While showing off her new kitchen/dining room addition one evening, Lily Richards explained to me why she and her husband, Arnie, never considered hiring a contractor to oversee the project. “We’re kind of conservative financially. . . ,” Lily began. “We’re cheap,” Arnie broke in. And, he added, “We’re too egocentric.” What’s more, the couple…
When Chantal Dussouchaud and Harry Dolman bought this Hollywood Hills home, they had one major objection to it: the massive driveway that dominated the entire front of the house. Part of the couple’s reaction stemmed from the fact that they had been living in Paris (they are both European natives), where the car culture is…
When Chantal Dussouchaud and Harry Dolman bought this Hollywood Hills home, they had one major objection to it: the massive driveway that dominated the entire front of the house. Part of the couple’s reaction stemmed from the fact that they had been living in Paris (they are both European natives), where the car culture is…
When Claudia Jones told her husband, Rick, that she’d like to take down the wallpaper in the kitchen of their Agoura home, he came back with a radical idea: "Why don’t we just redo the whole kitchen?" The concept was extreme because the house was not yet a decade old, hardly mature enough to need…
Reader Willie has provided a link to photos of his remodel. I understand Willie acted as his own contractor on this recently finished project, and that he plans on staying in this home as long as he can navigate the stairs. Willie, it’s a gorgeous remodel. Congratulations. I have a few questions about the kitchen…
You know why this kitchen in Dani Taylor’s Northridge house is so good-looking? That’s because she had so many years to think about it while other projects took priority. First, Dani and her husband added on a family room for their blended family. Then, when the family grew bigger, a new master suite seemed more…
I’m looking for Southern California remodeling projects to feature on this blog and in the print edition of the L.A. Times. Have you done a remodel you’re proud of? One you’d like to show off? I want to see it! What I love most: Budget-minded remodels in which the owners — that would be you…
So what do you do when your house is totally backward for your needs? Like, what if the living room and kitchen facing the street are exactly what you don’t want, and having them face the back yard is what you do want? If you’re an interior desginer and an architect — like Shaya and…
I know that June 8, 1997, was a Sunday. That’s because it was the launch date of my Pardon Our Dust series in the Real Estate section of the Los Angeles Times, my childhood newspaper, the newspaper I loved and cherished (and still do). Yes, I was stoked. The article that appeared that day, on…
Charles Chang struggled with opposing desires when he set out to become a first-time homeowner: to save money by buying a fixer-upper and maintain his tranquil lifestyle. “I’m in sales, so I’m always looking for a deal,” said Chang, 30, a district manager for a computer company. On the other hand, he said: “I’m a…