Five Southern California "shelter in place" communities have proven they can stand... More
About 10 years ago, Jay Riordan, owner of Dream Design Builders in San Diego, realized that while developing a design, he wasted a lot of time going back and forth between a client's home and the office. On one particularly difficult project with a slew of adjustments, he says, “We finally sat down in front of the clients and started sketching ideas. It was like magic, and I realized we were onto something.” A new system was born. More
Final tallies on the destruction due to October's wildfires in Southern California were not available as of press time, but estimates in early November ranged from 1,500 to 2,500 homes destroyed, with more than a half-million acres burned. More
When Jeld-Wen sales manager Brent Adair retrofitted his San Diego home with one of his company's long-span folding door systems last year, he expected it to be an oddball job. The product, which the company introduced a year ago, wasn't conceived with existing homes in mind. But that hasn't stopped remodelers from using it. “When we initially came out with this system I thought it would be used only in new construction,” Adair recalls. “As it turns out, half of our jobs have ended up being retrofits.” More
"Extending the second story above the existing garage was the key to capturing the beautiful ocean views previously blocked by neighboring homes,” says Keitha Giannella, designer and builder of this La Jolla, Calif., spec project. More
Todd Jackson of Jackson Design & Remodeling, in San Diego, developed a design process that starts with sales. “If you just turn a client over to a designer, they'll fall in love with a beautiful design that's over budget and can't be built,” Jackson says. More
When he started out 16 years ago as a practicing architect and partner in Socha Builders, Rob Adler did not charge anything for the creative phase. “We charged nothing so as to get noticed, and we agreed in advance that if the client was pleased with the design, they were only obligated to pay for the construction documents,” he says. More
Installing the Grohe multiple-head body spray shower gives clients a master bath that's tour-worthy, say Jeff and Robert Jertberg, cousins who own Van Berg Construction in San Diego. More
Major Kitchen Remodel Project Description: (MIDRANGE) Update an outmoded 200-square-foot kitchen with design and installation of a functional layout of new cabinets, laminate countertops, and standard double-tub stainless steel sink with standard single-lever faucet. Include energy-efficient wall oven, cooktop, ventilation system, built-in microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposer, and custom lighting. Add new resilient floor. Finish with painted walls, trim, and ceiling. Include 30 linear feet of semi-custom wood cabinets, including a 3-by-5-foot island. The national average cost of this project is $43,804. The upscale version of this project averages about a 79.6 percent return on investment. Read on to find out the average cost recouped on this project in your location. More
Master Suite Project Description: (MIDRANGE) On a house with two or three bedrooms, add a 24-by-16-foot master bedroom suite over a crawl space. Include walk-in closet/dressing area, whirlpool tub in ceramic tile platform, separate 3-by-4-foot ceramic tile shower, and double-bowl vanity with solid-surface countertop. Bedroom floor is carpet; bath floor is ceramic tile. Painted walls, ceiling, and trim. General and spot lighting, exhaust fan. The national average cost of this project is $70,760. The upscale version of this project averages about a 76.9 percent return on investment. Read on to find out the average cost recouped on this project in your location. More
