Welch & Wandsworth
General Contractors
CSLB #1158507
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The rear of the house across the pool, sliding glass open to the travertine deck and the outdoor kitchen

Los Alamitos

The front of the house carries sixty feet on a single span.

A full home remodel taken back to new footings and rebuilt outward: a new roof line, a new elevation, every room inside, and main rooms that open to the yard.

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Location
Los Alamitos
Scope
Full home remodel
Structure
Sixty foot single span
Principals on site
Jason and Benjamin

The main rooms now open directly to the garden.

The old house faced the street and treated the yard as somewhere to walk out to. The work changed that. The rear opens on a long run of sliding glass, the pool deck was rebuilt in travertine to meet it, and the outdoor kitchen now sits where the family actually spends the afternoon. Inside, the kitchen, the stair, the fireplace and the bathrooms were taken on together rather than one room at a time.

Most of what made it possible is invisible now. A single sixty foot span of steel across the front, carrying the porch and everything above it, landing on new footings under new columns. A roof structure that changed shape and had to be tied back into what stayed. Drainage and falls across the whole of the hardscape, so water leaves the house rather than stands against it. That is the part you hire a general contractor for, and it is the part no photograph will ever show you.

We are a California-licensed general contracting firm, led by two principals. You keep your architect and designer. We build what they draw.

Sixty feet, carried on one line of steel

The structure

Sixty feet, carried on one line of steel

The front of the house wanted a covered porch running its full width, and that only works if something else carries the load. The span went in as steel, landing on columns set to anchor bolts cast into new footings. The wood ceiling went in under it, the lath went on around it, and by the time the stucco was floated the part that made the whole thing possible was out of sight for good.

A navy island, and the room squared to it

The kitchen

A navy island, and the room squared to it

Custom cabinetry with a stone top, brass pendants over the island, and a dark glazed tile behind the range. Benjamin takes the finish work, which in a kitchen means the reveals, the returns, and every place two materials have to meet. Nobody notices those when they are right.

A second kitchen, under steel

Outside

A second kitchen, under steel

A steel pergola over a full outdoor kitchen: grill, sink, storage and an oven at the end of the counter, with the pool deck rebuilt in travertine to meet it. In this climate that room gets used more than the one indoors.

Built into this house

A sixty foot single span

One line of steel across the front, so the porch could run the width of the house.

New footings

Excavated, caged and poured, with anchor bolts set to template for the columns.

A standing seam roof

Long metal panels seamed on site, over a roof line that changed shape.

A new elevation

Board and batten and smooth stucco, where a stucco and tile house used to be.

Hardscape and drainage

Driveway, walkways, pool deck, and the falls that carry water away from the house.

Every room inside

Kitchen, bathrooms, stair and fireplace, taken on together rather than one at a time.

The rest of the house

Select any frame to open it
The template, before the steel
The template, before the steelAnchor bolts set to a plywood template and cast into the footing. The steel column lands on these.
Wrapped and scaffolded
Wrapped and scaffoldedBuilding paper across the front, insulation still open on the right, and the roof line already changed.
The house under netting
The house under nettingScaffold and mesh across the whole elevation, which is what a full home remodel looks like for months.
The rear, in scaffold
The rear, in scaffoldThe upper deck framed out over the pool side, with the elevation below still to be finished.
The rear, going up
The rear, going upScaffold on the back of the house before the siding went on.
Stucco, before the finish coat
Stucco, before the finish coatFloated over lath, with the wood soffit already in above it.
Standing seam
Standing seamA metal roof laid in long panels and seamed on site.
The kitchen going in
The kitchen going inCabinet boxes set and leveled, before the counters and the range wall.
The stair, masked
The stair, maskedTreads papered and taped while the painting went on around them.
The front, forming
The front, formingPiers cast, walkway poured, and the planting beds still just dirt.
Nearly there
Nearly thereGarage door hung and the siding finished, with the landscaping still to come.
The entry, finished
The entry, finishedA white oak door under a wood ceiling, and a black steel water feature off the step.
The approach
The approachA wood soffit, a white oak door, and a walk that takes you to it rather than to the garage.
The front garden
The front gardenNew planting, a low fence, and a walk that takes you to the door rather than the driveway.
The gable
The gableDark board and batten against white, and a garage door in stained oak.
From the side
From the sideThe roof line reading across, and the turret that gives the house its corner.
The back elevation
The back elevationDark siding above, white stucco below, and glass where the wall used to be.
The pool and the pergola
The pool and the pergolaTravertine, a glass tiled spillway, and a steel pergola over the outdoor kitchen.
The kitchen, from the room
The kitchen, from the roomA navy island, brass pendants, and a dark glazed tile behind the range.
The living room
The living roomA plaster fireplace under a vaulted ceiling, with the room kept quiet around it.
The stair, finished
The stair, finishedWhite oak treads, dark metal balusters, and a rail that turns at the landing.
The bathroom
The bathroomGreen stack bond tile, a hand painted mural, and a console sink on brass legs.
The tub
The tubFreestanding, with a floor mounted filler and the mural carried around behind it.
The cat wall
The cat wallCustom shelves and boxes set into the slope of the ceiling. Somebody in this house is very well looked after.

When we first began discussing our renovation with Jason and Benjamin, we knew it was going to be a significant undertaking. What we didn't expect was to build such a strong working relationship with a team that genuinely cared about our home and the way our family lives in it. Over two construction phases they became trusted partners, taking the time to understand what we wanted and making sure every decision reflected it.

The final result has exceeded anything we could have imagined. From the redesigned interiors and the custom kitchen to the outdoor entertaining area, the pool, the landscaping, and finally the transformation of the exterior, every detail has been done to an exceptional standard. We are continually complimented on our home, but what stands out most to us is the professionalism, honesty, and pride that Welch & Wandsworth brought to every stage. We would recommend Jason, Benjamin, and their team without reservation, to anyone who wants outstanding craftsmanship and an equally good experience getting there.

Homeowners, Los Alamitos, California
The street side.
The street side.Board and batten against smooth stucco, openings squared to the porch line, and a roof that changed shape.

If your project sounds like this one, we should walk it together.

They walk the lot together before a line is drawn. Jason takes the structure and the site, Benjamin takes the details you live with every day. Both of them are on site, on every project, and we only take a few homes at a time so that stays true.

Serving the greater Orange County and Los Angeles area, and the Altadena fire rebuild.

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