Message from the director

Welcome to the Sunset Remodel Idea House

When we began planning our 2002 Idea House we researched building trends in the West and discovered that falling interest rates and rising equity made remodeling a very attractive option for Western homeowners. Given this information, we made a decision to pull together a team for our first ever Sunset Remodel Idea House. This gave our editorial staff the perfect opportunity to chronicle the remodel process and gave our sponsors the opportunity to demonstrate how to incorporate new building materials and products into a remodel environment.

I want to thank our design team—architect Terry Martin, interior designers Marcia Moore and Patty McDonald, and landscape designer Irving Tamura— for their hard work and dedication to this project. And a special thanks goes to Mark DeMattei and Perry Gardner, of DeMattei Construction. Mark and Perry brought our vision to life and made the entire process very easy. Their knowledge and experience guided us to a wonderful end result.

And lastly, a very big thank you to our sponsors and the many contributors that provided the products featured in the house. Without their support Idea Homes would not be possible.

Embarking on a remodel can be a daunting challenge but I am now convinced that with the right builder and design team, and of course your Sunset checklist, it can be done and can be lots of fun!

Enjoy!

Lydia Lyons
Home Program Director
Sunset Magazine