Inspiraration

before i started on this journey i came across this book at Cliff's Books in Pasadena. one of the few great used bookstores left in the world. it's a book of plans and ideas for houses ranging from 2000 square feet and down. quite modest by today's McMansion super size me world of overindulgence. most were 1100-1400 square feet and ranging anywhere from $8-15 dollars per square foot, yes, that is correct. pretty amazing when most houses sell for $500 per in the SoCal area. the house were designed by such imminent architects as Neutra and Craig Elwood. it's a great time capsule of design sensibilities when modern architecture was becoming more accepted and common place. the whole idea behind it was simplicity and smarter use of materials.

the Fence

the ground is always soft and rich and about as easy to cut as butter in the pictures you see in how-to books. the reality is...a little different. i came across this rock when digging the fence post that was bigger than my head. you can see the old fence and the new one going up. the new one was made from fiberglass panels. my dad made one similar on their old house and i thought it would look good here. ignore the gate, that will get changed out as well. with the fence done the elements that don't fit are really starting to stand out.

the Vine

the first order of business was to take down all the vine that had grown over in a years time. it was actually working it was into the house! it reminded me of story, "the Ruins" by Scott Smith. an excellent read from the author of " A Simple Plan".

Begining

the backstory was this house was bought to be torn down and a McMansion built in it's place. fortunately for me the owners plans fell thru and the Greek Gods of Architecture thought someone else needed to restore the house to it's Mid-Century glory instead. this blog is that story. an ongoing adventure into home restoration. cue the music.