In some neighborhoods of Northeast Los Angeles, original wood exteriors are required in renovations. Elsewhere cement-fiberboard might work.
What has attracted thousands of buyers to homes in Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) is the character and charm of its vintage housing stock. Look no further than the Spanish Revival homes for sale in Highland Park or the handsome Craftsman homes in Pasadena and you will understand why. These houses are homes, with history and resilience: How many fires, floods and earthquakes have they endured over the past 100+ years?
But another word for “vintage” is “old,” and that often means parts of those structures have deteriorated. No matter to most buyers. If you’re hunting up homes for sale in Glassell Park, Eagle Rock or Mt. Washington, you know to budget for some restoration costs if you are buying a fixer-upper. That Craftsman you have your eye on in Hermon? It’s priced at $525,000 because it will need at least $100,000 worth of work to look more like that similar house with the repaired exterior and smart modern kitchen down the street listed for $700,000.
Updating, restoring, and renovating are done all the time, but it’s also possible to do it wrong. Most noticeable from a curbside perspective is when the original wood siding is not preserved but replaced with vinyl (or aluminum, as was the case a generation ago). Preservation minded individuals and organizations – who have a lot to do with all that property-value increase – hold a pretty strong line on vinyl: They don’t like it. In fact, the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ (Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, which covers some but not all of NELA neighborhoods) expressly states that at least from the street-facing sides of homes that no vinyl be used; some allowances are made for side and back sides of homes, mostly for lower-income residents undertaking renovations.
What’s so wrong about vinyl that it is prohibited? And what are a homebuyer’s options?
In all types of replacement siding, the depth of window casements can be altered and therefore out of original character. This is why layering new siding over the original material is strongly discouraged.
Restoring Your Mission Revival Home in NELA
Northeast Los Angeles is rich in Spanish Colonial Mission Style homes. But because many are older than 100 years, so restoration efforts may be necessary.Restoring a Mid-Century Modern Home in NELA
Thinking about buying an MCM in Northeast Los Angeles? There are many to choose from but most need some work and modernizing.Optimizing Front Doors in Vintage Homes in NELA
Vintage homes – including Mid Century Moderns – are in good supply in Northeast Los Angeles. Entryway doors are important defining characteristics.