Another "This is a house" thread:

[Rick Lee]

I wasn't joking. I really don't mind the heat. People told me it takes a few summers to get used to it. I liked it right away. I just wish it weren't so uncomfortable for riding. I can visit LA and you can visit Phoenix anytime.

[JayG]

That house is very Great Gatsby. Good many of those in the Vining area of metro Atlanta.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by mike55

out of curiosity, what's a house like that sell for in LA? have the prices for something like this fallen with the rest of the market?

I don't know what this house is worth on today's market, but I can find out roughly by looking at other listings in the area. It is not the most expensive dirt in L.A., that would be in Santa Monica, Malibu or Bel Aire. The point is that he bought it in the mid-'90s, and every house in L.A. quadrupled in price between 1995 and 2005. This one definitely did, at least. He's not moving and has a substantial income, so it's academic. It would be one of my favorite places to live in town, for sure. (Neighborhood).

[Evans, Marv]

What an awsome place! You can take pride in saying you contributed to such a work of art.

[Sarc]

Great photos, Denis. I always look forward to reading about these gems you get to see up close, and the photos provide a great snapshot into an era of design and construction that cannot be duplicated (without an insane amount of budget)
Hancock Park is just one of the stops I need to make if I ever get to SoCal. Speaking of Hancock Park, are you familiar at all with the mansion that's currently undergoing restoration on the (if you're familiar) Bravo show Flipping Out? I'd love to get the scoop on that house as well.

[t951]

Incredible! Someone already said it here....quality and craftsmanship never go out of style....

What kind of price range is a house like that in? $10m? 20m?

[rcooled]

I absolutely love the Hancock Park area. Last time my wife & I were in LA, we spent a few hours just walking up & down the blocks to admire all the magnificent homes. We always wondered what the interiors of places like that would be like. Now we have a little idea...thanks for the peek inside.

Last time we looked, houses in that area were selling in the $4-$5M range. I'm sure there are some going for quite a bit more, too

Denis...do you know if the Hancock Park area ever hosts any historic home tours or designer showcases? These are sometimes done as fundraisers to benefit charities or to showcase interior design contractors. We attended one in the Greystone Mansion last year that was fantastic.

This is one of my favorite homes in the area...at the corner of South Hudson & West 4th.
What a grand place....

[speeder]

The really big, magnificent houses in HP are in the $8-10m range. The house in my first "this is a house" thread is on the market right now for $8 million, if not mistaken. She might be dreaming because it needs $1 million put into the interior decorating, IMO. It's all at least 50 years old inside and it looks it. Re-doing the insides of these houses right w/ furnishings, art, drapes, refinishing everything, etc. would cost an absolute fortune.

[speeder]

Tomorrow I'll post some pics of the finished job.

[Brillo]

Incredible workmanship. Thanks for posting.

[speeder]

First phase is done. All of the windows and doors were prepped pretty extensively, even thought the metal windows were in great shape they were sanded glass smooth and treated to prevent corrosion on the bottoms. One of the keys to doing good paint work on trim is to avoid or remove excess build-ups of old finish, at the very least it destroys the lines and details and makes doors and windows not fit well. I try to remove at least as much material as I'm putting back on, which in this case was a thin coat of primer and 1+ coat of oil paint. One of the reasons for doing this job now in CA. is the dwindling availability of good oil-based paints and finishes. This is Dunn-Edwards Syn Lustro which was the existing finish, only available in quarts now. Someday soon it will be gone completely. I mix it with a small amount of linseed oil and Penetrol + thin it slightly to make it flow better and "glass-out", ie. brush marks disappear shortly after lifting brush.

Gotta run to work but here are some pics for anyone who wanted to see them, these french windows are incredible. The top surface that is like a little *ceiling* is solid steel as is the rest except for the casings which are wood.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Very nice work Denis! I'm glad to see that craftsmanship hasn't totally dissappeared.

[speeder]

Some before/after stuff:




Pantry door:




Pocket door:

[Dan in Pasadena]

Denis, I will also add kudos for being well....just as OCD as I am! Beautiful work. You deserve every cent you get for this dedicated work. I'm glad there are still people willing/able to pay what it costs to get the quality of work you do. I too would take everyting apart and polish it to the nth degree.

Just curious, you aren't clear coating the polished brass at all? Is it you or the owner that wants the darkened patina of age? Is clear coating a faux pas to you?

Side question, I too use a bit of Penetrol in oil paints to get it to flow out nicely but I have not found Floetrol (for latex paint) to do much of anything. I don't really LIKE latex paint, but increasingly have to use it. A friend told me about some way of making it flow out nice and I remember it was an oddball liqiud he added to it, but it escpaes me now....not sure if it was acetone, vinegar, ??? It is something you immediately think would NOT be right. Wondering if you have any suggestions for making latex work as well (as it can be made to flow that is)

[john70t]

Nice house and craftsmanship Dennis!
+1 on the floetrol. It didn't seem to do anything but speed the drying time.

[David]

What a cool house!

I can't imagine ever being able to own something like that, but I do imagine traveling the country or world in my retirement just to look at some of the cool old houses out there.

[VINMAN]

Great work Dennis! Nothing burns me more, than seeing beautiful hardware and trim covered in layers of paint!

[john70t]

Not meaning to highjack. Thought you'd like some before/after pics of one of some work I did.


-Poly'd the floor with Miniwax semi-gloss
-Black laquered the register and door hardware
-Cleaned up many layers of flaked paint from window trim
-Recreated the baseboard with scraps from the basement, and filled in a ~4in gap with spackle(could also have used bondo but I was in a hurry)
-Painted with "churchill hotel wheat" from lowes. "Hotel lace" went in the other rooms.
-Added coved crown moulding
-Belt sanded doors to match shifting walls. Belt sanded parts of the wall as well.
-more