18 months ago we purchased a home that was built in 1990 as an exact copy of a 1910 Montecito (Santa Barbara area) Spanish Colonial. The 1990 building plans were meticulously copied from the original plans, exceptions being that is was wired, plumbed etc to 1990 building codes.
The prior owner used nothing but the best craftsmen to build the main house, and their quality work shows through to this day. Unfortunately, when they completed the house and departed the job site, the quality work ended there.
We spend a huge amount of time outdoors in So Cal., and at our prior home we had a nice, solid roof patio and outdoor kitchen for entertaining and for everyday use. But at our latest home it was anything but solid. The wood was rotted, and the owner had used some kind of corrugated fiberglass roof, and since it was almost level, it leaked. Badly. Further, there was little to no room under the roof because it was small and because of the stoops outside the french doors.
The forlorn patio:
Where we moved from and what we'd become used to at our last home (Realtor's sales photos):
