We close on our new house this week

[Hometechdoc]

Here is the garage. For you architecture fans you can tell it is mellonthin house by the birdhouses. The house is over 130 feet long!!!! At the deepest, the bedroom wing, it is 58 feet deep.

 

[Hometechdoc]

Next Section

Here is the maids room and bath, den. Behind these rooms is the kitchen and laundry room.

 

[Hometechdoc]

Front Entry

Here is the entry and behind that is the living room and dining room combined with vaulted wood beamed ceilings. This room is 25 x 35. There are doors leading to a covered patio that also connects to the master bedroom and bath.

 

[Hometechdoc]

bedroom wing

Here there are four bedrooms and two baths

 

[Hometechdoc]

My Houseboy

Here is the man I will be sharing the house.

 

[Hometechdoc]

Another pic

Here he is again. Before I get the usual how young is he. He is actually older than me (by three months). Those latinos don't age. Here he is dressed in a confederate outfit. Yes he likes to play dress up. When my mother saw this she said to him. You look like you have a little German in you. Parents say the darndest things don't they!!

He has never logged onto this site, but everytime I have posted him here, he hears about it within two days. I am in DC and he is in CA this week, so I have no fear.

 

[scott55405]

Yay, more pictures! Won't be long now.

 

[rapunzel]

What a beautiful home. Congratulations on your purchase. Now tell me, is this style of home referred to as Californian bungalow or ranch style? And what of those small openings under the garage gable? Are they purely decorative, there for ventilation or do they have something to do with pidgeons? It is such neat touch. How come there is no guttering? Doesn't it rain where you live? Most importantly, the area where you purchased, have homes held their value relative to other parts of the country? Curious minds want to know.

I love American architecture. There actually is a company in Victoria that sells American homes.

http://www.homeside.com.au/index.html

 

[toggleswitch2]

CONGRATS!
All good things to you both in your new space!

 

[Hometechdoc]

Rapunzels Questions

Most people call these California Ranch style homes. The Bungalowa were usually smaller and had a more spanish flair. In the fifties sububurban spread the two common architectural styles were the California ranch styles which in some areas like the valley (San Fernando) were very colonial in nature, almost cottage like, and the mid century modern. The latter is much more common in Orange county than in Los Angeles. Although you can find them in the Hollywood Hills overlooking the city.

 

[petek]

Beautiful...what do you mean by 'you can tell its mellonthin by the birdhouses?

 

[rickr]

Congratulations! Looks like a beautiful home!

 

[rp2813]

Allen, that looks like a really nice home. What part of the valley did you end up in?

Ralph

 

[rp2813]

P.S.

Somebody really liked Japanese aralia.

 

[tuthill]

Don't default!

lol jk looks nice

 

[Washinsheen]

Beautiful home!

What a lovely home! You must be so excited! I've also known houses of this style to be called storybook homes, fairytale homes and dollhouses.

Congratulations!

 

[andyelectrolux]

Congratulations Allen! I'm so happy for you!

Are you going to put any Miele in the kitchen?

 

[animasinsulinpu]

Bewitched

Love your new house. It reminds me of the Bewitched house. Best of Luck!!!!.....Bill in Az....

 

[gocartwasher]

Great home you guys have

good find you haave!!!!
I alwase liked ranch style homes simple easy to maitain
Closing can be stressful but is over and easy thing to do.
I know I have purchaced my first home in 1987,and my second dream home in the countrywich is in the photo.
the house boy is pretty Wink

 

[Hometechdoc]

Pete, Ralph, and Andy

Pete, Mellonthen (sp?) was one of the primary home builders in the San Fernando Valley in the mid 50' to mid 60's. His homes are widely spread throughout Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Woodland Hills, Northridge and Granada Hills.

This is actually a little larger then his usuaal house, althought this house has had two additions, the far right two bedrooms (the second gable) and the master bath and closet were added in the 60's and 70's, but they did a pretty good job of maintaining the character. From my observation and what others have told me, his characteristics were

- the birdhouses over the garage, which (I think) are purely decorative
- no foyer a knee wall and wooden columns seperate the entry from the living room
- open vaulted ceilings with pine rafters
- large bathrooms usually only one per bedroom wing
- seperate bedroom wings (two or three bedrooms on one end and a maids room and den on the other each wing with a full bath
- window boxes and diamoned paned windows and the gabled windows
- built in lined cabinets with folding shelves
- relatively small kitchens and seperate laundry rooms
- usually a wall oven and cooktop (usually electric ina predominatly gas market) His better houses had the Thermador eye brow oven and electric cooktop either the four burners in a row of the grill/griddle center
- knotty pine cabinets with a V-Groove. He must have had an option of raised panel cathedral arch pine cabinets.
- cedar shake roofs most of which have been replaced. My insurer said that if this house had cedar shakes, it would have doubled the insurance

Ralph
This house is in Northridge one block from Cal Stete Northridgg

Andy
There is a LaPerla in my garage right now. I will probably order the new 36" bottom mount for now, if I can find someone to make a side panel to match the cabinetry. Eventually, I would like to do a total Miele remodel, but finances will have to stabalize first. Of course there will be a coffees system, and laundry and floor care. What are you doing these days? Miele is opening a new showroom in Scottsdale and one of my friends will be opening it up. So if you are interested in relocating, let me know.

 

[cleanteamofny]

I wish you and your mate the best in your new home!
I just hope that the last owners didn't cut corners when they remodled causing you to complete what they didn't do in the first go round!
Have fun furnishing everyroom and smile when it is done....

I'm happy in my new home and well rested.
Don't forget, give yourselves time to put everything in place.
I'm not done yet, but slowly getting there!

 

[hydralique]

Mellenthin . . .

The spelling is Mellenthin, and the first name of the builder was William. Most of the Mellenthin characteristics were used by many builders in the '50s, but he was one of the largest in the San Fernando Valley. Such attention to detail is nice, and started to get lost in the '60s when mass-market homebuilders found it cheaper to go "Mediterranean" and replace all the exterior wood with bad stucco. The name of the original builder should be on the original permit; if there isn't a copy in your documentation the L.A. Dept. of Building and Safety will have one at the Van Nuys civic center complex.

Be glad you don't have the shake roof: it's now illegal to install one in the City of Los Angeles, and you can only replace a certain percentage each year (10% I think) as a part of regular maintenance. I had clients in Hancock Park with a lovely pre-war Tudor home who refused to give up their shake roof when it got bad. They ended out having a roofer replace the maximum amount each year, so they effectively get a new roof every decade or so.

Regarding guttering, it is pretty much required for a permit now, but wasn't in the past so not all older homes in L.A. have it. In the case of a house like this it obscures the exposed decorative rafter tails so one can trade off a couple of months of muddy ground for a whole year of a prettier house.

 

[dogboy44]

Best Wishes from Van Nuys

hey neighbor, that is a nice place! We have your house in various forms all over the neighborhood here, the have a good flow, comfortable, and most of all, well built. I bet you got a deal with what is going on. best,

 

[sudsman]

Beautiful place

Wish you many years of joy!