Nearly done...

So here's the nearly complete home on PV Dr North.  To my eye, it looks like the home was painted slightly off-white.

(Source: NJC)

It actually doesn't look as bad as I thought it could.  My biggest complaint with the facade is the narrowness of the windows above the garage - makes it look far too busy.  Otherwise, the home fits in well with the landscaping.  I don't think anyone will miss the older, run-down ranch house it replaced.

A Spanish home goes up on the Drive

What a busy summer it's turning out to be!  Remember this post on a new build going up on PV Drive North in Valmonte?  Well it is coming along (relatively) nicely.  A quick recap:

Homeowners purchased the home (see below) in December of 2010 for $839K.  The home was a marketed as a teardown, a fixer in desperate need of TLC.

(Source: MLS)

(Source: Google Maps)

So the homeowners, a couple moving from the Los Verdes area of Rancho Palos Verdes, hired local architect Doug Leach to design for them a new home in the Spanish vernacular.  The plans were approved in May 2011 and several months later, work began.

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: NJC)


As you can see from the photo above, the house was going to either be Spanish or Italian in style and it had a reverse C-shape layout, with a central courtyard.  In my earlier post, I had written that I hoped it would maintain some architectural integrity to either style.  If Spanish, that it would be white, with appropriate trim details.  If Italian, that it wouldn't go overboard with stonework and too much ornamentation.  Well folks, the home is nearly complete!  And it doesn't look terrible!

(Source: NJC)

You can see from the photo that the house has what some have called the 'Santa Barbara' style, mixing the white plaster-y stucco with the teal blue window trim and wrought iron accents.   It is still a few weeks from completion, so I'll reserve final judgment until then.  But so far, looks promising.  I do think the windows in the room above the garage are too narrow/large for the space - they should be shorter.  But again, let's see how this all shakes out in the end.

Notice that the front entry leads to a courtyard which is open to the west (see arrows below).

(Source: NJC)

Given the size of the lot, I suspect the courtyard comes at the expense of the backyard.  Oddly enough, if you look at the aerial photograph at the beginning of the post, the 1952 2,233sf ranch home that this Leach design replaces also had a small western-facing courtyard and a very small rear yard.

Stay tuned for more on this later.

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!

Season for construction...

Today, two quick updates.

First, update on a new Spanish home going up on the Drive in Valmonte.  The homeowners purchased this tear down home in December 2010 for $839K.

(Source: Google Maps, MLS)


The homeowners then hired Doug Leach to design a Spanish home.  As of this weekend, here's the progress that's been made to date:

(Source: NJC)

As you can see from the photos, it's a fairly predictable facade, with two garage doors on the eastern side, a central tower, and a living room on the western side.  What is hard to tell from this photo is that the home is centered around a courtyard which is open to the west.  I'll try to get better photos next time.  Let's hope this home is finished in white with a nice, authentic red tile roof.


The other update is up in Lunada Bay, the sequel if you will, to the McMansiony home I wrote about it before (click here to read that post).  This home is a single level, home that sits on a very expansive lot.  I presume the home is only one story to preserve some of the view for the home behind it which is listed for sale at $3.8M.

(Source: NJC)

This home has the potential to turn out well - only time will tell.  I do not like how the front of the home sits right up on the street, with not so much as maybe a 15 foot setback.

Spotted!

Off topic...but worth a post! Saw the rare, brand new electric sports car in Valmonte this weekend - the 2012 Fisker Karma made by California-based Fisker Automotive

(Source: NJC)

(Source: NJC)

The car has just started production and a few celebs like Ashton Kutcher, Leo DiCaprio, Colin Powell and Al Gore have already received theirs.  It's a "electric vehicle with extended range" meaning it can go 50 miles on electric battery power only, and has a gas engine to give it another 250 miles of range (the engine turns a generator to create electricity that powers the wheels).  The car is GORGEOUS and amazing up close. Want one? It'll cost you $120K and you'll have to wait a few months.

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)

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.

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)

A Tomaro home in Valmonte

Hello all!  Work has kept me away from here, so I apologize to all of you for being extendedly absent.  Today, I thought we'd switch over to an American/Cape Cod style home in Valmonte - just about done actually.  The Kaplan Residence.

(Source: NJC)


Designed by Tomaro and built in 2011, this home replaces a 3,546sf 1953 ranch style home.  The Kaplans bought the original home in early 2009 for $2.1M then proceeded to demolish and replace the original home with this beauty.

 (Source: MLS)

(Source: Bing Maps)

As you can see, the original house was not exactly what you would call a stunner.  It was dated.  The first impression of the original home was "Hi, look at my garage"  - the new home is all kinds of warm and comfortable.  Elegant.  Inviting.  Very well executed.  Indeed, even the garage, which sits perpendicular to the street, is masked by windows, architectural details and a strategically placed tree.  The doors face perpendicular to the street, drawing the observer to other aspects of the facade.

If we switch to the rear of the home, much has been improved as well.  While the original backyard was rustic and had the natural beauty/sylvan feeling, this one is admittedly more manicured, but still retails a feeling of casualness.  I do question the abundance of windows and angles here.  The trellis, columns, windows and alternating rooflines, slate patio, wood deck, etc. are a lot to take in - distracting to the degree where the eye is at a loss of what to focus on - I think less would have been more in this case.  Nonetheless, while not amazing, it is still attractive.

 (Source: MLS)

(Source: Tomaro)

(Source: Tomaro)

Phil Norman designed the interiors.  Tomaro and crew designed the exterior.  The home exudes casual California living and fits in very well in the neighborhood which is comprised of a motley of styles, from Spanish to French to Cape Cod and Ranch.

I know Valmonte is not the Hamptons - but this home would certainly feel comfortable and appropriate in either locale.

KEY STATS

Location: Valmonte, PVE
Style: Cape Cod
Year built:  2011
Architect: Louie Tomaro
Square footage: 4,500sf (just a guess)
Lot size: 17,870 (irregular')