Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 7:31 AM
Happy Father’s Day
For those who are considering the latest in backyard improvements, here are some ideas:
Posted on Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 7:31 AM in Jim TV | 28 Comments » | 
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Happy fathers day to all you dads.I’m going to hit the bbq today and hang with dad.Might watch the race from sonoma later.Going to drink some good wine too.
arizonadude | June 21st, 2009 at 7:48 amWhat?!? All those fishes, and NO POOL?!? Not even a hot tub? Or a pond? Just a lot of dry rocks and a fire pit? Who ever thought this would work?
Nope! Rejected! Next house please!
François Caron | June 21st, 2009 at 8:06 amHow silly. I wonder how much money that cost?
JAP | June 21st, 2009 at 8:12 amLAME. Someone spent a lot of money to devalue their house. Good call on the “no grass” observation, Jim. Since when is it cool to have no lawn and a massive jungle in the backyard? Probably the only defense to keep neighbors from looking in, I guess.
The Blur | June 21st, 2009 at 8:17 amJeez. Some of you people are way harsh and have zero imagination. Hell, I’d buy that house JUST FOR the stonework. Although, I do agree…no hot tub or pond?? WTF? And Blur, I’m in the process of ripping out all of the grass in my backyard and putting in jungle — why would adults need grass? What I want out of my backyard is additional living space (this is California, after all, and indoor/outdoor living is precisely why a lot of us are here.) I want seating, entertainment and great places to hang out. Lawns are for front curb appeal….
ArtEclectic | June 21st, 2009 at 9:32 amSo anyone have any ideas of the cost to rip out all the fishes, remorter and stone the wall to clean it up, fill the hole with concrete and try and match the flagstone? Plus, how about demo’ing the fire pit and creating a more simplistic fireplace or demoing the bbq as well and relocating the bbq to the firpit area since the gas line is already there? The fish are bad, the firepit is rediculous and the bbq takes up way too much room. Any guesstimates?
Jim you missed the dog shite behind the firepit and the inside has been striped of all crown modling and baseboards ( i went through this friday). 499 is overpriced this with avg ppsqft oin comps in the 170-180 range.
4s Renter | June 21st, 2009 at 10:27 amMan oh man! I can just see some of you guys standing out front, waving your cane at the neighborhood kids and screaming “keep offen my lawn”! Heh.
OK it’s not to my personal taste but it’s interesting, different, and mostly nicely done. Let’s hear it for something different in a uniform sea of blandness.
Dwip | June 21st, 2009 at 11:33 amAnother JtR classic! Jim, I vote for you including this video in 2009′s Best at the end of the year.
Susie | June 21st, 2009 at 11:43 amWhooo,hooo! What’s wrong with a jaunty nautical theme?! Needs a mermaid to really make the faux-mosaic piscatine classic retro throwback work. Or, was this art therapy? So many homes, so little time. We splash onward . . .
Cranky in Michigan | June 21st, 2009 at 12:08 pmoh boy. looks like the owner bought the place for $400k back in 2002.
Jim, is this a serial refi’er? looks like he really went down with his fishes.
ocrenter | June 21st, 2009 at 12:14 pmThe nice thing about stone is it doesn’t have to be watered, mowed, trimmed, pruned or fertilized. This guy must have wanted his yard to look like a Rosarito bar but some how he blew it because it looks like crap.
mybleachhouse | June 21st, 2009 at 12:32 pmRefreshing!
ladydentist | June 21st, 2009 at 1:42 pm“Lobbie?” No way. That’s a Squiddly Diddly. If I were a stone this is where I’d like to go when I die.
Seriously, the hardscaping is nice but out of scale. Balance balance balance.
Rob Dawg | June 21st, 2009 at 2:23 pmAmazingly detailed work, which means somebody had the skills and way too much time on their hands. Wouldn’t mind hiring that kind of craftsmanship, properly directed of course.
tj and the bear | June 21st, 2009 at 3:24 pmI’m going to be the weirdo here. I actually LIKE the fish work. It’s eccentric and unique, but colorful, so it gets a thumbs-up from me. (Of note: My living room is decorated with Romero Britto paintings. http://britto.com/ )
Of course, I wouldn’t pay $499K for a tract home in SEH. But those fish things are cool.
-Erica
Erica Douglass | June 21st, 2009 at 9:21 pmArt Eclectic,
In retrospect I guess yard vs. jungle is more of a personal taste thing. I just really like the idea of an open yard and space for dogs, kids, etc. The home I rent has a tiny “backyard” of patio and thick jungle that makes me feel cramped, so I’m probably jaded. No lawn seems pretty common these days so people must like it.
As for the fish . . . well, I gotta stand by my previous comments.
The Blur | June 21st, 2009 at 9:52 pmI don’t know who the guy who did it is, but he should check in here. Looks like he can do nice work. I would guess it’s more than a little expensive, and that he took it off his taxes because he could use it as a showroom for his work. :.
Mr. B | June 21st, 2009 at 10:06 pmOnly thing missing is Big Mouth Billy Bass singing “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!”
Mcjdawg | June 21st, 2009 at 10:08 pmErica,
We’re big Lassen & Wyland fans here — can’t get enough ocean / whales /dolphins, etc.
tj and the bear | June 21st, 2009 at 11:29 pmSo, I guess now that you’re all inspired, Jim did a little upgradin’ this weekend?
Actually, I’m with ArtEclectic& Dawg, the stone work itself is nicely done and there is definitely some great entertaining space, but man! balance is surely missing.
And the fish would be the first things to go for me.
shoppingaround | June 22nd, 2009 at 6:30 amI’m with Francois. No Pool? That stonework isn’t really my thing, but it wouldn’t be terrible if you had a nice pool complex in the back. All that build up with the fish to have no pool is Alamo disappointing.
Former RB Resident | June 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 amTJ,
Rob Dawg | June 22nd, 2009 at 9:05 amYou’ll be interested to know we own museum print 46/50 of Wyland’s “Killer Whales (A-5 Pod)” 1987.
DWIP, How refreshing to hear a positive comment! Agree with you 100 percent.
ARK | June 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 amHey Jim and others,
Thanks for the Father’s Day wishes! Right back at ya.
Kwaping | June 22nd, 2009 at 10:03 amNot every buyer has kids and a dog
I look at that back area and can imagine a nice outdoor dining set, a couple bottles of good Shiraz, steaks coming off the grill, and the sun setting as a bunch of cool lighting comes on. Add in a water feature for ambient noise and a jacuzzi for two hidden in the back…heavenly. A perfect playground for grown-ups.
If it were me, instead of an awning I would have put in a pergola running all across the back and retractable sun shade on the underside.
ArtEclectic | June 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 amFlood the back yard with 4″ of water and there is your ankle deep water feature. Drop in two beach chairs with a table in between for your drinks and you are good to go. Don’t forget the cocktail umbrella
3clicks from da Beach | June 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 amIt’s nothing I would pay to have, but I’d definitely take that over dirt & dying grass & faded brokedown Big Wheels. I’ve seen far worse decorative stonework on multimillion dollar homes.
I pity people who are afraid to customize their house because it might affect resale value. I want to live in my home now, not in some theoretical house I might own in the future.
If this guy was a flipper who thought he’d make a mint with this kind of work, then we’d be justified in laughing. But this was somebody’s home.
Mike Johnson | June 22nd, 2009 at 6:19 pmThe backyard is 20 feet deep from the house. And on the side of the house that Jim began the tour on is a Jacuzzi master control box, so it seems that hole was the pool or jacuzzi. I wish he showed the inside – almost every room had nice thick crown and baseboards and the residents ripped them out..
Corp owned – wonder if someone was fired, got pissed and drunk and ripped out the stuff he or she liked.
4s Renter | June 22nd, 2009 at 9:23 pm