Thursday, June 30, 2005

Fruits of Our Labor

I had to have my first entry focus on the project that consumed my life for the last few years. So after over 3 years of hard work we finally moved into our new home this past February in Topanga, CA. A short time line of events rolls out like this:

  • Purchase property in Oct 2001 and close escrow in July 2002.
  • Plans begin August 2002 and the first submittal to LA County in March 2003.
  • Receive permits in October 2003 and start building in December 2003.
  • House completed January 2005 with move in February 2005.

Definitely not a lean process but well worth the wait. A few specs on our home:

  • The property is .82 acres with a flat building pad and some hillside.
  • The house is just under 2100 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms.
  • We have a 400 sq. ft. detached garage(basically 2 car garage).
  • Propane, and septic system(no sewer) with water, electricity, phone and cable run from the street.
  • Good views on the Santa Monica Mountains.

I have added just a few photos so you can see the finished product. I'll add more later but with over 800 photos taken since we started there are just a few to choose from. The first photo is a view of the front of our house from the guests parking area.

Front of House

This photo of the back of our house is taken a you come down the driveway. You can see our front stairs on the top left with the propane tank at the top. The retaining wall for the upper hillside which runs along the driveway pretty much around the entire house.

Down the Driveway

This photo is a view from our property just behind the master bedroom. Future plans are to put a patio on this spot. Great place to relax and enjoy being outside.

View of Topanga

As I said I will post more photos later. One of the best things about the house is being able tohave visitors. So you're all welcome if you get up the Topanga way.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

The First Brick

OK....after a few folks kept nagging me about staring a BLOG I've finally made it to the first entry or brick as we call it in my house. We'll keep it short and sweet today until we can gear up for meaningful entries.