Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 14, 2012

11

HOMES

 Mountain Views News Saturday July 14, 2012 

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


If you’re looking for that breathtaking wow factor 
for your home, this 2006-built estate, high above 
Annandale Golf Course in the San Rafael Hills, 
commands your consideration.

Listing agent, Tink Cheney chuckles that 
real estate is often known for its overuse of 
superlatives, yet this property delivers on all the 
lavish adjectives that are applied. “The views are 
simply intoxicating, and pull you to them from 
every room,” she commented, “even in the laundry and the master bath 
shower.” 

The views span nearly 270 degrees, combining panoramic San Gabriel 
Mountain views, with downtown Pasadena and City Hall, JPL, the skyline 
into downtown LA, Dodger Stadium and out to the Pacific Ocean and 
Catalina Island beyond. “The Rose Bowl, located below the home, feels 
almost as if you are peeking into it from the Goodyear Blimp,” reflected 
Cheney.

The Architect, Steve Eide, Landscape Architect, Phil May, and General 
Contractor, Richard Smith of At Homes, Inc., created a true synergy of 
design, materials, workmanship and execution for this extraordinary 
home.

The home’s sleek lines and soaring ceilings all in 5,073 square foot feature 
minimal frames around dramatic walls of glass, creating “framed” works of 
art. The interior walls, particularly in the stunning two story living room, 
provide a perfect backdrop for large scale artwork and sculpture.

Perched atop one of the highest addresses in Pasadena, the “V” shape of 
the home both draws one in toward the front doors from the exterior and 
creates a continuum of views, expanding out like the wings of the structure.

Functionality and beauty have been married 
seamlessly, for instance, the dramatic entry 
court presents scale and presence while 
providing parking for up to ten automobiles. 
The motor court could also accommodate 
extended outdoor entertaining.

The fluid floorplan was designed to bring the 
outdoors in; the expansive formal living and 
dining room, the spectacular casual living 
area with a family room and media center 
and the sleek gourmet kitchen and casual 
dining area all open to the back patio and 
views, views, views. 

The four bedrooms include one suite on the 
main level, with three additional bedrooms 
upstairs, including the master. The master 
suite, occupying more than half of the second 
floor square footage, includes a spacious 
bedroom, a spectacular bath with deep 
soaking tub and private, hilltop views. A 
home office has two work areas, and multiple 
balconies with glass surrounds allow outdoor 
access upstairs.

A second floor gallery overlook surrounds the perimeter of the two story living room, ringing it in the 
rich cherry hues of the walls of shelves and cabinets for books, display and storage.

 

The materials are extraordinary in their quality as well as their application. The extensive use of slate 
flooring provides an elegant, yet earthy foundation for the first floor. The cabinetry throughout is 
cherry hardwood, complemented in many places by sleek slab granite counters. 

Outside, the curved edge of the infinity pool reflects the sky, merging horizon with the pool water. A 
raised spa provides a place for relaxation and enjoyment of the views. A built in barbecue, finished in 
slate, mirrors the use of the slate indoors.

 

Consummate privacy and security are provided through the private gate leading to five estates on this 
exclusive drive; another automatic gate further secures this property.

Constructed in 2006, extensive use of technology has been implemented, offering security, sound, 
home automation and lighting control systems for added enjoyment and environmental control.

1525 Glen Oaks Boulevard in Pasadena is offered by Tink Cheney of Coldwell Banker at $3,488,000. 
For more photos and information about the property, visit www.1525GlenOaks.com. Cheney can be 
reached at 626- 233-2938.

One of the Best Views in LA! 270 Degree Vistas from Magnificent Contemporary Estate


GIVE SUMMER STRESSED PLANTS A HELPING 
HAND By MELINDA MYERS / Gardening expert & TV/radio host 

 Don’t let summer stressors ruin your landscape’s 
good looks. Instead give your plants’ natural 
defenses a boost and keep both vegetable 
gardens producing and flowers blooming.

 

 Busy summer schedules can lead to plant 
neglect and less-than-picture-perfect gardens. 
When you team this with summer heat and 
drought that can lead to wilting, brown leaves, 
and poor growth, and add insects and diseases 
that can further weaken and damage plants, 
gardens can really suffer.

 

 An exciting new organic tool for gardeners is 
now available to help. Plant strengtheners, like 
JAZ sprays, help boost plants’ natural defenses 
so they are better able to deal with environmental 
stress, neglect, as well as insects and disease 
attacks.

 

 Scientists found that when plants experienced 
stress from drought, temperature extremes, insects 
or diseases they produced certain molecules 
that activated their natural defenses. They 
isolated these molecules, applied them to other 
plants, and found that the treated plants were 
better able to tolerate stress.

 

 Plant strengtheners contain such molecules 
that increase natural defenses in plants. One 
such family of molecules is the jasmonates, 
originally identified in the jasmine plant, that 
increases hundreds of natural defense molecules 
in treated plants. Some of the natural defenses 
make the plants more resistant to pathogens and others help reduce damage from drought, heat 
and salt.

 

 While proper care can help increase a plant’s natural defenses, plant strengtheners give them an extra 
boost to help plants thrive even during periods of environmental stress. These organic products act like 
vitamins or immunizations, helping plants deal with extreme and often unpredictable weather, pest, 
and disease challenges.

 

 You can even keep healthy plants performing their best by proactively using a plant strengthener. By 
doing so, you’ll boost a plant’s immune system before environmental stresses hit and ultimately help it 
thrive as it faces serious challenges throughout the remainder of the season. It’s a great way to protect 
plants before they become threatened.

 

 Make sure to give your plants proper care throughout their lifetime. Water thoroughly and as needed. 
Then mulch the soil surrounding your plants with shredded leaves, evergreen needles, or other organic 
materials. These conserve moisture, keep roots cool and moist, suppress weeds, and improve the soil 
as they break down.

 

 And, if your plants experience the same problems each year, it is time to make a change. Move 
stressed plants to more suitable growing conditions. Match the plant to the light, soil, and moisture it 
prefers. Replace diseased plants with resistant varieties and provide proper care.

 

 By taking these steps and investing a bit of time and energy you’ll be sure to create a beautiful, 
healthy and productive landscape.

 

 Editor’s note: Nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has more 
than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including Can’t Miss Small Space 
Gardening. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment segments which air on over 115 TV and radio 
stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. She is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine 
and writes the twice monthly “Gardeners’ Questions” newspaper column. Melinda also has a column in Gardening 
How-to magazine. Melinda hosted “The Plant Doctor” radio program for over 20 years as well as seven seasons of 
Great Lakes Gardener on PBS. She has written articles for Better Homes and Gardens and Fine Gardening and was 
a columnist and contributing editor for Backyard Living magazine. Melinda has a master’s degree in horticulture, is a 
certified arborist and was a horticulture instructor with tenure. Her web site is www.melindamyers.com


DON’T GIVE IT AWAY

While indicators show that housing is 
making a comeback, the glut of negative 
reporting is still making people skittish 
about buying a home. This has created a hot 
rental market, with few places available to 
lease and rising rent rates. Consider some 
reasons why it’s always better to own than 
to rent.

First, as owner, you are your own landlord. 
You won’t be kicked out for any reason other 
than not making your mortgage payments. 
You control every other aspect of how you 
choose to live in your home.

Even more important, those monthly 
payments are a kind of forced savings, 
helping you to build equity. Although it’s 
possible that home values could fall further, 
the same could happen to your 401(k). But 
over the long term, both types of investment 
are more likely to see gains.

Right now, interest rates are still very low, 
which means that if you choose a fixed-rate 
mortgage, that rate will never change, and 
you will build equity at an even quicker pace.

Another reason to opt for the ownership 
route is that you’ll find - particularly now 
with so few leases available - that the nicest 
homes in the safest neighborhoods with the 
best schools will be offered for sale and not 
for rent. Consult with an agent and turn 
that rent payment into savings and security 
instead.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com