Home Seller: July 3, 2026

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Q: We purchased a house last month. Three or four days before we closed escrow, our agent took us through the house to conduct a walk-thru inspection. At that time we discovered what we thought was a problem with the furnace’s ther mostat. Because we were going to close in a few days our agent negotiated with the sellers to leave $200 in escrow to cover the repair or replacement of the thermostat. After we moved in we called a repairman. It turns out that the problem isn’t with the thermostat but with the circuit board in the furnace and air conditioner. The repair estimate is over $1,300. The repairman won’t know if the thermostat is bad until he gets the circuit board replaced.

Tim Jones

I contacted the sellers and they said it wasn’t their problem because we all agreed that $200 would cover it. So they don’t have to pay anymore. My agent says she isn’t going to get involved since the transaction has closed and advised me to talk to a lawyer. I have two questions. Does the fact that we agreed to have $200 left in escrow mean we signed away our right to get the furnace fixed? And, shouldn’t our agent be helping us?

A: OK, one question at a time.

The money left in escrow probably has no effect on your ability to sue for undisclosed defects. I say “probably” because it’s possible, though highly unlikely, the agents drafted appropriate language in either the contract addendum or the walk-thru inspection sheet constituted a full settle-

ment agreement. It is certainly possible that somebody drafted an agreement that said, in effect, the sellers are giving you $200 to cover any problems with

If that’s the case, two

The fact that money was left in escrow suggests the $200 wasn’t a flat payment in settlement of a dispute. Instead, the money was intended to give you some assurance the funds would be available to pay for the new

If the thermostat only costs $60 to replace, $140 will be returned to the seller. Right?

In other words, the escrow company was simply acting as a bank account for the seller’s money.

Next, there are provisions in the law which, unless specifically waived in writing, don’t extend a settlement agreement to anything that the parties didn’t know about when they entered into the settlement.

Here, everybody thought the problem was with the thermostat. Nobody suggested the problem was with the internal workings of the furnace. The sellers may argue that the settlement applies to the furnace, period. But, based on what you’ve told me, I don’t think that’s a winning argument.

So, to sum up this rather complex area of the law, the $200 most likely has no affect on your right to the $1,300.

What does have an affect is whether the seller is liable at all

SOLANO REAL ESTATE SCENE

Your electrical panel can cause fireworks

First of all, I have no idea what the electrical panel does in my home or where it is even located, because my wife manages all the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and general construction projects at our house, but I recently heard that some electrical panels can be dangerous.

One home inspector called a Zinsco electrical panel a ticking time bomb. Insurance companies will not insure a home if they find out the electrical panel was made by Federal Pacific, Zinsco, aka Sylvania/GTE, Pushmatic, Challenger, and certain older Murray or Square D panels.

Nowadays, insurance companies are much more careful about what they insure and use drones to fly over homes to make sure there are not any large visible holes in the roof or large burn pits in the yard.

The other day, a Realtor told me his clients’ insurance got cancelled 30 days after the close of escrow because the insurance company did an in-person home inspection and found a Zinsco panel, which is known for breakers that melt or lose contact with the main bus bar.

The best thing to do if you are concerned about the safety of your electrical box is to ask your family Realtor what licensed electrician they use for replacing electrical panels. My family used Vine Electric in Vacaville in the past and loved the service.

Have a Happy Fourth of July.

Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager and senior loan adviser of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.

Her water bill was ‘insane’

So she tore out her lawn and planted a ‘wabi-sabi’ wonderland

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Julia Lee had no need for a new garden when she and her husband purchased their Cheviot Hills home eight years ago. The traditional 1950 home came with mature tropical plants in the back and a sprawling grass hillside lawn in front, and it suited them just fine. But as drought and wildfires dragged on in California in recent years, she started to question whether keeping the thirsty lawn made sense.

“Our water bill was insane,” she says as she offers a tour of the former lawn, which is now filled with colorful native plants and drought-tolerant plants. “It was a waste of space. Our kids were getting older and didn’t play on the lawn. There was just no reason to keep a big green lawn.”

After reading a Times story about Georg Kochi, a retiree who swapped his Koreatown lawn with plants suited for California, Lee was inspired by Kochi’s wild, wabi-sabi-style garden, which embraces the art of imperfect beauty.

“I’m into chaos,” Lee says, bending down to smell the minty fragrance of a native Woolly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) shrub. “It’s an accurate reflection of my personality.”

So in 2022, Lee decided to replace her lawn with a drought-tolerant landscape, using the LADWP Free Landscape Design Program, now called the Landscape Efficiency Assistance Program,

for help. She also applied for the Metropolitan Water District’s turf replacement rebate, which was $3 per square foot at the time (now $5), and got $5,310 back when the garden was finished.

She wanted to learn more about native plants, so she took a garden design class at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Native Plants in Sun Valley. But the class felt overwhelming. “I love Theodore Payne,” she says, “but I hate measurements and trying to figure out hardscape. I’m not a math person. The instructor wanted us to use a compass and draw a scale drawing of the whole lawn, and I thought,

‘I can’t do this.’”

Feeling paralyzed, she thought about hiring someone to help her, even though she didn’t want to spend the money on a landscape designer. But when Lee shared her frustrations with her graduate school adviser, noted author and avid gardener Jamaica Kincaid, she got the encouragement she needed. “She told me to do it myself,” Lee says, “as she designed her own gardens herself, and they are idiosyncratic just like she is.”

With encouragement from Kincaid, Lee, 49, began by planting small sages that would grow quickly and help prevent erosion, since water,

mulch and rain often ran down the hillside to the sidewalk. She also spread Theodore Payne’s Rainbow Mix wildflower seeds throughout the landscape, including California poppies, Arroyo lupine, Desert Bluebells and Clarkia. In the spring, the yard was full of colorful wildflowers, but for the rest of the year, it stayed dormant. “People loved it because it was like a wildflower meadow in the middle of the city,” she says. Walking through Lee’s garden, as birds, bees and butterflies zoom around the yard’s bright flowers, it’s obvious she loves color. With help from

Solano real estate transactions

BENICIA

TOTAL SALES: 9

LOWEST AMOUNT: $415,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,300,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $609,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $736,278

314 East 2nd Street - $680,000

05-01-26 [2 Bdrms - 1190 SqFt - 1984 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 01-02-09, $360,000

1312 East 7th Street - $480,000

04-30-26 [2 Bdrms - 1093 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-01-10, $170,500

312 Baker Court - $1,300,000

04-30-26 [5 Bdrms - 2914 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt]

764 Barton Way - $890,000

04-28-26 [4 Bdrms - 1964 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt]

2000 Clearview Circle - $525,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1530 SqFt - 1983 YrBlt]

621 Kearney Street - $1,228,500

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 3050 SqFt - 1998 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-12-98, $426,550

720 Military - $499,000

04-30-26 [2 Bdrms - 1464 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-15-08, $240,000

520 Raymond Drive - $609,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1047 SqFt - 1956 YrBlt]

138 Warwick Drive #77 - $415,000

04-28-26 [3 Bdrms - 1197 SqFt - 1972 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 10-02-15, $275,000

DIXON

TOTAL SALES: 5

LOWEST AMOUNT: $390,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $729,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $615,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $593,800

225 East Chestnut Street - $615,000

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 2258 SqFt - 1963 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-10-20, $510,000 905 West F Street - $575,000

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 1619 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-01-25, $385,000 2045 Keel Court - $660,000

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 1734 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-05-18, $435,000 480 Kings Court - $729,000

05-01-26 [5 Bdrms - 2470 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 08-11-11, $290,000 795 Michele Court - $390,000

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 1619 SqFt - 1976 YrBlt]

FAIRFIELD

TOTAL SALES: 20

LOWEST AMOUNT: $160,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,515,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $568,500

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $652,250

836 Antiquity Drive - $940,000

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 3275 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-21-09, $460,000

1706 Barton Drive - $588,000

04-28-26 [4 Bdrms - 1929 SqFt - 1972 YrBlt]

1049 Buchanan Street - $450,000

04-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1008 SqFt - 1952 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-31-11, $99,500

1636 Clay Street - $500,000

04-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1040 SqFt - 1954 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-11-05, $375,000

959 Coventry Lane - $435,000

04-28-26 [5 Bdrms - 2140 SqFt - 1973 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-05-91, $10,000

1584 Davis Court - $470,000

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 1696 SqFt - 1973 YrBlt]

2486 Del Monte Drive - $851,000

04-27-26 [5 Bdrms - 2607 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-06-23, $832,000

2950 Gammon Court - $560,000

04-28-26 [4 Bdrms - 1743 SqFt - 1991 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-09-01, $249,000

1652 Glenmore Drive - $500,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 1692 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-16-10, $160,000

315 Hamilton Drive - $425,000

05-01-26 [2 Bdrms - 784 SqFt - 1959 YrBlt]

5304 Hom Drive - $577,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 1730 SqFt - 2014 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-15-14, $376,500

1026 Meadow Glen Court - $480,000

04-28-26 [3 Bdrms - 1450 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt]

3511 Norwalk Place - $720,000

04-29-26 [5 Bdrms - 2392 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-15-23, $722,500

5226 Pavilion Court - $1,111,000

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 3118 SqFt - 1996 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-14-21, $1,050,000

621 Renaissance Avenue - $875,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 2282 SqFt - 1993 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-15-21, $875,000

108 Siebe Drive - $1,515,000

04-28-26 [4 Bdrms - 2950 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt]

4782 Stonewood Drive - $630,000

04-28-26 [3 Bdrms - 1485 SqFt - 1992 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 02-15-01, $234,000

1101 Tanglewood Drive - $160,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 1469 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 05-11-05, $445,000

680 Vintage Court - $705,500

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 1966 SqFt - 1986 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-23-21, $693,000

806 Wilmington Court - $552,500

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1687 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-27-05, $461,500

RIO VISTA

TOTAL SALES: 7 LOWEST AMOUNT: $350,000.00 HIGHEST AMOUNT: $573,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $425,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $452,857

824 Brookside Lane - $425,000

04-29-26 [2 Bdrms - 1767 SqFt - 2006 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-21-06, $458,579

714 Cherry Hills Lane - $350,000

04-29-26 [2 Bdrms - 1105 SqFt - 1999 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-24-16, $257,000

4725 Market Place Square - $573,000

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 2018 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 02-02-22, $605,500

756 Rubier Way - $573,000

04-29-26 [5 Bdrms - 2801 SqFt - 1999 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-24-18, $421,000 23 Shasta Drive - $485,000

04-29-26 [3 Bdrms - 1291 SqFt - 1980 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-08-22, $490,000

180 Sierra Avenue - $399,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1104 SqFt - 1963 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 05-18-16, $245,000 773 Turnberry Terrace - $365,000

04-28-26 [2 Bdrms - 970 SqFt - 2002 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-24-24, $350,000

SUISUN CITY

TOTAL SALES: 9

LOWEST AMOUNT: $450,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $625,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $550,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $545,222

711 Capistrano Drive - $450,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 1334 SqFt - 1985 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-10-21, $507,000

418 Craven Drive - $550,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 1492 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-18-20, $425,000 421 Donaldson Court - $625,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 2206 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-29-17, $440,000 1018 Freedom Drive - $585,000

04-29-26 [4 Bdrms - 2030 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-29-05, $605,000 1113 Kellogg Street - $557,000

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 1280 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-11-25, $350,000 1446 Monitor Avenue - $530,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1492 SqFt - 1986 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-16-14, $300,000

701 Shannon Drive - $526,000

04-29-26 [4 Bdrms - 1490 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-18-05, $394,000

1405 Tillman Street - $505,000

04-28-26 [2 Bdrms - 1190 SqFt - 1992 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-18-18, $375,000

1413 Tillman Street - $579,000

04-29-26 [3 Bdrms - 1666 SqFt - 1993 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-24-19, $428,000

VACAVILLE

TOTAL SALES: 18

LOWEST AMOUNT: $439,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $930,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $572,500

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $592,528

317 North Alamo Drive - $685,000

04-29-26 [3 Bdrms - 1497 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-30-25, $400,000

862 Atchison Drive - $710,000

04-30-26 [5 Bdrms - 3233 SqFt - 2002

YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-28-16, $550,000

332 Beelard Drive - $520,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 1546 SqFt - 1968 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 01-29-16, $298,000

119 Carlsbad Circle - $439,000

04-29-26 [2 Bdrms - 1458 SqFt - 1967 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-04-11, $170,000

137 Chinook Court - $565,000

04-29-26 [3 Bdrms - 1540 SqFt - 1976 YrBlt]

331 Columbine Court - $575,000

04-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1577 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-05-04, $376,450

384 Dublin Way - $600,000

04-28-26 [3 Bdrms - 1988 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-23-10, $280,000 1156 Fox Hound Court - $614,000

04-28-26 [3 Bdrms - 1542 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 02-16-23, $570,000

532 Gregory Drive - $515,000

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 1590 SqFt - 1976 YrBlt]

230 James Court - $570,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1605 SqFt - 1984 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 08-01-13, $295,000

279 Livingston Avenue - $479,000

04-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1318 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-16-00, $185,950

418 Nut Tree Road - $495,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1800 SqFt - 1985 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-15-07, $210,000

920 Rio Grande Drive - $930,000

04-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 3562 SqFt - 2002 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 02-24-23, $893,000

478 Sawyer Drive - $690,000

04-29-26 [3 Bdrms - 2585 SqFt - 2021 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-11-16, $435,000

681 Shannon Drive - $588,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1268 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-25-14, $315,000

2018 Southwood Drive - $490,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 980 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-18-08, $187,500

7079 Westminster Court - $680,000

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 2400 SqFt - 2012 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-27-15, $440,000 1066 Woodridge Drive - $520,500

04-29-26 [3 Bdrms - 1296 SqFt - 1983 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-22-20, $425,000

VALLEJO

TOTAL SALES: 22

LOWEST AMOUNT: $255,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,590,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $596,250

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $666,341

214 12th Street - $315,000

04-30-26 [2 Bdrms - 858 SqFt - 1939 YrBlt] 7072 Alder Creek Road - $810,000

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 3112 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-06-17, $575,000 59 Baldwin Street - $260,000

04-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 720 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-10-23, $270,000 1440 Beach Street - $1,230,000

04-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 1144 SqFt - 1936 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-21-13, $180,000

29 Canterbury Circle - $597,500

04-29-26 [3 Bdrms - 1594 SqFt - 1985 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-28-13, $330,000 8128 Carlisle Way - $595,000

04-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1665 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-14-18, $465,000 725 Del Norte Street - $460,000

04-30-26 [2 Bdrms - 1030 SqFt - 1951 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-28-13, $177,000 2627 Feldspar Court - $900,000

04-30-26 [3 Bdrms - 3444 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-21-14, $530,000

1201 Glen Cove Parkway #214$255,000

04-28-26 [1 Bdrms - 665 SqFt - 1992 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 05-30-14, $138,000 414 Glenn Street - $495,000

04-30-26 [2 Bdrms - 1019 SqFt - 1940 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 01-08-26, $330,000

241 Howard Avenue - $532,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1568 SqFt - 1963 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-12-20, $425,000

246 Jordan Street - $1,485,000

04-28-26 [3 Bdrms - 1469 SqFt - 1951 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-24-19, $370,000

70 Marina Ridge Court - $700,000

04-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1487 SqFt - 1995 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-29-16, $405,000

1331 Mariposa Street - $475,000

04-30-26 [2 Bdrms - 1160 SqFt - 1951 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-14-12, $145,000

165 Oddstad Drive #10 - $310,000

05-01-26 [2 Bdrms - 1121 SqFt - 1984 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-22-16, $145,000

1014 Sandhurst Drive - $745,000

04-29-26 [4 Bdrms - 2498 SqFt - 1994 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-07-12, $263,000

1115 Sereno Drive - $370,000

05-01-26 [3 Bdrms - 1175 SqFt - 1955 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-04-09, $95,000

156 Stanford Drive - $500,000

05-01-26 [4 Bdrms - 1328 SqFt - 1966 YrBlt]

560 Topley Court - $715,000

04-30-26 [5 Bdrms - 2573 SqFt - 1991 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-25-18, $565,000

7256 Willow Creek Circle - $705,000

04-30-26 [4 Bdrms - 2545 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-02-21, $705,000

133 Windsurfer Court - $615,000

04-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1104 SqFt - 1986 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 10-17-17, $455,000

272 Woodridge Drive - $1,590,000

04-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 2030 SqFt - 1979 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-16-07, $550,000

What are some quick, easy ways I can refresh my kitchen?

Y

our kitchen is one of the most used and important rooms in your home, but a full remodel can be expensive and time consuming. The good news is that you don’t need to gut your whole kitchen to make a big difference. There’s no shortage of easy kitchen projects you can tackle to give your kitchen a new look.

cabinet painting typically costs between $400 and $1,500, which is still significantly less than the price of a full kitchen remodel. After painting, consider swapping out your cabinet hardware. Replacing your hardware is an affordable, easy way to make your kitchen look more put together.

ASK ANGI

a couple of days and usually costs between $450 and $1,500, making it the perfect quick, high-impact project.

Painting your cabinets is always a great place to start. Cabinets cover a lot of space, so changing your cabinet color can completely transform the feel of the room. If you’re comfortable painting and have a free weekend, this can be an easy project to do yourself. Just make sure to clean and lightly sand the surfaces first for the best results. If you’d rather leave it to a pro,

Next, take a look at your countertops and backsplash. Remove any stains from your countertops and check to make sure they are in good condition. If the caulk surrounding your countertops is dingy or cracking, consider replacing it. You can also update your backsplash to give your kitchen a new look. Professional backsplash installation only takes

Upgrading your appliances is another quick and easy kitchen project. If your microwave, refrigerator or dishwasher is on its last legs, now might be a good time to swap it out for a newer model. New models also have the added bonus of being more efficient and eco-friendly, so you might even save a little on your water and energy bills over time. A good pro can install a new appliance in an hour or two, making this a great project for when you’re short on time. Finally, don’t overlook the small things. Swap out your light

fixtures, replace an old faucet or add a fresh coat of paint to the walls. You can also add some new lighting under the cabinets for a bright, modern look. These are small projects that can usually be done without any professional help.

If you have a little extra time, it’s also a good idea to deep clean and declutter the space. These finishing touches are quick and easy and can help tie the whole room together.

Don’t worry about completing all these projects at once.

From Page 2

for the problem.

Sellers are only responsible for disclosing those problems which they know, or should have known about.

If the sellers knew the furnace wasn’t working, even if they didn’t know why, they needed to either repair it or disclose it to you on the proper forms.

If you want to get your $1,300, you will have to show to the satisfaction of a judge that the sellers knew the furnace wasn’t working and that the problem was more extensive than just the thermostat.

Tim Jones, Esq., is a real estate attorney in Fairfield. If you have any real estate questions you would like to have answered in this column, you can send an email to AllThingsRealEstate@ TJones-Law.com.

The great thing about taking on smaller kitchen projects is that you can choose whether you want to knock them all out in one weekend or choose one or two that sound manageable and go from there. Taking on even just a few small projects can completely change the way your kitchen looks and feels.

Tweet your home care questions with #AskingAngi and we’ll try to answer them in a future column.

Bill

From Page 3

her friend Ben Liou, who replaced his lawn with native plants, Lee filled the space with a lively mix of sages and flowering perennials, including yellow Bladderpod, pink Palmer’s Penstemon, blue California lilac and poppies. Also, in the mix, there are California poppies, Channel Islands Tree poppies and tall Matilija poppies that look like fried eggs.

She was surprised to find that working in her garden helped her connect with her neighbors in unexpected ways.

“I was worried the neighbors would complain,” she says. “But I’ve met so many people because I’m out here every day. Other gardeners are curious and often ask me, ‘What’s that interesting yellow plant? Oh, Palmer’s Indian Mallow?’ I even know all the dogs’ names now.”

When she and her gardener sheetmulched the front yard with cardboard Amazon boxes she had collected from her neighbors in October, one neighbor joked that it looked ready for Halloween. “She told me it looks like a graveyard,” Lee says, laughing.

Not all the plants survived, partly because half the garden is shaded by a large magnolia tree on the parking strip. Lee estimates she lost about 70% of her plants in the first year because she didn’t water enough. “The very first year you’re supposed to water regularly, and I did not hand-water enough, so everything basically died. The water bill went down dramatically, though.”

Three years later, after losing so many plants, she decided to add an irri-

gation system. Liou and her gardener helped Lee install it and build a bioswale to catch rainwater, using stones from Valley Builders Supply and some larger rocks from Bourget Bros. “We installed it in one day,” she says. “It was my birthday present to myself.”

At first, she was nervous about adding something so different from the other traditional lawns on her street. “There weren’t any other houses that had anything like that,” she says. “But now I like it because it breaks up the front lawn into separate planting sections.” She can also walk down the bioswale to work in the garden. “I find garden maintenance so relaxing,” she adds. “It’s meditative.”

Lee says plants help her connect with people. One neighbor who knew the home’s previous owner gave her succulents. Another brought her some aromatic California sagebrush, also called Cowboy Cologne. “I really like the fact that I can point to certain things and remember who gave them to me,” she says. “That’s really nice.”

She hopes the golden yarrow will spread, and she’s especially proud of the large white sage she grew from seeds that a friend gave her. “It’s so happy over there,” she says, clearly excited by its growth. “Look at how big it is. I am so proud of it.”

Not all the plants in the unamended soil are California natives or even drought-tolerant. Lee kept some plants that have been growing in the yard for decades, like the jasmine climbing around the front of the house as well as the white roses. “I really don’t like lantana,” she says, “but I hate killing things.”

PLANTS USED IN THIS GARDEN

California native shrubs/ flowers

• Coulter’s Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri)

• Pigeon Point Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis “Pigeon Point”)

• Twin Peaks No. 2 Dwarf Coyote Bush (Baccharis pilularis “Twin Peaks No. 2”)

• Lilac Verbena “De La Mina” (Verbena lilacina “De La Mina”)

• Armstrong California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum “Armstrong”)

• Marin Pink California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum “Marin Pink”)

• “Bert’s Bluff’ California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum)

• Catalina California Fuchsia (Epilobium “Catalina”)

• Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea)

• California Sagebrush (Artemesia Californica)

• California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)

• Fragrant Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia fragrans)

• “Whirly Blue” Cleveland sage (salvia clevelandii “Whirly Blue”)

• “Celestial Blue” Cleveland sage (salvia clevelandii “Celestial Blue”)

• Winnifred Gilman Cleveland sage (salvia clevelandii “Winnifred Gilman”)

• Allen Chickering Cleveland sage (salvia clevelandii “Allen Chickering”)

• “Bee’s Bliss” sage (Salvia “Bee’s Bliss”)

• “Mrs. Beard” creeping sage (Salvia sonomensis “Mrs. Beard”)

• Russian sage (Salvia yangii)

• Santa Barbara Mexican Bush sage (Salvia leucantha “Santa Barbara”)

• Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens)

• California bush sunflower (Encelia californica)

• Margarita BOP penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus “Margarita BOP”)

• Palmer’s Indian Mallow (Abutilon palmeri)

Someday she hopes to set up a free seed library, and she’s excited to see bluebird hatchlings in the bluebird house that Venice beekeeper Ian Kimbrey installed in her tree. “I just need to be patient,” Lee says about the bluebird box, which is still empty. “I’ve entered that phase of my life where I just love to see so many birds and bees and other animals in my garden. It’s good for my mental health.” She also wants to add a water feature where birds and butterflies can bathe and sip, and she plans to

plant more berries to attract more pollinators.

Lee, who grew up in L.A. and teaches English at Loyola Marymount University, says her unkempt garden reminds her of Los Angeles in some ways. “Everybody just wants to look young and perfect all the time, and that’s not healthy,” she says. “My garden is beautiful in the spring; then it goes dormant in the summer. And that’s OK.”

She hopes her story will encourage others who who can’t afford a landscape designer or simply feel overwhelmed by the idea of replacing their lawn. “I think sometimes it’s helpful just having somebody who’s there to hold your hand,” she says of her friend Liou. “For me, that was critical. I don’t think I would have ever made any progress without him.”

The project was ultimately about more than just saving water. It gave Lee a chance to connect with her community while experimenting in what she calls a “test garden.” She calls her garden a work in progress, and although she has suffered failures along the way, she values the friendships she has made outside her front door. “My garden doesn’t look designed because it isn’t. I’ve learned it’s OK if things aren’t perfect.”

Actually, she says, an imperfect,always-evolving garden is “a good lesson for life.”

• Red Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens)

• “Warriner Lytle” Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum “Warriner Lytle”)

• Ashyleaf Buckwheat (Eriogonum cinereum)

• Sea Cliff Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium)

• Ceanothus “Julia Phelps”

• Yankee Point Carmel Ceanothus (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus “Yankee Point”)

• Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa)

• Woolly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum)

• Golden Currant (Ribes aureum var. gracillimum)

• Bush Monkeyflower (Diplacus longiflorus)

• Jelly Bean Red (and Pink, and Orange, and Fiesta Marigold) Monkeyflower (Diplacus “Jelly Bean Red,” etc.)

• Canyon Prince Giant Rye (Elymus condensatus “Canyon Prince”)

• Island Alumroot (Heuchera maxima)

• Santa Ana Cardinal Alumroot (Heuchera “Santa Ana Cardinal”)

• California bee plant (Scrophularia californica)

• California Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)

• Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus)

• Island Mallow (Malva assurgentiflora)

• White sage (salvia apiana)

• Black sage (saliva mellifera)

• Butterfly bush (Buddleja)

• California Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

• Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

• French lavender (Lavandula dentata)

• Bush Anemone (Carpenteria californica)

• Channel Islands tree poppy (Dendromecon hartfordii)

• Manzanita

• Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)

• Showy Island snapdragon (Gambelia speciosa)

• Bladderpod (Cleomella arborea) Wildflowers (native and non-native)

• California poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

• Blue Globe gilia (gilia capitata)

• Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata)

• “Farewell to Spring” Clarkia (Clarkia amoena)

• Cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus)

Theodore Payne’s Rainbow Mix wildflower seeds

• “Indian Summer” Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta, “Indian Summer”)

• Cosmos (cosmos bipinnatus)

• Various breadseed poppies (papiva somniferum)

REAL ESTATE