Style matters - part 2.

In contrast to my last post, here's an example where good architecture and siting pays off.  Check out one of my favorite homes in Valmonte. The Moore Residence.

(Source: Google Maps, MLS)


Built in 2003, this Italian home spans 6,565sf on a tree-filled 0.4 acre lot.  The Moores bought the original home in 1999 for $760K, demolished it 4 years later, and erected this beautiful and simple Italian home.  The home was put on the market just one week ago, asking $3.499M and is already under contract.  If it sells at that asking price, it will be the highest price paid ever for a home in Valmonte!  In contrast to the Lunada Bay homes being built in questionable architectural styles that have languished for months on the market, this home, with its tastefully designed facade and elegant interior will soon be sold. 

There's a lot to love about this home.  The facade is simple, understated, restrained.  It masks the true size of this nearly 7,000sf home.    It's nestled by the trees and surrounded by lush greenery.

(Source: MLS)


Even the courtyards are cozy and make you feel at home.  Fingers crossed that this beauty sets the record for Valmonte!  It would be yet another example of how, I'll say it again, style matters!

A dose of reality

Remember that McMansion I wrote about earlier which was listed for $3.8M?  Well, it looks like Mulligan & Co. have reset its expectations on what something of questionable architectural quality can fetch in the current market.  The home, just off Paseo del Mar in Lunada Bay, has been re-listed with a much more reasonable asking price of $2.9M (listing can be found here) - a price chop of $800K or 20%!  If you recall from my prevous post, I had estimated that the profit margin on the house, given its size, land cost, and some fairly aggressive assumptions on construction costs, was between $200K-900K at the $3.8M price.    At the new price, its hard to envision a scenario where the developer would actually make a meaningful profit on this development.  Very interesting.  I can't help but wonder if they had spent more time (and money) working out the actual design and aesthetics of the home, if they would have been able to attract a higher value (and actual offers) for the property.  A lesson learned: design matters.

(Source: MLS)

Valley ...err Lunada Bay home hits the market!

Remember that bluff-adjacent "italian" home I blogged about here and here? Well, it finally hit the market (see photo below).  The home, which measures 5,297sf, sits on a bluff adjacent 15,700sf lot.  The lot itself was purchased for $1.5M the end of last year.  This mock-terreanean home is listed at $3.8M.  Some quick simple math - 5,297sf of living space plus 600sf of garage space is 5,897sf of gross space.  Assuming a range of $200 to $250/sf construction costs, that implies a total cost of $1.2 to $1.5M.  If we take out 5% realtors' commissions off the asking price, Mulligan and Co stand to make a tidy profit of between $600K to $900K.  Can't wait to see how (bad) the interiors look.  Stay tuned.

Updated! More pictures posted from MLS listing (see below).

The interior of the home is equally bland.  Its standard fare for spec builds in the area.  The ceilings look low for a new build - 8 or 9 feet, not the 10-feet you see in higher end builds.  The kitchen looks 'builder grade', ie whatever was on clearance at Home Depot.  The entryway looks poorly thought out and planned - a singular door that plops you right in front of the stairs - no double-height foyer, no particular architectural details, nothing.  This home is thoroughly uninspired.

KEY STATS

Location: Lunada PVE
Style: Italian
Year built:  2011
Architect: Jesus Meza
Square footage: 5,297sf
Lot size: 15,700sf (irregular)

Some "before" pictures

Remember that Tomaro Tuscan in Montemalaga (link here) ? Well I found some under construction photos of the home which was managed/built by TriSam Development in Torrance.  Enjoy!

(Source: TriSam Development)

Money may buy you many things, but taste isn't one of them

So today I just thought I'd do another quick post.  Remember that Lunada Bay Spanish home that's listed for sale for $2.8M designed by Doug Leach?  Well, its basically done and I'm not a fan!

Judging from the updated MLS pictures, it looks like Mulligan/Leach opted for some beige derivative for the exterior color instead of the more authentic white.  Also, as I suspected earlier, the front is too busy.  Too much going on.  The windows are too big, too ornate with lights on either side, a column separating the two panes.  Insufficient white space separating all the ornamentation on the facade.  Also, why oh why did Mulligan opt for a cheap plastic garage door that was painted brown?  Why not splurge the extra cash on an authentic wooden garage door?  If you're spending $1M on construction costs, what's an extra few $K? 

Can someone explain to me why there is a small wall separating the driveway and the entryway?  If you opt for parking your car in the driveway and want to enter the front door, why must you walk all the way around to the pedestrian path?

 (Source: MLS)

(Source: MLS)

I understand the lot is width-constrained.  This lot I believe is 67 feet wide, implying that the home itself is approximately 50 feet wide.  That is still plenty of space.  Especially considering that several other homes have managed to achieve creative, tasteful, and restrained designs even on 60' wide lots in which the facades are constrained to 43' wide.  Take for example this other home in the Valmonte neighborhood which is also listed for sale at $2.4M.

 (Source: MLS)

(Source: Google Maps)

That 3,683sf home built in 2001 sits on a comparatively small 7,886sf lot which is about 63' wide.  Yet despite these constraints, the home has loads of architectural features - all tastefully done.  It's not one big mass of a home with faux Spanish or faux Italian elements.  Its authentic.  Its well done indeed.

Even the siting and layout takes advantage of the natural features.

(Source: MLS)

I'm not sure who the architect was on this project.  The original homeowners, who have listed this home for sale, bought the lot with an older home on it in 1998 for $750K.  They tore that home down and built this beauty in 2001.

KEY STATS

Location: Valmonte PVE
Style: Cape Cod
Year built:  2001
Architect: Unknown
Square footage: 4,000sf
Lot size: 7,886sf (63'x130')

I have to say, that despite the atrocities of the Leach/Mulligan Spanish home, there are some truly beautiful homes in PVE.  Furthermore, for all my issues with the Art Jury being asleep at the wheel, they have at least prevented some absolute extremities of design from popping up in the city.  Unlike Beverly Hills.  Check out this home below, which is currently listed at $5.8M and spans 8,675sf.  The listing description heralds the house as a "one of a kind" home "with French and Italian style."  I think the photos say it all - no further commentary needed.

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: MLS)

Since we're on a Tomaro theme...

Thought I'd drop a quick note today on another project of Louie Tomaro - this one isn't in PV - it's in Manhattan Beach, where Tomaro Design does most of their work.  In this home, on 1st Street, Tomaro, the architect on the job, remodels the interior by reversing the floorplan to move the living spaces back downstairs.  This is to accomodate some property acquisitions of the homeowners in which they added  a large lawn, pool and pool house (see aerial below).  The 6,650sf home now sits on a very large (by beach cities standards) 13,200sf lot.

(Source: Google Maps)


One of the other remodels Tomaro did to the home - and the reason I'm writing this post - is converting  the Italian-esque/McMansion exterior to a "softer, Santa Barbara" style.   What do you all think of the changed facade?


Original:

 (Source: Google Maps)

New:

(Source: Tomaro)

Another Tomaro Tuscan...And It's Nice!

Greetings!  Today, we're heading to Italy...err Montemalaga in PVE where I bring you a six-year old Italian designed by Louie Tomaro.  The Yan-Tu Residence.

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: NJC)


Doesn't this home remind you a little bit of the Pasadena home I blogged about before?  Situated on a full acre of flat hilltop land, the home spans a near-excessive 11,304sf with 6 bedrooms and a whopping 10 bathrooms!  The homeowners bought the lot in early 2002 for $2.3M and then built this home in 2005.  The home replaces a much older (and smaller home) that once sat on this expansive, view-adjacent lot.

(Source: Historic Aerials, Google Maps)


It is a shame that the homeowners cleared a number of trees in the backyard to make room for a tennis court (especially when there are perfectly good tennis courts at the PV Country Club down the road).

That said, the home offers a lot to love.  Let's start at the front.  I know, I know - I'm a stickler for sizing and abundance of windows.  Here though, I think it works.  While I agree there are a ton of windows (and the reason for it, I assume, is to take advantage of the killer hilltop view on that side of the home), I think they are softened by the arches and the trees.  The windows are also appropriately recessed to the right depth/thickness, unlike the McMansion fare you normally see.  The facade has alternating sections to break up the 80-foot wide northern face - this adds a lot of visual interest without appearing too distracting (it's not busy like this monstrocity).  Also, the facade is set back between 50 and 80 feet from the street, depending on which part of the facade you're measuring from.

(Source: NJC)

(Source: Google Maps)


How about the landscaping!  Very lush but not over the top!  Moving to the rear of the home, what estate would be complete without the requisite pool and tennis court - this one has both.

 (Source: Google Maps)

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: Google Maps)


The rear of the home shows that there is indeed a lot going on.  Without better, closer up shots, its hard to opine on the aesthetic integrity of the home.  However, I am pleased to see that the homeowners retained most of the trees in the rear, adjacent to the tennis court and casita.

There is one thing I don't like about the house - the corner entry and driveway.  Notice where the northern facade and western facade meet in the aerial shot.  It has an angular cut which makes way for a curved driveway and main entrance.  The entrance looks like this:

(Source: Google Maps)


It's as though Tomaro couldn't figure out how to connect the two nice facades and so instead did this!  Surely there is a better alternative.  Anyway, outside of that, the house in my view is a welcomed addition to the PVE housing stock.

Overall, I am a big fan of the home.  I think its a very well executed design.

KEY STATS

Location: Montemalaga, PVE
Style: Italian
Year built:  2005
Architect: Louie Tomaro
Square footage: 11,304f 
Lot size: 43,124 (irregular, 190'x240')

I think I'm in love...

Updated: I was perusing through the MLS as I normally do,  touring some great neighborhoods known for fantastic architecture (Hancock Park, San Marino/Pasadena, Montecito, etc) and I stumbled upon an awesome home that just went up last year in Pasadena and is on the market for $6.8M. The Wyndhamsmith Residence.

(Source: MLS)


The home was designed by La Jolla-based architect John Barber in 2008 and was completed in 2010.  This home, according to the listing, is "inspired by Wallace Neff" and replaces a 1949 5 bedroom/4bath ranch style home that sits on a great 0.73 acre tree lined lot.

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: Google Maps)


There is some interesting recent history to the home.  Let's start at the beginning.  The original 1949 home was purchased in the summer of 2004 for $1.6M by a local dentist and his wife.  The owners then proceeded to completely remodel the 3,158sf "mid century" home and completed the remodel in 2006.  After the remodel, it looked like this:

(Source: MLS/Coldwell Banker)


You can even see in the Google StreetView that they updated the garage doors with a more modern/contemporary feel.   The old MLS listing shows many other photos that make it clear that the home was completely and totally remodeled, inside and outside.  It had a new pool, new hardscape, etc. 

Fast forward two years, and in mid 2008, the home owners put the house on the market for $2.8M - $1.2M more than the original purchase price from 2004.   Records indicate that in addition to getting a completely redone home, the new would-be buyer would also get the plans for an Italian estate "inspired by Wallace Neff" as well as a complete project bid from local builder MurSol.  The home sat on the market for a little over a month before the listing was removed.  I'm guessing that the home owners decided it would be easier to sell a new Italian estate rather than a redone mid century in that particular market (or maybe the Global Financial Crisis gave them a scare, and they soon figured out they were ok?).  Seems a shame that they would have wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars (not to mention stress and time associated with a remodel) to rebuild the home only to tear it down shortly thereafter to build a new mansion from scratch!

The 2010 home, which sits on a 110' wide and 289' deep lot, measures 7,000sf and has a pool and motor court.  The windows are in scale and relatively simple.  The facade registers ample whitespace - which would please GW Smith.  The stone surround of the door - perfectly authentic.  The roof pitch, choice of tile all in keeping with homes of the 1920s.  While this home is located near Caltech on a tree-lined street with mixed housing stock, it is almost better suited on Lombardy Road or parts of San Marino with other beautiful 1920s estates.

(Source: MLS)


Overall, this is a gorgeous home that I'd like to see more of - not the usual McMansion fare.  What do you think?

KEY STATS

Location: Pasadena

Style: Italian
Year built: 2010
Architect: John Barber (La Jolla)
Square footage: 7,000
Lot size: 31,790 (110x289)

The wrong kind of new construction...

Just came across another home going up - this one in Montemalaga, PVE.  The home is perched on a expansive view lot, complete with tennis court, and replaces an older faux Mediterranean home.  The Irie Residence.

The Irie family purchased the original home, which was not a modest home like other tear downs, in early 2010 for $3.5M.  In fact, the original home (pictured below), was a 7,696 square foot, 7 bedroom, 8 bathroom home built in 1985.    Judging from the MLS listing description and photos, the home was in very good condition - not at all a tear down or "in need of TLC."

(Source: Google Maps)

 (Source: Google Maps)

(Source: MLS)


As you can see, the home site is quite large - 0.7 acres actually, and is purchased on a hill with some phenomenal views.

 (Source: MLS)

(Source: MLS)

Well, shortly after the family purchased the home, they hired Ashai Design to design a new Italian residence.   When I first saw the item on the Planning Commission agenda, I was excited.  Ashai has done some good work on the hill, with much of their work featured on this site.  But alas, this weekend I saw that this is not their finest work - in fact, quite the opposite.  I know and recognize this is still under construction, but so far, hard for me to see what could change that would redeem this home.  The architectural crime - aka the new home - is below:

 (Source: NJC)

(Source: NJC)

Where to even begin.  First, the color - mustard? Really? From the high res images, it looks like mustard colored stucco.  What about the window trim and the trim that demarcates the second floor? Too much.  And yes - I know the white elephant in the room - the "stone" tower.  The "stone" doesn't even look real - almost likes stone patterned wallpaper.  And how about the shape of the home? Very blockish and uninspired.

New home:

 (Source: Google Maps)

Original home:

(Source: MLS)


The footprint is so boring - in fact, I think the original home that they tore down was more interesting - I mean, check out the offset tower that faced the pool!  In fact, I think I like the old home more than this new monstrocity going up.  Is there even much of a difference between this home and this McMansion?

You tell me!  Is the PVE Art Jury asleep at the wheel here?

KEY STATS

Location: Montemalaga, PVE
Style: Italian (ish)
Year built: 2011
Architect: Ashai
Square footage: Unknown (but big!)
Lot size: 30,100 (126x202)