A Tour of the Santa Lucia Transformation by the Moholt-Siebert Family

1. General

Welcome to the Santa Lucia Apartments! Accompanied by grace and help from lots of different people, Ken and Melissa Moholt-Siebert are able to present you a tour of this transformed apartment building as it neared completion.

In brief, the building was substantially gutted and re-built, with all new electrical, telecommunications, plumbing and heating systems installed. The basement was converted to living space. The number of units remained eight, but as the total floor area was increased from approximately 6000 sf to 9000, the size of the units increased. Formerly, there were two studios and six 1-bedroom units. The studio units disappeared. We now have four 1-bedroom units, three large 2-bedrooms units and one 3-bedroom unit. Of course, the condition of the units has been greatly improved.

We pursued a fast-track process after purchasing the building: We began some work (the back stairs, for example) first, while the building was still occupied. then, when access to all the units was available we began work that could be permitted with a permit that could be obtained over-the-counter. (For example, asbestos abatement, select demolition, new window and door opeings). We had to wait then for the permit that allowed the actual reconfiguration of the unit layout, as the review for that work is much more complicated. You are seeing the building a little over 100 days after the full permit.

Exterior paint and landscaping continued for another month after most of these photos were taken.

2. Exterior Front (and sides).

The building already had a stucco facade when purchased. However, it was a bit plain. A few eave

brackets, some window boxes and little trellis over the entry, plus some paint, give the building a whole new aspect. An entry court with masonry walls replaces the lawn. The walls add a sense of security in addition 2.2.jpg

to hiding the garbage (which was an eysore before). Plantings are selected for a sub-tropical theme. A gurgling pool is being prepared on the east side. Custom lamp standards are planned for the front gate way.

Electrical service, formerly overhead (and woefully inadequate), is now underground from the pole to the service equipment on the west side of the building. The gas meters are located adjacent to the electrical service, having been removed from inside the building.

A 1700 gallon oil tank was removed. It had been located about 12 feet down, between the curb and the sidewalk on the east side.

The retaining walls on the sides, the sidewalk and the all the paving on the site is all new.

The old asbestos shingles have been removed from the building sides and back and have been replaced with horizontal lap siding. The window trim has been restored. (It had been cut down to narrow trim for the asbestos siding).

3. Entry, Foyer, Stairs

The entry door has been refinished. Intercom and keypad entry are new. The whole building is provided with zoned alarm wiring. The old mailboxes are planned to be replaced by new ones.

When purchased, two symmetrical stairs led up to the upper floor units, one to the units on that side, the other for the other side. The openings at the far ends led to open common hallways. Now one stair has been redirected down to serve the basement units; and, the openings at each end have the entry doors to the first floor units.

Please proceed up the stairs.

5. Upstairs Hall

This upstairs hall has been made by combining what was formerly two symmetrical, dingy, dark halls, which were littered with dust and abandoned steam radiators.

6. Unit 5

All the units upstairs preserve their original interior layout. The front units, (5 & 7) have been changed least. So you are looking now at unit most like all the units were before, but nonetheless substantially upgraded. Skylights are new. Wood floors have been (or will be) refinished. Tile and marmoleum is new. As noted before, all the plumbing and electrical wiring in this unit and throughout the building is new. All the gas lines have been replaced.

We did however, retain the existing 80% efficient gas furnaces on for these upstairs units, as they still have a useful life. We anticipate upgrading these furnaces individually when they need to be replaced.

Note that phone, cable and data outlets are available in every room.

7. The Key Lime Bedroom (5)

When purchased, this bedroom was a key lime color. Some were sorry to see the color go. Most were not.

8. Front Studio/Liv. Room (5)

We brought a gas line to the middle of the west wall, in case we wish to add a gas fireplace in the future. The closet in this room originally housed a murphy bed, but it was long gone when we purchased the building.

9. Kitchen (5)

We kept the old upper cabinets. The lower maple cabinets, granite countertops, marmoleum floor is new.

10. Bath (5)

We have made several improvements to this bath to make it feel a bit bigger. The sink was larger before, and overly constricted the passage. The plumbing chase in the wall has been shrunk down by 2 to 3 inches on all three sides. The wall at the plumbing side of the bath/shower used to angle over and restrict the space.

This was because there is a dining room hutch on the other side in the other unit. We cut down the hutch to square off the wall. White tile replaces a formerly dark red floor. the skylight lightens up the room.

11. Unit 6

The back units upstairs have been changed a bit more than the front units. They also have a different feel than the front units, a difference that existed before our remodel.

12. Bath (6)

When we purchased the building, a cheap plastic shower was here. We determined that a clawfoot had originally been located here and we restored that feature. But as you see, we skipped the feet and boxed the tub in with tile instead

The window opens to a lightwell. Cleaning and painting the lightwell was a huge job. Our employee, Larry, built platforms and worked in stages down. Incidentally, notice that both sash work. The carpenters took apart every old window in the building, re-roped the weights and reinstalled them.

13. Liv/Dining with built-in Hutch (6)

The old hutch was cut down about 2 inches on the left side to accomodate the bathtub on the other side. The oak floor was here--we had it refinished.

14. Bedroom (6)

This bedroom is not particularly sunny, but it was downright dark before. A skylight outside above the porch admits light to the porch, and the white tile floor there reflects light into the room. The oak floor is new in this room. It helps make the room brighter as well.

15. Kitchen (6)

Before, there were two back doors to this unit, the door that remains plus another door in the back wall on the far right. We added the big window and deleted the extra door. We also installed the skylight. The room is much brighter.

The maple cabinets, granite countertops, and marmoleum floor are new.

16. Back Porch and Stair (6)

If you look across the way from the apartment building you canl see a back stair on the building behind very similar to what existed on this building before, except that ours, facing south, was much more rotten. The new porch is much better. The tile wards against rot and also reflects light into the rooms. The carpenters, Bill and Don, put quite a few hours into this stair, especially the curved landing and rail.

We now proceed at the 2nd floor level (but stay upstairs) across the back balcony to the unit on the other side.

17. Unit 8

Unit eight is nearly symmetrical to unit six.

18. Unit 8 Bath

The bathroom is a closer restoration to the original condition than you've seen so far. However, as it was originally built in 1908, the floor was fir and the sink was a corner sink. Also, we changed the sink. We considered keeping the sink, but it would have cost a lot to refinish and it wasn't really that great a sink to use.

19. Unit 7

Unit seven is now the smallest unit. The gas line sticking out of the wall in the Living Room is for a future corner fireplace. The line will be tucked into the wall until such time as a fireplace is installed.

We proceed back down the stairs. At the bottom, we turn left to unit three.

20. Unit 3

At this point, we need to make a brief historical aside. This building was built in 1908. It was then a four-plex. There were two units on each of two floors. The units stretched all the way from the front to the back of the building. The lighting then was all gas. The "intercom" was accomplished by speaking tubes. The building had steam heat from a central boiler in the basement. A two-story porch stretched across the front of the building.

In 1927, the then-owner of the building closed in the porch to add floor area, then split each unit into two so that he made a total of eight units. While he was at it, he upgraded to electric lights and installed a telephone-type intercom.Then he covered the facade with "mexican" stucco, built the concrete front steps with iron rails and re-christened the building: "The Amarillo Apartments".

On this first floor we have re-combined two units on each side to restore the apartment to something like its original layout.

The entry hall of this unit was, when we purchased the building, a common hallway.

21. Vestibule (former entry) (3)

This vestibule was formerly the entry of the front unit.

22. Bedroom/Studio (3)

This was formerly the main room of the front, studio apartment. When we demo'd the plaster in this room (and the symmetrical room in unit 4) we discovered no fewer than three ceilings!

23. Bedroom (former kitchen) (3)

When we purchased the building, this was the kitchen for the front unit. We added the closet.

24. Bath (3)

You will recall the small bath upstairs now. This is much the same, though without the skylight.

25. Closet (former common hallway) (3)

This closet used to be part of the common hallway. It wrapped behind the stairs going up. The floor is raised now to allow headroom for the stair leading to the basement.

26. New 92% Furnace with A/C

These units have new high-efficiency furnaces with air-conditioning.

27. Bath (3)

This bath is very like the one immediately above in unit seven.

28. Dining Room with new Arch (3)

Formerly, the hallway reached a stop before the back room and you had to take a small door into the dining room. We have opened the hall to the room beyond, and added the arch. It opens the room up quite a bit. We will re-finish the fir floor. The hallway will be carpeted.

29. Living Room (3)

This room used to be much smaller. We enclosed a small, rather useless back porch to make the room larger. The windows simply moved from the old location to the new. There is a gas line for a future gas fireplace behind the wall between the lights. This room will be carpeted.

30. Kitchen (3)

We added the french doors. The maple cabinets, granite countertops, marmoleum floor are new.

31. Terrace (3)

The new south-facing terrace is a wecome addition. The floor is colored concrete. The walls are split-face concrete block with colored grout, and a brick cap.

32. Back Patio

The back patio is in progress.

We proceed to unit four on the opposite side.

33. Unit 4

This unit is like unit three.

34. Bath (4)

Like the bath above in unit eight, this bath retains the "original" form, except that we have replaced the floor with tile and changed the lavatory.

Now we return to the front foyer.

35. New Stairs to Basement

These are the new stairs added to the basement. Formerly, a stair went up to the second floor right-hand apartments. The stairs will be carpeted.

36. Basement Units-General

In order to build these units, we had to clear out the basement of an enormous quantity of junk and storage areas. We had to remove about 300 feet of 4" schedule 40 steam pipe (all wrapped with asbestos). We had to get rid of the old boiler. Yuri's crew broke up the old slab and removed about 18 inches of dirt. Then we cut new window openings all around, broke up that concrete and hauled it out. There's a good picture of our little Subaru hanging through one of the window openings. Ken had just used the car as a bulldozer to knock the concrete in--but went too far! The new plumbing was laid in the ground. Then Yuri's crew moved in about 30 yards of gravel. On top of that Phil's crew placed 6 inches of insulation and a new concrete slab with a special colorant/hardener on the surface..

The plumbers installed pipes in the slab for radiant floor heat. Ken used an acid stain over the concrete and then sealed it.

—FINI