Westside Story

the move happened smoothly, only one vase and my camera are toast and there are a few weeks left before school. All is well.

Friday the construction fence comes down!. A new record-breaking almost whole house remodel. We took possession in January and we are moving in in less than a week. Our thanks to a stellar architect- Oscar McGraw who navigated the Palisades Architectural review and the city permitting process with aplomb and alacrity and to John Byrne Construction- a general contractor with our budget and timeline firmly in mind it has been a pleasure to work with these talented gentlemen. Pictures coming soon. Now I need a landscape planner to turn our new front and back yards into water-wise and properly draining beds and we will be in business!

The new soaking tub roughed-in, with a view of the rooftops and telephone wires. I'm seriously NOT complaining. This spot used to be counted as a bedroom.

Doors and Landscaping next!

is scheduled for FRIDAY! Electrical walkthrough was this Saturday and the new subpanel is in. The low voltage stuff and cable runs are happening today and tomorrow. It won't be the fanciest house on the block, but I'm going to have a real network!

1139 Summit Drive, bel Air is undergoing a little demolition and has donated tens of thousands of dollars of custom cabinetry and stuff to HFH. 23 pieces of the custom kitchen- $4,400, a marble countertop $40, a gorgeous vessel sink on an antique table conversion $200. If only I was ready for these things now!

Mission accomplished- class orientation is June 3. Construction is moving apace. Foundation and framing are mostly done. Our new windows arrived and are currently stacked in the dining room. I'm having fun picking tile and fixtures now

We owe the neighbors liquor, lots and lots of it. The construction fence went up and demolition commenced at 7am Monday. IT WILL CONTINUE 6 DAYS A WEEK. To meet the timeline, we need to do work six days a week, maximum hours. So sorry neighbors about the jackhammers on Saturday morning. We will try to get this part over with as quickly as possible.

The construction fence is supposed to go up today!

The soon to be demolished architectural amenities. See that fascia board? Leaf debris built up behind it and caused the gutters to back up and seep under the eaves. The wood wicked the moisture to the plaster. Oh and that stop sign of a window way up high leaks air like you wouldn't believe. It may actually be sealed with playdoh.

Ok , I'm exaggerating . But this process grinds so slowly and the go-go days of construction are OVER. A monthfor the architect and engineer, a month for the civic league, a month for the permits. Sheesh! Just rip out those bushes, cut a hole in the roof and build me my bedrooms already!

Note to self: check rain gutters periodically. Conifer debris and other random stuff fills the gutters pretty quickly and this has a poor effect on actual drainage. I now have a lovely pink plaster line where the water seeped back under the eaves at the roofline and soaked into the fabulous coved ceiling plasterwork. Sigh.

PPCL requires copies of your remodeling or construction plans along with landscaping plans to be distributed to your surrounding neighbors for comment before a brief hearing for approval. The approval in necessary before the LA building permit is issued- in fact, it is prudent to get PPCL approval before getting engineering and building permits. We passed first time through. Hallelujah! We won't be cutting down any trees, but we will be losing green lawn in the front and gaining some landscape along the side and back. We are estimating at least a month for permits, then demolition and concrete.

Moving is happening just swimmingly- although there are some plumbing issues to correct before we move in for good. Anon- we are very thankful that we can move in- we weighed the costs and it makes sense for us now, not two years from now. As for Westside Story- I'll update everyone when we start the process of negotiating with the PPCL regarding remodeling. I wonder how they feel about gargoyles and a moat?