La Canada Real Estate

Before and After (The Never Ending Project)

4421 Hobbs is finally finished!

August 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truth be told most of the grass is photoshopped in as we were not quite ready for the photographer. The remainder of the grass arrived yesterday so we will be ready for the open house Sunday.

The floor plan has changed quite a bit in that the kitchen was moved from the north side of the house to the south

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The living room is largely the same, though we removed the opening to the right of the fireplace that led into what was the dining room (now part of the family room, powder bath and hallway), covered the beautiful stained cottage cheese ceiling and rebuilt the mantle:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is kind of unfair to use an unstaged photo taken by me against a staged professional photo, but the room really does look a lot better.

The old front bedroom (with debris from the tenant) on the south side is now the new dining room:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am a tried and true white paint devotee so it almost felt like I was cheating on my old standby with a new dark color. I fell in love with Benjamin Moore Hale Navy. In different lighting it can look black or a vivid rich dark blue. I've had the chandelier since last summer and designed the room around it. It is available to the trade from Ro Sham Beaux or through Serena and Lily.

The old family room was an enclosed porch. We pushed out the wall about 3 feet into the yard:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found the fabulous ampersand at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Scott Coppersmith is there every month and makes lighting out of recycled building materials.

The backyard has also changed quite a bit. The poor fig tree had to be sacrificed along with a huge ash that would have been inches from the new family room foundation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old garage was rebuilt and is now the master bedroom with a new bath added. The new garage is at the SW corner of the yard. It seems like we started this project years ago. It has been a long haul yet feels a bit deflating to finish. I will be sad to see her go but incredibly relieved to loose a mortgage payment! On to the next house...hopefully ours as things are really looking shabby here.

4421 Hobbs is open Sunday from 2:00-5:00. Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

Our new project: Before and After part 4

Progress! We have French doors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen cabinets!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tile!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best part is we are still married and my husband, in a loving gesture removed the toilet from the front porch. Now we just need to finish. ETA: 4/19?

Off to OSH for more paint samples...

Our New Project...Before and After part 3

Here we are in October. Remember this project was supposed to be finished and in escrow by now...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say we are way behind schedule. Prior to the biblical deluge today, I was greeted by my least favorite sight. As a Realtor who never photographs a bathroom that shows a toilet (there is something disgustingly gross about a toilet in an MLS photo), I was greeted by this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband (aka the General Contactor) considers this progress. I however, do not. Then the skies opened forcing the solo worker on our 5-month-behind-schedule-job to desert. The long-ago purchased lumber was the buried by hail, a sign that things may be going from bad to worse:

Our new project....Before and After part 2

2 weeks later and not much has changed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, I was in New York filled with so much optimism I bought the new dining room fixture:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I am putting the cart before the horse....

Our new project...before and after part 1

We are the proud owners of another dump in La Canada Flintridge. My husband has been working on plans for months and gotten completely side-tracked by other projects. We are in the 2-steps forward, 10-steps back phase of construction:

June 15 (dirt piles signal work has begun)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 July 11 (beautiful tree had to be removed for the new septic    system)

 

 

 

 

 Today. Note how nothing more has happened. More debris accumulating on front porch. We have officially entered the 10 steps backward phase of construction.

 

 

I plan to post monthly on any progress. In the absence of progress, I can post photos of my husband riding his bike or doing other important activities not related to construction.

 

 

 

Open Houses in La Canada This Sunday

For MLS version click below:

http://itech.rapmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Itech&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=HFDsIaPvYtvwH3EvXf%2Fp1DD1nqj6uxS6BklxhHH15n0%3D&KeyRid=1&Include_Search_Criteria=

For printable version click below:

Download Open Houses 6.12.11.xlsx

Before and After

4611 Lasheart is finally coming on the market tomorrow. Despite the roadblocks and bike races that slowed the process down, I am thrilled with the finish product (and have to give qudos to my husband for bringing it in only several thousands over budget and a few weeks late). The following is a loose documentation of the progress:

 
 
 

 

 
 

  
  
We will be open on Sunday from 1:00-4:00. Hope to see you there!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

 
 
 

 

 

 

Before and After Chapter 6

I have neglected this post as we went through a long slow-motion period on Lasheart. Things are picking up and progress has been made:

 
To be fair, the shingles were finished until it was noted (by me) that the exterior lights encroached into the shutter (area). Alas, the primed shingles were replaced to make room for new light boxes and the front posts were moved. My poor husband has to deal with me showing up every week or so and making changes...

The interior is humming along with painters, floor finishers and tile setters. Granite has been installed and now we are down to carpet selection and paint colors (if you walk through the house now you will be subject to the 150 paint swatches I am experimenting with). I do believe we will be only 3 weeks behind schedule with a caravan date of March 15...I am holding my breath.

Before and After Chapter 5

The rain has slowed us down but the workers have been very busy at Lasheart. The new windows are in and shingles are up:

 
(note that the old toilet finally made it out of the living room to the pile of rubble in the front yard)

Drywall!

 

Before and After Chapter 4

From bad to worse...

 
This is what I get for complaining about the toilet in the living room...

But really, there has been significant progress on the addition off the back of the house:

 
view from the back yard:

 
More next week as we tackle ordering cabinets and windows.