The OC Register: Corona del Mar’s Ultimate Guest House
Credit - The OC Register
Corona del Mar’s Ultimate Guest House
By PAUL HODGINS | pauldavidhodgins@gmail.com
September 16, 2016 at 3:38 pm
When Alicia Volkov and her husband, Vlad, bought their ’70s home in Corona del Mar in 2012, they knew it would be a work in progress for quite a while.
“Over the years there had been a number of renovations to the property,” Alicia Volkov said. Other things needed immediate attention. “One of them was a guest house which had been used for a live-in.”
The small casita was one of several features that attracted the Volkovs to the property. With its 14,000-square-foot lot, large pool, mature trees and near-coastal location, it had many of the “dream home” features they wanted for their family. (The Volkovs had one child when they moved in; now they have two.)
“But the guest house needed a new roof; it was somewhat decrepit,” Volkov recalled. “The same could be said about the pool and the hardscape. We knew we were going to have to just roll up our sleeves.”
Fortunately, much of the previous renovation work had preserved the home’s midcentury modern elegance, so they could concentrate on the yard. “And it was nice to have all of this room where the kids could play,” Volkov said.
The Volkovs decided that they would expand the guest house from 800 to 1,000 square feet as well as renovate it. “My husband is Eastern European,” she said. “His mom lives in Moscow. They usually come in the winter for a month or more. It was attractive to us that they could stay with us, but in their own space.”
The Volkovs hired Chris LeTourneau, a young Newport Beach architect who specializes in residential projects. He impressed them on the day they met, Volkov said.
“We met with a lot of architects, but Chris came over and really studied. He stayed a couple of hours, mostly sitting there and talking to us.”
Alicia and her husband started with a wish list of things they wanted to change or add to the casita and backyard: a fire pit, an outdoor barbecue area and a sauna. Volkov laughed. “My husband really wanted one. Russians love their saunas. They’ll even convert old closets to get one.”