Homes with character are:
Beautiful Places To Live
by Paula Achter

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Our satisfaction is the pleasure of our work and mission to maintain and restore homes of character built at the turn of the previous century. Please study the pictures to appreciate the enhanced beauty we achieve with our selection of leaded glass windows, tile work, fixtures and appliances. My talented team remains committed from project to project because the quality of our collective efforts make the work extremely satisfying. At the turn of the 20th century, Boyle Heights was a bustling Jewish community that invested generously in its local businesses and housing stock. Each of the four homes in our portfolio, and Inez is no exception, are made with a forest's worth of trees. I feel a need to preserve these homes merely, because of the abundance of timber and craftsmanship in their construction. Wherever we open the walls, we find nominal-sized-lumber, lath strips holding the plaster and surprisingly very little termite or earthquake damage, because they used cured and old- growth lumber. The foundations and attics are solid too with their surprisingly long joists. In the interior, the wooden doors, windows and wainscot are decorated with generous trim and molding. On the outside the wood siding is ornamented with corbels and decorated eaves. In keeping with the original builders' investment in materials and craftsmanship, we thoroughly repair the infrastructure. The plumbing and electrical are put into perfect working condition and updated where necessary and easily accessible. As a matter of principle, any exterior wall that is opened gets insulated. Though each house maintains temperate conditions inside, we usually upgrade the existing heating systems in the homes we are working upon. We replace any termite or mold damage in the foundation. Damage usually occurs only under the kitchens or baths. Our skilled carpenters also fabricate any missing or damaged molding and trims.; remove security bars from the windows and return windows to their original working condition with the weights and sash cord technology of their day. All doors are repaired to operate smoothly and when missing, we replace them to match the existing solid wood five-panel doors. Knowing that our clients appreciate the period look, we exaggerate the homes special features. We strip and stain all the wood to match and paint all the walls two shades of cream above and below the picture-rail to contrast the ceiling and walls nicely. We restore or add crystal doorknobs, Tiffany stained glass lighting fixtures, old style claw-foot tubs and matching sinks in the kitchen and bath. We polish all the old brass hardware. In addition to the doors and moldings, we strip the floors, down to either hardwood flooring or sub floor depending on the condition and re-stain and seal them. We look for opportunities to substitute regular glass with leaded glass where appropriate in a sun-room or kitchen cabinet doors, for example. Like the interior, the exterior requires special care to enhance the homes unique features. Corbels are repaired and painted to stand out. The specific wood siding is re-fabricated to match the existing where repairs are needed. We landscape with granite river rock and use it sometimes as accents in the foundation and the fencing as we mend it. Granite is available locally and was used in these homes often before other stone was imported, so it is in better keeping with the period neighborhood. The Inez Property also benefited from extensive landscaping to raise the walled backyard gradually up to the level of the floor height with multiple layered decks and patios. A jacuzzi meets the bedroom deck height, the decks are surrounded by herb-container gardens and the lowest level ends with a brick patio, stream and pond water feature. Edible plants and trees abound in the front and back yard and two sycamores were transplanted from Bakersfield, California last summer.