Before the demolition crew arrives to tear out your old kitchen in favor a new one, consider this: How are you going to eat with no kitchen? Val and Bernie Van De Yacht (left) collected a stack of restaurant menus before their North Hollywood project started, and Val said it seemed like a vacation. Two…
Have you seen the “yin yang deck” at the L.A. County Arboretum? If you’re heading to the L.A. Garden Show this weekend, you really should check it out. The deck was built by Julia and Dave Bodell of The Wood Master in Tustin. (Click photo to enlarge.) The lower part of the deck revolves around…
If you’re a serial remodeler, you’ve likely got half-full cans of latex paint around house. What to do with it? CNN reports on two cities, San Francisco and Miami, who take in extra latex paint, mix like colors together, and give it away. Here’s another idea, from Santa Monica decorator (and my friend) Kitty Bartholomew:…
In retrospect, a young couple reported on today in “‘Dream house’ collapses on Sunnyside hill” should have hired experts to shore up the 1910 home’s crumbling foundation. Check out these photos of the collapsed fixer-upper in the San Francisco Chronicle. As one neighbor opined, the couple “may have gotten in over their heads.” Fortunately, no…
Are you overwhelmed, confused, paralyzed with indecision? It sounds like you’re trying to make selections for your remodel. For instance, should you select Andersen windows for the brand recognition? Or Marvin, which are good for custom projects? Or Milgard because they’re not too expensive and are good quality? Or Jeld-Wen because of the myriad choices?…
I’ve been writing about remodeling for 17 years, and so you can imagine the contractor horror stories I’ve heard. But I’m interested in what happened before the contractor was hired. Were there no warnings? No indications? No red flags? I’m convinced that there were, and that those signs were ignored, glossed over, excused. Maybe you…
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) AIA Los Angeles AIA Pasadena-Foothill AIA Long Beach-South Bay AIA San Fernando Valley AIA Orange County AIA Inland California AIA San Diego AIA Ventura County AIA Santa Barbara AIA California Central Coast AIA Golden Empire National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) NARI California At-large Members NARI San Diego…
Check on a contractor’s license status City of Los Angeles Dept. of Building and Safety (LADBS) LADBS Home Owners Guide to Additions and Remodeling (PDF) LADBS Plan Check and Permit Fees Estimation LADBS Priority Plan Check for Green Building Projects LADBS Report a Property Violation Los Angeles County Building Codes and Permits Los Angeles County…
321
Doing It Yourself • Finish one project before you start another. In the middle of installing our new floors, my husband and his father built new cabinets in the dining room. So now we’re trying to get the cabinets stained and the floors done and we’re behind schedule on everything else because now nothing is…
Save $130 on this Espresso Wood with Tiffany Style Shade Floor Lamp (29493) from LampsPlus.com. Use code AFFSP1 at checkout.
Solar-Powered String Lights These solar-powered string lights are available in green and white. Since they aren't tethered to an outlet, they can be used virtually anywhere. Use them in your yard all year-round to light up a favorite tree, outline an arbor, or wrap a porch railing. Each string is 36 feet long and has…