Kathy's Remodeling Blog

Famous Folks at Home: Gerry and Imaging Spence in Montecito, Calif.

When Santa Barbara Magazine asked me to write an article about the massive remodel done by Imaging Spence (yes, that's her given name), I kind of dreaded it. You may recall that her husband Gerry Spence is a famous attorney and author, and I feared that the couple might be snotty and ostentatious and arrogant. But they are the exact opposite: humble, self-effacing, fun and delightful. And their remodeled house is stunning.

Here's the story I wrote:

To hear Gerry Spence tell it, his wife has a way with both houses and husbands.

"Look what she's done with me," says Gerry, a photographer, painter, poet and pundit, author of 14 books, and an undefeated trial lawyer who represented Karen Silkwood, Randy Weaver and others.

"Without Imaging Spence," he claims, "I'd be a homeless waif."

But when Imaging, his spouse of three decades, says "Don't tell me you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," she's actually referring to the ho-hum Montecito property she transformed into a gracious Mediterranean manor with arches, columns and corbels, and the enchanting gardens she has imagined since childhood.

The couple, who live half the year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, bought the home on 24 canyon acres because, Imaging says, "I needed a project."

At the time, the Spences owned a George Washington Smith-designed home on 2 1/2 acres in Montecito, with gardens designed by famed architect Lutah Maria Riggs. When their real estate agent said, "Imaging, I've got a property you should look at," the couple agreed to see it.

Ignoring the house, Gerry and Imaging hiked all over the ocean-view property, taking in the creek, sycamores, oaks, eucalyptus, cypress and century-old olive trees. As the couple looked toward the pool, they spied two ducks floating there and a bobcat stalking from a nearby hill. When the bobcat made its move and the ducks took flight, Gerry took it as "a sign" that the couple would be protected there: "Well, we have to buy this house," he said.

(Photos: Santa Barbara Magazine)

A sleek, modern mortuary — the ideal final resting place for readers of Dwell

Tired of all the ornate cemeteries in our world? Have a hard time seeing your modernist remains resting comfortable in one of them? For those deposed in Munich, a very modern alternative exists. See the photo gallery here.

On the flip side, the burial grounds themselves are lush and natural, like meadows. So it's not all bleakness for all eternity.

What's wrong with this picture?

When I was a child, the only joy in going to the dentist was picking up a copy of Highlights magazine and turning to the Hidden Pictures feature where odd little items -- an iron, a fork -- were tucked unexpectedly into an illustration. I also like puzzles that show two seemingly identical illustrations and that ask you to find 10 things that differ from one to the other.

A new feature on the Fine Homebuilding website, The Inspector, brings to mind that kind of challenging fun. 

In The Inspector, you are asked to determine what is wrong with a particular jobsite. Perhaps there should be a double header above a window instead of a single header. Or perhaps a ladder is being used incorrectly. You pretend you are a building inspector and you look for errors. Could anything be more gratifying?

When you do spot a trouble area, you click on that spot. If you're right, the area lights up, tells you what's indeed wrong, and you earn 200 points. If you're wrong, and there is nothing amiss at that spot, you lose 50 points.

There are a few drawbacks to the game. First, there is no tally of violations to refer to when you are done. So you could click, click, click until the cows come home, and if you don't click on all problem areas, you'll never know where they all are.

Plus, some of the violations are hard to see, or seem to have been created by Photoshop manipulation. I think it would be a better game if an illustration was used or if jobsites with some real and obvious problems were featured.

To play The Inspector, click here.

New online magazine from a rock star of carpentry

Gary M. Katz, right, travels the country teaching enthralled carpenters how to do perfect their craft. Typically, the workshops and clinics are crowded or standing room only. Gary has become like a rock star in the world of carpenters.

Gary's new online magazine, This Is Carpentry

I hope I'm not insulting any earnest do-it-yourselfers, but some homeowners vastly overestimate their abilities, especially when it comes to finish carpentry. In my visits to remodeled homes, I've seen more awkward, crooked, badly installed crown molding to last a lifetime. I have no problem with this, as the homeowners who installed it feel proud of their accomplishments.

What bugs me is when these homeowners tell me they can install crown molding, or build a mantle, or install wainscoting as well as any pro. I think: Do you really think you're as good at something you've done a few times as is someone who has spent a lifetime learning, working and perfecting? Really? 

There's nothing wrong with doing your own finish carpentry. But please understand you won't have the finesse and artistry as the best of the best. And that's who makes up the fan base of Gary M. Katz.

If you want to learn some tricks of the trade, read Gary's online magazine, This Is Carpentry. And if you can get into a Katz Roadshow (slogan: Honor Your Craft), by all means go and be inspired.

And thanks for letting me rant.

Me and Architectural Digest, together at last

Are you a fan of Architectural Digest?

I haven't been. In fact, until a couple of weeks ago, I avoided it like the plague. And using a cliché word like "plague" is not just lazy writing. It really describes the plague I want to avoid, the plague I'll call “craving.”

In the past, I thought the purpose of A.D. was to create a craving within us, a craving for the kind of wealth that can afford a $4,000 side table or $10,000 lamp.

For me, I don’t want to crave that wealth and those things. I do not aspire to be obscenely wealthy, to have a yacht or a jet, to live in a mansion with servants. I’m so happy with my little life, my privacy and autonomy, my bird feeders and time for reflection.

I recall working on a book proposal with a celebrity designer, and her agent said the purpose of the book was to be “aspirational,” which he said meant people should aspire to live the kind of life this designer was living. Something about that hit me wrong. I want to live my life, not hers.

So I avoided Architectural Digest.

That all turned around recently when I accidentally ordered a subscription. It happened when I was subscribing online to The New Yorker magazine. (Now here, I will admit to a craving, to someday write for that magazine. This craving I don’t mind.)

When I completed my subscription online, a window popped up asking if I’d like to also subscribe to A.D. (both are published by Conde Nast) and I could swear I clicked the “No, thanks” button. However, a few minutes later, I received an email thanking me for my A.D. subscription. A thought crossed my mind to make a cranky call to them and cancel this unwanted publication. But another thought emerged: Maybe this is supposed to happen. Maybe I’m supposed to read A.D.

And I am so happy it all happened. Perhaps I’ve reached a stage in my own evolution where I’m not susceptible to catching the craving plague. Instead, I’m finding the magazine to be a gorgeous representation of colors and styles and designs that are beyond yummy. I see now that I can learn about kitchen arrangements and stone facings and what’s out there in lighting, and all without craving those very items.

These rooms and exteriors are designed by the most talented, inspired, accomplished professionals in the world. Each issue like a little museum of what’s what and who’s who, and all at the top of their game. Why would I not want to see all this?

I don’t aspire to a wealthy lifestyle. But I do aspire to adding more beauty and grace into the life I am now living. And I’m finding this magazine to be a helpful muse.

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3 SoCal contractors named to Remodeling magazine's Big 50

Three SoCal contractors — in El Cajon, Fullerton and San Diego — have been included in the 2008 Big 50 list compiled by Washington, D.C.-based Remodeling magazine.

According to the website for the respected magazine, which has named 50 top contractors each year since 1986, this is an "elite group of remodeling professionals . . . whose exemplary business practices, unique design sensibilities, and exceptional management skills elevate them above their peers."

The three from our area include:

Larry, Candace and Michael Zolezzi of LZ Construction, El Cajon (staff pictured here)

Design/build remodeling; 22 years in business; 2007 volume: $3.4 million; staff: 5 office, 6 field

Quoted from the magazine: LZ Construction is the relatively rare remodeling company that employs its own plumber, a hire (Larry) Zolezzi made because he couldn't find a satisfactory subcontractor in his market. Pleased with the added efficiency it has brought to his business, Zolezzi says he'll soon add an electrician to his modestly sized field crew. Read more

Paul A. Paniagua, All Pro Builders, Fullerton

Full-service remodeling; 20 years in business; 2007 volume: $1.2 million; staff: 3 office, 6 field

Quoted from the magazine: All Pro Builders has most recently focused on implementing standard operating procedures, creating a manual that encompasses all areas of doing business. Paniagua also has what he calls his “bible,” which every employee has on his or her desk, with information about vendors, jobs, architects, engineers, inspection codes, and subcontractors. “We live by this book,” he says. Read more

Jeff Jertberg, CR*, and Robert M. Jertberg II, CKBR**, Vanberg Construction, San Diego

Design/build remodeling; 21 years in business; 2007 volume: $3 million; staff: 2 office, 8 field

Quoted from the magazine: The Jertbergs match designers and interior designers with each individual client “to alleviate any finger-pointing,” Jeff says, and they partner with a variety of local designers to develop their diverse projects. “With an in-house designer, you can build the same thing over and over again,” Rob says. Read more

* CR = Certified Remodeler
** CKBR = Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler

(Photo: LZ Construction)

See all SoCal contractors in past Big 50 lists

Subscribe to the magazine here: