically, "side" setback since its a corner lot) makes the home seem more comfortable, informal and welcoming.  At the same time, a deeper setback of maybe 50 feet would make the home seem a bit more formal, grand even,  in keeping with both the size of the home and the lot size.  Obviously something like this is a bit too much  (80-foot front setback)


 (Source: NJC)

All in all, a very well executed home.  Funny enough, I came across another home in neighboring Redondo Beach and Torrance that both have some similar features and a comparable design.  Curious: what do you all think of its Redondo Beach and Torrance doppelgangers (not sure who the architect is here)?

Redondo Beach:
(Source: NJC)

PV:
(Source: Google Maps)

Torrance:
(Source: NJC)


Which one do you think is more attractive?


KEY STATS
Location: Valmonte PVE
Style: Cape Cod
Year built:  2007/2008
Architect: Doug Leach
Square footage: 5,600f
Lot size: 18,270 (127x143)

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Quasi topical: Interesting article on evolution of LA

Interesting write up on the KCET website which I thought was interesting (and mentions Palos Verdes!).  It's entitled "How We Got This Way (Los Angeles Has Always Been Suburban)"

http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/commentary/where-we-are/how-we-got-this-way.html

Check it out. 

Also, more of my regular home posts are coming! Stay tuned!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

I'm on Facebook!

I've finally joined the billions on Facebook.  Feel free to Friend me!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003219497096

Also, saw in the news that PVE and RPV were recently named one of the best places to live by quality of life.  Here's a link to the Daily Breeze article (Note that it is a ranking of cities with at least 10,000 residents - sorry, Rolling Hills (pop ~2,000)  and Rolling Hills Estates (pop ~8,500)!)

Also, for those wanting to see the actual data, check that out here: The Business Journal/On Numbers Report

Top Southern California Cities By Quality of Life
1. San Marino
2. Coto de Caza
3. Palos Verdes Estates
4. La Canada Flintridge
5. Calabasas
6. Manhattan Beach
7. Malibu
8. North Tustin
9. Coronado
10. Newport Beach
11. Irvine
12. Laguna Beach
13. Sierra Madre
14. Rancho Palos Verdes
15. Agoura Hills
16. Aliso Viejo
17. Rancho Santa Margarita
18. Hermosa Beach
19. Yorba Linda
20. Beverly Hills
21. Claremont
22. Solana Beach
23. Laguna Niguel
24. Carlsbad
25. Encinitas

Top California Cities By Quality of Life
1.  Hillsborough
2. San Marino
3.  Blackhawk (Danville)
4. Coto de Caza
5. Palos Verdes Estates
6. Piedmont
7. Orinda
8. Alamo
9. Los Altos
10. Saratoga
11. Tamalpais-Homestead Valley
12. La Canada Flintridge
13. Palo Alto
14. Granite Bay
15. Calabasas
16. Manhattan Beach
17. El Dorado Hills
18. Danville
19. Lafayette
20. Mill Valley

Congrats also to fellow South Bay cities Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach.