TV host Mario Lopez purchased a fabulous house in Glendale California in anticipation of his new baby and new reality show with girlfriend Courtney Mazza.
The Lopez home is a 12-room Spanish style house in the foothills of Glendale California and is a historic landmarked dating to the 1920’s. The property sold just under $2 million and is 4,430 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, beautiful kitchen, great outdoor patio with pool, landscaped gardens and panoramic city views.
After purchasing the home Lopez decided to make some “changes” to the property. He planned to extend an existing pool deck, build a 1,000 square foot recreation room that would connect to the main house via tunnel and add a staircase. The home included an unpermitted master bedroom which was added by the previous owners, Lopez planned to tear it down and replace the bedroom with a 145 square foot addition.
Something tells me Lopez got a little overly excited with his big plans and forgot one minor detail, permits! Building permits should be the first thing you get out of the way when a) you buy a historic house and b) you want to tear down/build on to your house…oh you also want to hire competent builders who should know this!
The proper procedure would have been to submit his construction plans to the Historic Preservation Commission before making any changes to the historic home. Lopez skipped that step and began construction. Code enforcement officials discovered that the actor violated the zoning codes in April. With city officials upset they demanded that he cease building and obtain the proper permits.
Lopez cooperated with the city and stopped construction to get the permits. He submitted his building plans to the Historic Preservation Commission as required. After they reviewed his plans they decided to allow him to continue with the construction because they didn’t believe the work he intended to do to the home would negatively affect the 1929-era history of the property.
“I think the plans are very beautiful,” Commissioner Lorna Vartanian said. “I think they are sensitive to the property.”
The Glendale News-Press reported that the Commissioners voted to allow Lopez, the host of “Extra” and “America’s Best Dance Crew,” to continue work on the project, but with some alterations. His plans must include a redesign of the square-shaped, recreation room’s arched openings and an increased setback of a master bath addition.
Can’t wait to see the finished product, check back for pics!
John is the Vice President here at JohnHart, and as such is responsible for managing and directing the firm towards obtaining its ultimate goals.
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