This Old House - LA Style

Imagine the thrill of having the folks at This Old House come knocking on your door to renovate your historic home?  That is what happened to Kurt and Mary Albrecht in the quaint hillside community of Silverlake, Los Angeles, CA.  While we are watching the before and afters unfold on the PBS show, I got a sneak peak at how it all came together while attending a recent wrap party for the show and crew at the 1930's home.

 

Kurt tells me they were already pursuing a remodel and when they heard the show was looking for an LA home to feature, they applied, and were chosen out of hundreds of others.  And while Norm Abram and the guys from the show were actively involved in the project, there was primarily a contractor in the L.A. area, HomeFront that was doing most of the hands on work.

One of the most noteworthy improvements is in the kitchen which is now twice as large and can now hold all of their appliances! Imagine cooking up a meal and entertaining with the refrigerator, oven and the rest in a separate room? All it had was a "California Cooler"  Now the kitchen is spacious with gorgeous soapstone counters.

And you may wonder if this family got all of this stuff for free? The answer is not really.  They got some discounts and upgrades because of the show's relationship with participating sponsors like the soapstone, but this was not a free makeover.

The couple now with two children, also needed more rooms which they now have, along with a more energy efficient, and earthquake safe home, which is good news considering the home sits on a recently discovered fault line in Silverlake.

 Here are more pictures!

Cindy