Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 16, 2012

11

HOMES & PROPERTY

 Mountain Views News Saturday June 16, 2012 

One Of A Kind: Featuring unique homes and gardens and the people who create them Story and Photos by Chris Bertrand. 


PASADENA PATIO

The Laing family is well known as a longtime building materials 
supplier to the San Gabriel Valley. Their L and L Building Materials 
company (www.LLBMI.com) has provided masonry, plastering, 
and landscaping products for contractors and homeowners from 
their Irwindale headquarters since 1993. 

As an outgrowth of their flagstone, pavers, manufactured stone 
offerings, they began to serve the increased local demand for 
upscale outdoor kitchens and living spaces. When the interest and 
market for outdoor fireplaces, built-in barbecue stations and patio 
living continued to increase into demand for a coordinated, well 
designed space that seamlessly extended the style and quality of the 
interior appointments, Pasadena Patio (www.Pasadena-Patio.com) was conceived. 

Located at 78 S. Rosemead, almost across from the DMV, Pasadena Patio opened its doors 
just six months ago as an extended family, joint venture between in-laws, the Laings and the 
Jennings. 

Manager, Ken Burrows, proudly noted that in this short time, they’ve already had repeat 
customers, who, after a first successful venture into upscale patio living, came back for a 
bigger second helping. “We want to be your full service, one stop outdoor living source, down 
to referring excellent contractors to perform the work if needed, through the Laing’s years of 
interactions with the area’s best contractors at L and L.”

Burrows brings a wealth of industry expertise and entrepreneurial experience over nearly five 
decades to the new company. His outdoor living “pedigree” was truly a “coup” for Pasadena 
Patio, as was his extensive network in the Pasadena-San Gabriel Valley area, since he’s born 
and bred here, and was even President of The Tournament of Roses.

One of the owners, David Laing, reflected that Burrows’ extensive work 
at Brown Jordan, a luxury outdoor furniture manufacturer, and his co-
development of Terra (www.TerraFurniture.com), a casual and outdoor 
furniture and accessories manufacturing company, in City of Industry, 
provided the perfect blend of knowledge and creativity. 

“Every major manufacturer in this industry has immense respect for Ken 
Burrows,” said Laing. “It has opened many doors for us,” he continued, “to 
become much more than just another patio or casual furniture store. We’ve 
become the WOW factor patio store,” he chuckled.

Laing and Burrows find that many consumers who want to customize their 
outdoor living with beautiful choices from the nine upscale lines they carry, 
like Viking, Lynx and Tropitone, etc., are simply overwhelmed by the color, 
fabric and frame choices. 

“That’s where our design service comes in,” said Burrows. “Our customers 
love being able to get design advice right in their home from our in house 
designer, Ginger Evans at no additional charge. She brings extensive 
experience from a number of top Orange County casual living stores, 
including as manager of the amazing Rogers Gardens. She is an integral 
part of our design team.”

“If you already have a designer, we provide courtesy to the design trade, as 
well, so please consider us the headquarters for fleshing out the outdoor 
living chapter of your remodel!” encouraged Burrows.

One of the major local country clubs has also given the thumbs up to 
Pasadena Patio, as well, contracting them to replace all their outdoor 
furniture this year. 

One of the favorite “gotta have” products Pasadena Patio offers is the Big Green Egg (www.BigGreenEgg.com), a smoker, cooker and even an oven for cakes, available 
in several sizes. Burrows laughed about an experience he had selling the product recently. An oral surgeon came in saying she didn’t need the Big Green Egg, as 
she already had two barbecues at her Orange Grove condo in Pasadena. But… she’d just had dinner at the home of a prominent country club general manager, and 
couldn’t get over the taste and juiciness of a wide array of smoked/ baked foods prepared in the Egg. I just have to have one!” 

Another unique item is the “Balance” patio umbrella with fingertip control to raise, lower and adjust the angle to any level. Balance was designed by a German engineer, and manufactured by the company 
Burrows co-founded, Terra. 

“The pricing is amazingly close to the high quality traditional umbrellas we offer,” reflected Burrows. “The ease of control is very attractive, especially for locations requiring changes in the umbrella angle for 
optimal shade, throughout the day. Anyone who has struggled with opening or closing a nine or eleven foot umbrella will easily attest that this uniquely engineered product is a real find!”

Visit Pasadena Patio at 78 S. Rosemead in Pasadena or on the web at www.Pasadena-Patio.com. 


Ken Burrows,top, at Pasadena Patio - 78 S. Rosemead, Pasadena.

Above the showroom; right THE BIG GREEN EGG.


DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

When you hear that someone managed to sell a home without representation, it's likely that the sale 
was to a family member, close friend, or a tenant who was already renting and living there. These 
exceptional cases are not the norm, and there are powerful reasons why it is so difficult to make a sale 
"by owner."

The biggest roadblock is that For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) aren't included in the Multiple Listing Service 
(MLS) that licensed agents and organizations use. A sign in the yard and an ad in the newspaper 
are no match for the widespread exposure gained from a listing visible on the MLS.

Since the FSBO has no listing agreement providing for a sales commission, many agents won't show 
these homes with no promise of compensation. Again, this greatly reduces the number of potential 
buyers exposed to the offering, not to mention the fact that buyers who do express interest will not 
have been screened by a professional to determine their qualifications.

Perhaps the most hazardous aspect of selling “by owner” is the potential for legal oversights and 
complications. Real estate transactions are loaded with potential liability for unrepresented and unwitting 
sellers. One overlooked form or improper disclosure could generate an expensive lawsuit.

Just as you wouldn't enter the courtroom without an attorney, you shouldn't sell your home without 
professional representation.

$5.00 off any service(at regular price)