I'm open from 2-5 PM today just for you.
So if you're skipping the beach or the park or the traffic on the 5, come on over to Silver Ridge Avenue for a little tour. My pictures are pretty, yes. But nothing is better than seeing me in person. Honestly, what's better than touring open houses in Silver Lake on Labor Day weekend? I can't think of anything. Nothing at all.
Open House
Today (Sunday, August 31)
2-5 PM
2471 Silver Ridge Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90039
This morning as the sun rose up over the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance, I admired the light splashing around my living room. I felt good. Clean. And then it hit me. I have been clean for two whole weeks straight! My owners have never fussed so consistently over me than these last two weeks. Dishes get cleaned and put away immediately after use. Clutter is a dirty word of the past. Dust balls are promptly sucked up by the Dyson. Beds are made. Bathrooms scrubbed. Windows washed. I sparkle. It feels good. I look inviting. Appealing. Dazzling.
Perhaps you’re familiar with this phenomenon. I admit, it is a wonderful side effect to being ‘listed.’ The threat of a potential buyer walking through the house on any given day is enough to motivate even the laziest homeowner into action. Okay, so that was slightly judgemental. I know. Lazy is harsh. You homeowners are a busy bunch. It’s not laziness it’s busyness. Right? Whether it’s laziness or busyness or a mixture of both, the phenomenom still holds true.
In order to help them maintain my cleanliness, my owners have been following a tip passed along to them by Pam Weinert- a realtor from Barrington, Illinois (and my owner’s mom.)
Pam’s tip:
"Commit to keeping the house 5 minutes away from showing condition at all times!"
You could try this without putting your house on the market, but I think the fear of people walking through is what makes it so effective. Nobody wants strangers to think they’re lazy. And when you’re selling a house (this couldn’t be more obvious) you want it to look its best.
But, I suppose if you need something to really motivate you to clean your home without going so far as putting it on the market, you could throw a dinner party. At least it will be clean for a few hours. And that’s better than never. Your house will thank you for it.
Pam Weinert- Re/Max of Barrington (Illinois)
I'm often asked by other houses in other parts of the country what I like about being a house in Los Angeles, California. Well, aside from the obvious answer (I never get buried in snow) one of my favorite aspects is the fact that it's a wonderful place to grow an edible garden. As part of my garden renovation, I was given a small vegetable and herb garden tucked into a nice L shape behind the built-in seating in the dining area. Not only is it attractive, it's also fragrant and delicious.
My owners, having never attempted a garden like this before, planted a variety of herbs and vegetables including:
Tomatoes (including the delicious Sunsugar cherry tomato variety pictured in the photo)
Japanese Eggplant
Edamame (sadly this didn’t survive)
Zucchini
Italian Purple Basil
Green Basil
Swiss Chard
Lemongrass
Garlic Chives
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary
Cilantro
Arugula
Greek Oregano
My owners are over the moon about being able to grow the food they eat… especially as first-timers. Over the summer, they’ve used ingredients from the garden to make fabulous salads, gazpacho, chimichurri sauce and vegetable kabobs. They’ve tried new things including eating squash flowers- that they chopped up and baked them into a fritatta. They ate more aruglua this summer than all the arugula they’ve eaten in their entire lives. They can’t get over the deliciousness of their tomatoes. And the fact that they grew them themselves. In my backyard. In my soil.
I credit the soil. The climate. The climate controlled irrigation system. California. Whatever it is, this little veggie/herb garden is flourishing- as evidenced by the fresh tomato and basil salad pictured above. Delicious. (So I hear.)
It does make me proud to provide like that. A garden that gives vegetables. A tranquil place to relax and eat said vegetables. Last night, after enjoying the salad seated at the outdoor dining area, my owners then enjoyed a glass of wine by the fire. And they were happy. I could tell. They were smiling. And staring at the flame.
You may think I’m just a house. But I’m so much more than that. I’m a home. A sanctuary.
(By the way, a great resource for Southern California gardeners is Sunset Magazine. Click Here)
The tree, that is. I used to have a dead tree in my side yard. It's gone now. Thank you very much. One of the first things my owners did was remove that dead tree. Stephanie Bartron did the rest. She posted this fantastic before and after image of my landscape renovation on her blog.
So today I made a troubling discovery. I have a Google alert set up in my name and today Google alerted me that I'm being rented for $7500 a month on Craigslist. Yep. There's a posting there and everything. This was, of course, news to me. So I checked with my owners and they were equally mystified. Hmmmm. What sort of a scam might this be? I'm still waiting to hear back from the abuse department at Craigslist. That sounds wrong. Abuse department. The e-mail address is actually abuse@craigslist.org. Anyway...
For anyone out there looking for housing for rent in Silver Lake, do NOT respond to the craigslist posting that says I'm available for $7500 a month. It's a LIE!!
UPDATE: Since this was first posted, Craigslist flagged the bogus posting for removal. They were ever so quick to respond to my e-mail. Still, I wonder who it was that was trying to rent me out. Perhaps an interested buyer who was testing the Craigslist rental market in a uniquely unethical manner? Perhaps. Now that the post is gone, I'm feeling slightly less violated.
UPDATE 2: It seems this Craigslist thing could be another Nigerian scam. Just found this story about it: "Homeowners, Realtors Angry Over Rental Scam On Craigslist"
Hello, welcome. Come on in!
TODAY- SUNDAY, AUGUST 17TH FROM 2-5 PM is Open House # 2. The first one (last Sunday) brought 25 people through to check me out. I'm enjoying the attention, actually. Between the showings and the open houses, close to 80 people have been by to see me in the last week. We'll see what today brings. Could it be you?
Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 12th from 7 - 9 PM you are invited to meet me in all my twinkly splendor during the TWILIGHT OPEN HOUSE.
What will you see if you come? Well, me, of course. And my views of the hills at sunset, the sparkle of the city lights, the flame from the fire pit dancing around in the back yard and my stunningly lit landscaping. Come check me out in person while I'm still available. I'm just sayin'.
Also, you can tour me virtually by clicking here: Virtual Tour
Let me just say this. I didn't begin this blog as a sales tool to help attract my new owners (whoever the luckies may be.) I began it to show the world what it's like for a house to become a home. To brag about my transformation. I mean, I did go through it.... the least I could do is blog about it. Those swans got their own reality show. All I'm asking for is a little corner of the interweb to share my insights and display my before and after pictures. And yes, okay, maybe I was hoping to attract Steven Spielberg. Like I said in a previous post, it's only natural for a house in the City of Angels (especially one with a view of the Hollywood sign) to dream about becoming a star.
But, between the time I began blogging and now, things have changed. My owners have chosen to put me on the market. Why, I'll never understand. I'm a house. I can see the world around me from the street below to the snow capped mountains in the distance (snow capped in the winter. Not now, obviously) and everything in between. There's a lot to see and even more to understand. But enough about that. You just want the facts. You want to know my price, my square footage, whether or not appliances are included (they are, by the way, and they're all stainless steel and high end. Viking Range, anyone?,) do I have central air and heat (yes!) and all that stuff. So, without further ado, I give you my official MLS Listing Sheet:
This is the LANDSCAPING AFTER post you've all been waiting for. I'm sure you've all been waiting for it, right? Well, you've already seen some pics in previous posts of the landscaping "after." There are the pictures of what I look like decorated for a baby shower, and what I look like outside at night by the fire pit. Awesome, right?
Well, let me tell you a little about how I got so pretty. It wasn't by the dirt and sweat of my owners, let me tell you. They know nothing about gardening and construction and all that stuff. But they do know what they like and how to organize the resources to get it done. They're experts at that. The resource in this case was the cashola and the right designer.
(Sound the trumpet now)
Stephanie Bartron to the rescue!
Stephanie Bartron of SB Garden Design lives in the neighborhood. My owners found her through Barbara Bestor's book: "Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake." She and her team worked some magic and gave me the ultimate makeover.
Stephanie Bartron had great vision. It was her idea to remove the majority of the ugly planter to make room for a table and built in seating. Well, she had all the ideas, actually. Things I hadn't thought of myself. She designed an amazing space that everyone is thoroughly enjoying! It's, as they say in the real estate industry, an "entertainer's paradise"! Truly.
The cracked concrete patio became small gravel and the perfect location for the fire pit (as you can see in the nighttime photo.) My owners love to sit out there with friends at night and stare at the flame. I don't get the appeal, personally. Staring at fire, I mean. Probably because I'm a house and fire is my enemy. But the humans like it. As long as it's enjoyed at a safe distance from me, I guess I'm okay with it.
Anyway, back to the yard. Where the dead tree and dirt slope used to be is now lush long "never-mow" grass. Stephanie calls it the "bad hair cut" grass. Everyone loves it for its lushness and low-maintenance quality. That's Pablo there in the picture. Pablo is the beast on fours that calls me home. He loves that grass.
Don't you love all the bamboo? It's of the clumping variety, by the way. They went with the bamboo fence at the entrance... as you'll see in the picture of the stairs. That's how you get to me, by the way. Through the bamboo gate, down the stairs to the front door. That fencing you see was custom made. Custom= expensive. That's what I hear. But I sure love the design. Thank you, owners, for splurging on that. It's not only safe, but also striking and unobtrusive.
Okay, enough about me blabbing on and on about my makeover. I'll just bullet-point the rest.
So here are some of the highlights:
*Installed a Weathermatic Irrigation System
*New retaining walls
*Poured concrete
*Concrete spacers
*Built-in grill with spacious concrete serving counter
*Built-in concrete seating
*New bamboo fence and gate
*New, bigger and safer landing at entrance
*Beautiful gas fire pit in gravel "lounging area"
*Custom railings
*New deck (to replace the dilapidated eye sore that came before)
*Architectural, drought-resistant landscaping
*Built-in lighting in the stairs
*up lights
*pendant lights over the outdoor dining area
*vegetable and herb garden
It looks like my 15 minutes of fame have begun! Curbed LA blogged about me and my blog today! Someone even responded and gave me a gold star. I think they might have been being sarcastic, but then I'm a house and don't know much about sarcasm. But I do know what Dr. Horrible would say: "Wow, sarcasm. That's original."
Still a gold star is a gold star.
Check it out:
Curbed LA
P.S. I will post my selling price and more details by the end of today.
P.S.S. The Address that Curbed LA has links correctly, but there's an error. The 4 & the 7 were reversed. It's 2471
I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos of the good times had here. The memories documented here include:
*Thanksgiving 2008
*The Gausselin Baby Shower
*Hanging out in the backyard by the fire with friends and wine
If anyone out there has pics of good memories at 2471 Silver Ridge they want to share, now is the time!
Thanks for the good times, all!
Well... it's true. My owners are putting me on the market. I'm a bit disappointed in them, but they assure me that they'll miss me tremendously and that it is with mixed emotions that they're doing this. I'll miss them so much. They've taken such great care of me and given me so many upgrades. But, they tell me that there's someone else out there who will appreciate me even more.
And here's the thing. I KNOW I'm special. Everyone knows it. But it's still hard to be let go like this.
I suppose as soon as we have the first open house (this Sunday, August 10th) I'll feel better as people go gaga over me. And they will. I'm sure of it. I'll be using this blog to post information about the sale and how you can come see me and all that.
Apparently my owners are still finalizing everything, but they do plan on having the first open house on Sunday, August 10th (not sure of the hours,) the first Realtors tour on Tuesday during the day and a Tuesday Twilight Open house to dazzle everyone with my brilliance on Tuesday, August 12th in the evening. More details to come.
For now, here's a little description of all that I am:
A stunning mid-century modern view home in the Silver Lake Hills
This 1958 Mid-Century Modern 3 + 1.75 + bonus room and detached garage is situated on a street-to-street lot in the Silver Lake Hills and features Million dollar Panoramic views of Griffith Park, Griffith Park Observatory, Hollywood Sign, San Gabriel Mountains, Treetop, City Lights, Surrounding Silver Lake Hills, Beautiful sunrise, sunsets and moonrise views, Mid-Century Modern architecture, open concept kitchen/living/dining room, beautiful hardwood floors throughout, lots of light, brand new designer kitchen with Caesar Stone countertops and a large island/breakfast bar, high-end appliances, a 40 foot long balcony that spans the length of the house, a large original wood burning brick fireplace, brand new closets and a fabulous outdoor oasis with architectural drought-resistant landscaping, built-in lighting, Weathermatic Irrigation System, perfect for entertaining including built-in grill and concrete seating, beautiful fire pit and bamboo fencing. Walking distance to the Red Lion, Gingergrass, Silver Lake Wine Store, Starbucks, Ralph's, The Coffee Table and the new (currently in progress) Silver Lake library!! Near the 2 and the 5, minutes from Elysian Park, Dodger Stadium and a ten-minute drive to downtown, Eagle Rock, Glendale and Pasadena.
PRICE? Well, you'll have to check back to find out. Like I said, this is all very preliminary. But if I had my wish I wouldn't let them sell me off for less than one million dollars. That's what I'm worth. But, not in this market, they say. So someone is going to get me for a song. Could it be you?
Colin & Rebecca from RST + 73 Construction (the wonderful couple responsible for my kitchen transformation) have uploaded our project to their site. Check it out. There are more pictures of the kitchen. And if you move the cursor over the pics, you'll get a little information. Once you enter their site, click on Silverlake III and lo and behold, there I am.
www.rst73.com
I used to have a less than desirable exterior. Here I am before and during the transformation:
My retaining walls were buckling, a ginormous planter monopolized valuable entertaining space, a dead tree flanked my side, my concrete patio looked as though someone had taken a jackhammer to it and stopped after deciding it wasn't worth it, railroad ties serving as stairs were falling, my staircase and rickety fence were growing more and more precarious, my entry way was less than appealing, my side yard was just dirt and weeds and my hillside was overrun by relentless Morning Glory...
There was space. But it was ugly. My exterior did not represent my beautiful interior. No one had cared for my exterior in a long time.
My current owners saw the potential and got an expert (who happens to be a neighbor) to help execute the vision.
Stay tuned for the "after"...
Colin and Rebecca from RST Design + 73 Construction stripped me down to my bones and started from scratch. Here are some of the things they did (in non-technical terms):
-Installed open shelving
-Built an island
-Counter tops= Caesar Stone
-Removed the water heater and replaced it with a Tankless (energy efficient) water heater in another location
-Removed the old cabinets & replaced with open shelving and new cabinetry
-Removed the beam, half wall and opened up the kitchen to the living/dining allowing more light and a loft/ open concept feel.
-Used bright colors.
-Replaced the black linoleum with hard wood to match the original hardwood floors in the living/dining room
-installed ceiling lights
-built a floating custom countertop/desk
The result? A beautiful space that emphasizes the amazing views and serves as a highly functioning kitchen where everyone gathers & people cook more often. A term that seems to be used all the time on design shows is "open concept" and it does apply here. Removing the wall that separated the kitchen from the dining/living area created a much more open loft-like space... now when someone's in the kitchen cooking, they're still a part of the rest of the house and the conversations that are happening in the living/dining areas.
Colin and Rebecca did and amazing job!
Not a day goes by that I don't brag to myself about how awesome my kitchen is.
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