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 Carl Balton still remembers how he spent one particular Christmas Day — alone, miserable and working on his just-purchased first house, a 1928 Mar Vista fixer-upper.
On that day, the tiny, run-down house was vacant, cold and dreary. Rain puddled ankle deep outside, and winds blasted open the French doors he had just installed. Balton said he recalled staring at his 1-foot-high decorated pine tree and thinking: "So, Carl, how do you feel about the house you just paid half a million dollars for? How does it feel to be a homeowner?"
The answers to those questions would be much more upbeat by the following Valentine's Day, when he moved in — after completing a $25,000 remodel that included new paint inside and out, new landscaping, a new tiled porch and arbor, a new side porch and French doors, mended interior walls and ceilings, refinished floors, extensive moldings, new lighting fixtures, new hardware and a completely redone bathroom.
Balton had rented a unit in a Santa Monica triplex for 12 years, enjoying a garden and ocean breezes, when he decided to take the leap into homeownership. He looked at more than 100 homes during his six-month search and was outbid on several of them.
The day his real estate agent sent him to look at a 1,100-square foot, Spanish-style, two-bedroom, one-bathroom fixer, Balton wasn't optimistic. It was "caravan day," when local agents drive around to see homes recently put on the market, and he noticed the agents entering and leaving the house quickly.
At first, he thought it might have been the pink stucco that repelled them. Or the tilting front porch wall or cheesy awning. Inside, he figured it could have been the cracked ceilings or trashed bathroom.
 But when Balton reached the darkened kitchen, he understood why the agents didn't linger. There, in the breakfast nook, were 12 large aquariums, four across and three high, housing snakes. The room's windows were taped up with aluminum foil to provide the snakes the gloomy habitat they prefer.
Balton, however, didn't run from the kitchen. Instead, he pulled out his tape measure, leaned over the aquariums and measured the nook. He realized that, at 12-by-16 feet, this was a pretty good-sized kitchen. In addition, other qualities of the home appealed to him: the tile roof, wood floors hidden underneath old carpeting and the barrel ceiling in the living room.
That evening he put in an offer, and by the end of the week the deal was done. Taking advantage of his stellar credit, Balton was able to buy the house for $505,000 with 100% financing. "It's the ultimate leverage," he said.
See how the remodeling dollars were spent
Continue reading "Why does Carl Balton look so proud? Maybe it's his $25,000, 2-month remodel" »
 Here's where the money went for Carl Balton's Mar Vista remodel, featured in a previous post:
Electrician: $1,060
Plumber: $550 (plus one snake aquarium)
Wood floor refinishing: $1,300
Trash hauling: $270
Friends' labor: $3,734
Bathroom fixtures, vanity: $2,000
Tile and countertop: $1,260
Tile setter: $660
Bathroom counter: $800
Shower curtain and track: $295
Bathroom materials: $703
French door: $1,605
Interior paint, moldings: $1,754
Fireplace repair: $1,600
Lighting: $767
Exterior paint: $812
Landscaping: $2,656
Ironwork, cabinetry : $614
Construction materials: $2,680
Total: $25,120
 Earlier this year, the so-called Solar Umbrella house — designed by owners and architects Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa and built by Above Board Construction in West Los Angeles — won a 2007 Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.
The innovative house is hard to describe and luckily it's built in Venice where pretty much anything goes. The house started out its life in the 1920s as a 650-square-foot house on a 40-foot-by-100-foot lot, and was transformed by the couple into a two-story, 1,900-square-foot vision of light and sustainability. The house takes its name from the 90 solar panels that wrap around the south wall and roof, and which provide the home's energy needs. Even though the house sits in a sea of one-story bungalows, the couple claim that not one of the neighbors complained about the taller building, in part perhaps because it seems more air than structure.
 You can see from the architects' model on the right how the new portion of the house was built around the existing structure.
Here are comments from the AIA judges: “Successfully brings the outside in . . . Quality of light is wonderful . . . Sustainable materials are used as a design opportunity . . . It’s sustainable and beautiful . . . There is a sense of humor and experimentation to the design elements . . . Delightful – a place where you can see yourself raising your family and enjoying life . . . Multi sensory experience with the interesting use of materials – texture of the walls, water, globes – all delight the senses . . . Successful without being pretentious.”
See the pictures and read the story.
(Photos: Pugh + Scarpa)
 Visitors are flocking (at the rate of 70 per week, if that's a flock) to western Riverside County to check out the new homes built by KB Home and designed by Martha Stewart, as reported by the L.A. Times Real Estate section.
The homes reflect the East Coast vibe of Martha's homes in New York, Connecticut and Maine.
But you can create some of that same Eastern juju in your own home with paint and moldings. That's what agent and producer Richard G. Murphy did in his rather charmless North Hollywood bungalow. As an East Coast transplant, Richard pined for the look and feel of his childhood, but finds L.A. best for his career.
 Richard added some East Coast to his home thanks to a clever housewarming present from an employer — the services of the employer’s handyman for a week. For several days, Richard and the handyman cut and installed crown and baseboard moldings in the dining room, hallway, and bedrooms.
Every room also got chair rail molding, and boxed "picture frame" moldings on the lower walls. When painted a glossy bone china color from Dunn Edwards, the areas from the chair rail down give the impression of expensive wood paneling (shown in these photos).
However, “It’s all paint and molding,” Richard explains. “I just call it theater.” Though Richard takes his design cues from Ralph Lauren, Martha would still be proud of what he's done.
(Photos: KPR)
 Working with limited funds, Donna Sider was able to green up her Pasadena Craftsman bungalow, as was reported this week in the L.A. Times.
Snider's investments include:
• $6,250 — photovoltaic system (pictured, including $6,400 in rebates)
• $500 — tankless water heater
• $500 — Energy Star refrigerator (including $150 rebate)
• $770 — cotton attic insulation (including $130 rebate)
• $2,500 — replacing eight leaky louvered windows with energy-efficient, dual-pane windows
(Costs are approximate)
Greening a house makes it more comfortable and environmentally friendly, and saves money. Snider says she once paid $200 every two months for water and power, and now pays about $40 for the same period.
Check out this page for resources and rebate information.
See more green remodeling
Ideas? Thoughts? Send story ideas to podblog@aol.com.
 Not enough drama in your own remodel?
Bravo's new show, Flipping Out, will fill in the gap. The show premieres Tuesday and "follows the antics of one of Los Angeles' most colorful real estate speculators, Jeff Lewis," the website says. "It takes a special kind of personality to handle flipping six multimillion-dollar houses at one time, but Lewis, an obsessive-compulsive successful businessman, pulls it off and turns a six-figure profit on every property."
He has a wacky team to help him, including an assistant/actress/rapper who does voiceovers, his former boyfriend, and a cadre of therapists and spiritual advisors. And remember: no giggling during the house blessing! Yup, only in L.A.
To get tuned up for the new show, take the flipping IQ test. Here's the first question:
Q: You just purchased a small one-bedroom Mid-century-modern house in Malibu for $900,000. Great location, but it needs some work to transform it into a luxury home for profit. You have $500,000 to spend. Where do you start with the renovations?
Take the test and watch the first episode to see how this guy "found a business that validates and celebrates" his OCD. Warning: It's easy to get sick of this guy who states that "you either live like me or want to live like me." Uh, not. But the show is addictive. And that's an L.A. kind of thing.
Comments? Thoughts? Send your reviews on other home shows to podblog@aol.com.
 The Journal of Light Construction (one of the best contractor magazines, and one I occasionally write for) asked contractors to reveal the best and worst parts of their jobs. Their answers give clues to how they think:
From John Morrissey: The best part is the design aspect of the project, interacting with the client as to their needs and desires, and putting those into a workable design. The part I could do without is chasing money and all the excuses for non payment.
From Joe Doove: Best part of the job is the early morning before everyone starts making noise and the dust. I like to get to the jobsite before everyone else and take a walk through the jobsite. I find this time gives me a chance to clear my thought for the day ahead and see thing from a different angle. It's amazing what become simplistic that otherwise seemed complicated the day before during the congestion and grind through out the day before. The part of my job that I could do with out is the stress and daily tension I pickup from fellow colleagues and subcontractors. It's hard to stay focused when others around you are clearly at their wit's end.
From Martin J. Kennedy: Best: variety of work and work environments. Making clients happy, especially helping older home owners. Worst: cheap condescending owners who treat you like a registered sex offender.
Read more good and bad.
Past surveys: Scheduling subcontractors • • Top 10 construction defects • • Qualifying clients
 Question: I would like to know just how dangerous carpet is in terms of releasing harmful odors or formaldehyde in the air. Is it something to be concerned about? We are redoing our kids' room and want to put carpet in. What do I look for in a "environmental" carpet? — Jeff
Answer: From Karen Feeney, green resources manager, Allen Associates, Santa Barbara:
Carpeting is one of the biggest contributors to poor indoor air quality in the home. New wall-to-wall carpeting, including the backing and glues used to install it, may all release gases that can irritate the skin or promote respiratory problems, including asthma attacks and allergic reactions in some people. Over time, these toxins lose power, only to be replaced by another health hazard — the mold and dust mites that find a home in the carpeting. Molds also release chemicals into the air that can make you feel very tired or sick.
The carpeting industry is becoming more aware of these health issues. Many carpet manufacturers have reduced their formaldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and are making carpets with recycled content as well as less toxic materials.
Continue reading "Ask a Green Builder: What kind of carpeting is healthy for a kids' room?" »
Actually, it's not a riddle, but a true story about a guy who knows all about construction, and who has worked in building for years, who nevertheless hires a general contractor to orchestrate his own Pasadena remodel.
The following explanation of this phenomenon was sent in by John Beaty, who wrote a terrific guide to finding a general contractor for this blog. When I asked him why he, of all people, would be willing to pay for the services of a "GC" as they are called in the business, he wrote this:
Why do I look for a general contractor? Two major reasons:
1) Because if I wanted to be a GC, I'd want to get paid like one. :-) I need to earn a living, not chase after subs and materials.
2) Because a good GC has relationships with the subs who do the actual work, and I can't get the same quality without investing the same time into their relationships that the GC has. (emphasis mine)
And I have acted as my own GC (my remodel in New York was one example) but that just means I'm working two jobs. I still show up on site every day, sometimes twice, I check all electrical and plumbing before the walls are closed up, I measure wall switches, I know what sheetrock should look like, etc. But being new to Pasadena, I don't have a list of specialty contractors (subs) that I can depend on. That means I have to individually interview, etc.
Like the man said, the attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client. I'm really in agreement with that. I can get just as caught up in the minutiae of the job as any homeowner, and having a good GC can help you avoid the "feature creep" inherent in remodeling. In addition, they help set and keep budgets, they know what inspectors are looking for and in general, keep the job MOVING. I have rarely regretted paying the GC's fee. (Although there was this one guy . . . .)
Thanks for the insight, John. The reason I've elevated this comment to a full posting is that I've interviewed many homeowners who took on the role of general contractors themselves, and they had no idea how difficult and consuming it would be. I just want people to know it's a very challenging task. And when you don't have a longstanding relationship with subcontractors, you are not generally their first priority.
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