The Story of Our 1959 California Ranch

Chapter One

On Sept. 10, 2003, we bought a 1959 ranch home on the west side of Costa Mesa. It wasn't exactly what we were looking for, but close. In truth, we wanted a pure mid-century modern home, but being new to the area and new to home buying and new to the whole mid-century modern thing as home shoppers, we were pretty clueless as to what was around. We relied on our real estate agent to find us a mid-century home. Months after we moved in, we learned that our dream home was some where in Orange, in one of four neighborhoods built by Eichler in the late-1950s and early-1960s.

But Costa Mesa was where we wanted to live and this house was great. It had been neglected and some of the up-grades were obviously low-budget and probably done at the last minute to make a quick sale. Still, for the most part, it was in move-in condition, a state my wife wanted, but one I was less set on. While I knew we 'd be able to fix up an beater home, she had yet to experience DIYing and was unsure we had the skills to fix much of anything.

Our first major nightmare as homeowners was the roof. Less than two months after we moved in, California's winter rains began in earnest. During one evening downpour, we heard dripping in the attic. I grabbed the ladder and went to investigate. What I found was an 11 by 4-inch hole in the roof. Later we pieced together this scenario: The previous owners reroofed the house themselves without permits and not to code. They removed the old wood shake roof, which required no plywood underlayer, and simply replaced the shake with roofing felt and composite shingles. The result was a 20+ year old roof about a half-inch thick with no solid backing other than 2-inch slats placed about 3 inches apart. When the exterminators tented the house, we figure one of them put his foot through the roof. Two years later, we put a new roof on. The roofers finished the job the day before 14 days of nearly continuous rain began.

In other projects, we have added a lot of color to the white-on-white house. Replaced flooring in one room so far, with at least five more to go. We have added lots of landscaping, including a sprinkler system and new fencing. The old fence was termite infested and supported by a jungle of weeds prior to the home going on the market. When we saw it the back yard was nothing but dirt and bricks surrounded by a wilting wood fence. We selected an unusual fencing material, but one that we think suited our needs. Although we considered wood, the types we liked were far too expensive. Instead, we chose corrugated galvanized roofing. It is inexpensive, termite proof, easy to install and gives a look that works really well with the house.

To date, (Sept. 1, 2005) some of we have done incudes:

Remodled the living room

Replaced the flooring in the kitchen with vintage new old stock (NOS) orange linoleum tile

Replaced the stove

Added can lights in kitchen and living room

Replaced front door

Replaced door between kitchen and garage

Replaced roof

Laid hybrid Bermuda sod

Added sprinkler system

Added numerous plants and trees to landscape

Remodled office

Replaced 39-cent per sq. ft. black and white vinyl tiles in office with bamboo flooring

Painted the exterior and interior