A common issue many home owners face when they purchase a property in the San Gabriel Valley is that the condition of the house is very poor. Many of the houses, especially in San Marino, were built between the 1930’s to the 1950s. There are some that are reaching their centennial. Many of them have not been improved or upgraded since the 70’s.

The existing electrical lines, plumbing lines, and mechanical equipment are not compatible with today’s needs. The old single pane windows and lack of insulation in the walls causes a lot of energy waste. Not to mention inefficient use of space with many hallways and tiny closets. 

 

A young family purchased this property with the goal to update the kitchen and bathrooms. This house was not short on surprises, from a hidden fireplace to an old tin can hidden in one of the walls, to more serious issues such as undersized second story floor joist and a huge beam held up by a wall of bricks. Little did they realize that the interior kitchen and bathroom remodel turns into gutting out the entire house, down to the studs and joists.  

 

The construction process took a lot longer than what was originally anticipated, however, the efforts were all well worth it.