So said a neighbour passing by, a couple of weeks ago.
If the question had come within a few days of us moving in, I might have blushed, demurred, deflected, or all three. I might have been embarrassed to admit that yes, we are tearing down this characterful beach cottage. Perhaps because of the blue clogs, and the fact it'd been in the same family for so long, Casa Del Sol is a bit of a local landmark.
People dislike change. And if you've lived in Hermosa Beach for decades, you see the influx of new, larger homes as part of a worrying trend of newbies and incomers who don't respect beach culture and as a result are destroying the charm of this little surf town. I have some sympathy for the anti-gentrification in that it would be a shame if the entire town was made up of soulless new builds. It's nice to see older homes being preserved and updated, and many are worth that treatment.
But here's the thing. I've lived in this house for long enough now to know it is just not fit for purpose. It does not deserve to be preserved or updated. It is a cheaply built 1940s house with a shonky 1980s DIY addition. It has no architectural merit and no historic significance. It's too small, and the wiring is actually dangerous. It's completely lacking in insulation, and gets unbearably hot when it's just quite warm outside. I hate aircon and have to be very uncomfortable to use it - but we ran it constantly for all of July, August and September. And now the weather's turned its draughty and cold.
So yes, I can't wait to tear this house down and will feel no regrets when we do so.
Of course I didn't say this, when my neighbour asked if we were going to tear it down. I said yes, we are going to tear it down, because it doesn't quite work as a remodel. 'Doesn't quite work' because if we want to add anything to the living space, we'd have to bring the whole building up to code. That would mean abiding by setbacks and driveway requirements (i.e. literally moving the entire house further back on the lot), not to mention new wiring and plumbing, and just doing a whole a lot of work on a house that was never built to last.
So yes, we are tearing it down. But that doesn't make us enemies of beach culture. We'll replace this clapped out shoebox with a modern, spacious house that three generations of our family can live in together: a family that works, shops, schools, eats, volunteers and socializes locally. We love beach culture so much we're going to tear this flimsy poorly insulated shack down, and replace it with a climate-appropriate house with solar power and greywater recycling. A house that we hope will stand for at least as long as it's predecessor.
PS For more on the original beach cottages of LA, this Curbed article is a good read
If the question had come within a few days of us moving in, I might have blushed, demurred, deflected, or all three. I might have been embarrassed to admit that yes, we are tearing down this characterful beach cottage. Perhaps because of the blue clogs, and the fact it'd been in the same family for so long, Casa Del Sol is a bit of a local landmark.
People dislike change. And if you've lived in Hermosa Beach for decades, you see the influx of new, larger homes as part of a worrying trend of newbies and incomers who don't respect beach culture and as a result are destroying the charm of this little surf town. I have some sympathy for the anti-gentrification in that it would be a shame if the entire town was made up of soulless new builds. It's nice to see older homes being preserved and updated, and many are worth that treatment.
But here's the thing. I've lived in this house for long enough now to know it is just not fit for purpose. It does not deserve to be preserved or updated. It is a cheaply built 1940s house with a shonky 1980s DIY addition. It has no architectural merit and no historic significance. It's too small, and the wiring is actually dangerous. It's completely lacking in insulation, and gets unbearably hot when it's just quite warm outside. I hate aircon and have to be very uncomfortable to use it - but we ran it constantly for all of July, August and September. And now the weather's turned its draughty and cold.
So yes, I can't wait to tear this house down and will feel no regrets when we do so.
 |
| This is our laundry room. It's in the backyard. Hell yes we are tearing this house down! |
Of course I didn't say this, when my neighbour asked if we were going to tear it down. I said yes, we are going to tear it down, because it doesn't quite work as a remodel. 'Doesn't quite work' because if we want to add anything to the living space, we'd have to bring the whole building up to code. That would mean abiding by setbacks and driveway requirements (i.e. literally moving the entire house further back on the lot), not to mention new wiring and plumbing, and just doing a whole a lot of work on a house that was never built to last.
So yes, we are tearing it down. But that doesn't make us enemies of beach culture. We'll replace this clapped out shoebox with a modern, spacious house that three generations of our family can live in together: a family that works, shops, schools, eats, volunteers and socializes locally. We love beach culture so much we're going to tear this flimsy poorly insulated shack down, and replace it with a climate-appropriate house with solar power and greywater recycling. A house that we hope will stand for at least as long as it's predecessor.
PS For more on the original beach cottages of LA, this Curbed article is a good read
Comments
Post a Comment