6iĂ€ÂœÂ˜ÂˆV>ĂŠ7iLiĂ€
Home & Real Estate
The owners of this Palo Verde neighborhood home consulted with Houzz.com when remodeling their backyard patio, left, including the landscaping, right.
In da Houzz ÂVÂœÂ˜ĂŒÂˆÂ˜Ă•i`ĂŠvĂ€ÂœÂ“ĂŠÂŤ>}iÊÓǎ
might have required paid consultants. “We were able to do a much higher-end project for less money,� she said. Using Houzz is like having access to thousands of housing and design magazines, Thompson added, but with streamlined search options. “If you see a picture you like, you can find out what the materials are,� Thompson said. “Through Houzz, we were able to contact professionals and ask questions like, ‘What size cinder blocks?’ or ‘What color concrete?’� And asking professionals lots of questions is exactly what Thompson did. When Thompson searched for “Eichler landscaping� on Houzz, she said she viewed an image of a combination cinder
block wall and fountain that she loved. Through Houzz, Thompson said she contacted the company that posted the photo, Huettl Landscape Architecture of Walnut Creek. By talking with them, Thompson
‘We were able to do a much higher-end project for less money.’ —Rebecca Thompson, homeowner, Palo Alto said she learned specifics about the project that allowed her to customize her own cinder-block wall and fountain. “We were able to take an idea that we loved and modify it for our own needs and scale,� Thompson said.
Thompson said she also learned that the cinder blocks in the Houzz image came from a commercial supplier, Calstone. So she went to Calstone to ask questions about cinder blocks and said she ended up getting a custom product for her property. “I ended up working directly with a (Calstone) guy who is a plant manager,� Thompson said. “Cinder blocks come in all different faces and colors; there are standard and custom colors. If a commercial project does a custom color, they might have an overrun. (My) blocks are just cinder blocks, but they have a slice taken off them, to expose the aggregate underneath them. They are also only 6 inches high, which is not standard.� Even though Calstone usually only works
with commercial clients, Thompson said her contact there asked to see pictures of everything related to her finished project. Linking design professionals and homeowners is what sets Houzz apart in the crowded online social-networking market, Thompson said. “Houzz let us imagine things we would not have been able to dream up on our own,� Thompson said. “It makes design so much more accessible.� N
READ MORE ONLINE
www.PaloAltoOnline.com For more Home and Real Estate news, visit www.paloaltoonline.com/real_estate.
L o s A lt o s L a n d
AUCTION
Knowledge and Experience. Applied. 650.766.6325 tpaulin.com
Michael Repka Before you select a real estate agent, meet with Michael Repka to discuss how his real estate law and tax background beneďŹ ts Ken DeLeon’s clients.
One of the last tracts of open land in Los Altos Nominal Opening Bid: $500,000 9.36+/- ac Conveniently Located on I-280 w/Leased Buildings
2100 Woods Lane, Los Altos, CA
Live Auction Jan 15th at 4pm Managing Broker DeLeon Realty JD - Rutgers School of Law L.L.M (Taxation) NYU School of Law
(650) 488.7325 DRE# 01854880 | CA BAR# 255996
michaelr@deleonrealty.com www.deleonrealty.com
Open to the Public: Fri Jan 3 10am-3pm; Sun Jan 12 1-5pm; Wed Jan 15 2-4pm
800.801.8003 t williamsauction.com/LosAltos DAN NELSON RE LIC 01866273; MONTE W LOWDERMAN AUC LIC CA 770034; WILLIAMS & WILLIAMS AUC LIC AUC BOND NO. 6830812. 5% BUYER’S PREMIUM.
ĂœĂœĂœÂ°*>Â?Âœ Â?ĂŒÂœ"˜Â?ˆ˜i°VÂœÂ“ĂŠUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£{ĂŠU Page 29