Built in 1954 by the Devon Construction Company is this
Palmer & Krisel-designed home relatively new to the market which has
recently been attacked by flippers. With three bedrooms and two bathrooms in
1,161 square feet, this La Mirada home includes an in-ground pool and a
detached two-car garage all on a 6,800 square-foot low with an asking price of
$510,000.
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| Front of home |
The exterior of the home essentially retains its original lines,
with the exception of a removed door from the kitchen side of the home, which
remains poorly masked behind an obvious stucco patch. The original olive tree
still stands out front, rescued from the grove of Andrew McNally at Krisel’s
insistence.
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| Front of home - bet you can't guess where the door used to be |
Last sold in December 2015 for $362,000, it’s hard to spot
where over $100,000 in improvements went, with just basic flipper approaches
done. Inside, this home has all the checks of a typical flip: Removed walls? Check.
Raised panel cabinetry? Check. Can lights galore? Check. Overly ornate
baseboards painted white against beige walls? Check. Vinyl windows? Of course.
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| Living? Dining? Yes. |
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| Livingdiningkitchenbreakfastnook super room |
The kitchen, dining, living and breakfast nook have all been
combined into a singular super giant great room. The kitchen is now tucked in
one corner of the home, the breakfast nook has lost its identity, now just a
corral of space adjacent to the entry, while the living and dining blend
together at the rear of the home. The original open beamed vaulted ceilings have
been covered over with drywall, most likely to accommodate a smattering of unnecessary
can lights.
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| Kitchen |
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| Kitchen - island placement is random |
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| Kitchen and entry - notice how much the brand new range and mircowave stick out |
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| Kitchen |
The kitchen features dark, dark raised panel cabinetry,
white quartz cabinetry, and ornate crown molding topping the uppers. A random
island extends near the entry, which looks neither inviting nor well placed. A
window once sat where the missing fridge is now, and for a brand new kitchen,
the slide in range sticks out about 3 inches too far, but then again, so does
the built-in microwave.
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| Master bedroom |
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| Master bedroom |
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| Master bath |
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| Secondary bedroom |
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| Secondary bedroom |
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| Guest bath |
The master bedroom and bathroom sit at the front of the
home, while the secondary bedrooms and bath sit at the rear. The master still
incorporates its original clerestory windows, and all of the bedrooms appear to
be in their basic original layout. The bathrooms have been updated with white tile
tub and shower surrounds, big-box store vanities and medicine cabinets and
brushed nickel fixtures.
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| Pool and backyard |
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| Pool and backyard |
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| Pool and back of home |
The detached two-car garage sits at the rear of the
property, allowing for an extra-long driveway capable of accommodating multiple
vehicles. A large in-ground pool occupies a majority of the yard, while a small
planter sits in a far corner with newly laid bark mulch and small plantings. The
remainder of the backyard is patio space, with ample room for entertaining.
Flippers fill a void; oftentimes doing the work no one wants
to do, but in the process they tend to strip character-filled homes of the
details which make them special. There’s still great bones under this flip, but
there’s a lot of vanilla too.
