Proto Homes – New modern architecture we can afford!

About a week ago we had the pleasure of attending the “coming out” party for the first Proto Home located in The Baldwin Vista section of Baldwin Hills. You may not have heard of Proto Homes yet, but you will. This is really the beginning of a revolution in home building. The home is AFFORDABLE (especially for brand new construction!),FLEXIBLE meaning that the home will change to fit the owners needs rather than the owner having to fit into what the home dictates and INNOVATIVE for several reasons having to do with the building process itself. We will let you know when this home is open to the public for viewing, but in the meantime here’s a brief description.
The home is built around a patent- pending core or a “brain” if you will. This core is the basis of the homes innovation and affordability. The core is manufactured off site and then dropped in and the house is built around the core. This allows the homes to be completely built in about a four month period. (Affordable!) The core houses everything that runs the house including plumbing, electrical, HVAC, wiring, etc. (Innovative!) There are no wires or plumbing or anything that runs over, under or through the house. Everything is accessible and easy to reach and easy to fix if necessary. Never again do you need to have a trade’s person searching through your crawl space, walls or attic in pursuit of a leaking pipe or faulty wire. Everything is visible and accessible.
The home can change with the owners changing needs. (Flexible!) This particular model can be a one bedroom or a four bedroom house. There are soffits built into the ceiling in the second story of the house and custom walls can be slid in and out of them to create as many rooms as desired. If a couple were to move into this house and then have a few children down the road, they would not need to change their house. They would only need to order a beautiful, custom, affordable wall that becomes closets and shelving for the room it’s creating. They are easy to install and certainly much more cost effective than moving or adding onto a house. (Affordable!)
All of this is very practical and utilitarian, but we want to be very clear, style and aesthetic beauty have not been sacrificed! The home is largely comprised of open and airy space with incredible             natural light provided by long floor to  ceiling windows that let in light and views but they are not so big that they obfuscate privacy. The finishes are all sleek and high end, with marble counters and polished concrete floors, sleek cabinet design and thoughtful use of materials throughout. One of the coolest and sleekest things is that all of the homes are networked and can be controlled from your IPhone or your tablet. Out all day on a sweltering day in early September? No problem, an hour before you return home you can log on and turn on the state of the art cooling system. On vacation and want to make sure the house looks lived in? Switch the lights and music on and off and view the home via the security cameras. It doesn’t walk your dog for you yet, but we won’t be surprised if that’s coming.
Proto Homes will be built to be sold at the median price in any given neighborhood. This is remarkable because typically new construction is sold at the highest price point in any given market. What this means is that the consumer can buy a house that works for them and flexes with their needs for the same price as a house that was built 75 – 100 years ago that requires a lot of maintenance. Stay tuned because we plan to bring you much more information about Proto Homes and how you can have one of your own.

(photos courtesy of Proto Homes)

Don’t Judge a Book (or a house) by it’s Cover

This past Tuesday I looked at properties exclusively in the Beverly Center/Miracle Mile and West Hollywood sections of our fair city. Despite all of the economic turmoil of the past couple of years, these areas have held up quite well in terms of property values. That’s not to say they haven’t decreased, but if they have it has not been by much.

One thing I love about these areas, and particularly the Miracle Mile, is the architecture. There are many, many pristine, late ‘20’s early ‘30’s Spanish and Tudor style homes that have been lovingly preserved. However, sometimes a house sits on a beautiful street with great homes and looks gorgeous on the outside, but when you get in it’s a real let-down – kind of like people. Thankfully, it’s not always like (homes and people). But for me, on Tuesday, it was.

118 N. Martel in Miracle Mile was a perfect example. The street is a little busy as it’s used as a cut-through, but the homes and trees lining it are gorgeous. This house is a classic Country English with fabulous curb appeal. Unfortunately when you walk in, the house feels like its all hallway. The finishes are not high quality and they are not consistent with the structural quality of the home. It’s priced at $975,000 which I don’t think is unfair for the size and location. The home needs some style. Hopefully whoever buys it will have it.

849 S. Cochran in Miracle Mile was the same story. It’s adjacent to an alley which off the bat is not primo, but that  can be screened with proper landscaping. The home, a Spanish style, looks lovely from the outside but it all falls apart when you enter. The floor plan has surely been altered from what it was originally and the finishes are downright cheap in this one. The tile on the floors and in the baths is reminiscent of what’s in an apartment – and not a new one. It’s spacious and has curb appeal but that’s about it. It’s priced at $949,000 and I have no idea who will buy this house. It’s one of those homes that I feel has to be drastically under the neighborhood comps to sell.

Hopefully next week I will see some homes that dazzle me and I will rave about value and beauty. This just wasn’t one of those weeks.