Got a remodeling question you’d really like to ask a remodeling contractor? On Monday, May 21, Pardon Our Dust Blog begins an occasional series that brings you Southern California remodeling experts willing to answer your questions. As time goes by, I may offer you a window expert, a flooring expert, a green building expert, a…
Few topics elicit as much fear as mold in houses. That’s good news for those inclined toward litigation, whose theme is “Mold Is Gold.” And it’s good for newspaper writers, too, as the word “MOLD!” in a headline will get attention. The bad news is that most of us remain ignorant about how and why…
Here’s the best-looking DIY kitchen I’ve seen yet. No offense to the other DIY kitchens I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. They all had their charms. But this Los Angeles kitchen is so luscious. So strikingly handsome. The project took Liese and David 18 months, which is an awful long time to wash dishes in…
Building Green TV announced Tuesday that its new weekly television series, called Building Green, about creating beautiful homes and buildings in harmony with the environment, is set to air on PBS affiliate stations starting June 5. “Many people don’t realize that buildings cause more CO2 emissions than cars,” said show host Kevin Contreras. “In fact,…
Bill Doering, whose “green” Santa Barbara remodel was featured in the Real Estate section of the L.A. Times, has gotten quite a few questions regarding his tankless, on-demand water heater. So, as Bill is an engineer who runs an energy-oriented engineering firm, and as engineer types tend to be pretty thorough, he has more clarification…
When Janet Foster was considering buying a 1948 Long Beach fixer-upper, her decision hinged on her father’s response to one question: Will you help? Tom Opferman, then newly retired from his engineering job, said “yes” to his youngest daughter, single and 29 at the time. Thus began a remodeling odyssey that started with gutting the…
I’ll admit that my view of remodeling is distorted. I’ve spent the past 17 years interviewing hundreds of homeowners whose remodels turned out great, and hundreds of contractors who are their heroes. Right at this moment, there are three Southern California homeowners looking forward to an interview with me in the next couple of days…
What determines trends? Is it what the manufacturers are selling? Or what the designers are designing? Professional Remodeler magazine asked a different question: What are the homeowners choosing? A recent article, Kitchen and Bath Trends, is based on a survey of remodeling contractors across the country, who revealed these trends: — Oak cabinets are out,…
You gotta love L.A. Where else do you get so many chances to be on TV? Abbie Hurewitz, of Actual Reality Pictures in Hollywood, may be looking for you. Abbie is working on a new show called Green That House which will air on the Discovery Home network next fall. It’s a lot like Flip…
When HGTV and ABC decorating show host Kitty Bartholomew moved into her 1930s cottage in Santa Monica, she noticed one problem right away: There was a solid wall in the master bedroom that stood between her and her garden. To remedy the situation, Kitty had a Dutch door and window installed in that wall, along…
Ed Sanders, the English carpenter on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and the host of National Bingo Night (which premiers Friday at 9 p.m. on ABC), is breaking ground on a dream house in Claremont next month. He’s especially excited to be an Englishman achieving the American Dream. Ed and his wife would not mind Pardon…