To Build, Or Not To Build — Lamorinda Ponders the Question

After taking a hit from the bubble burst, residential construction in Lamorinda is slowly beginning to break new ground again — a development that could change the look of neighborhoods.

Remodels are up in Orinda, because residents have shied away from building from scratch. Lafayette is seeing an uptick in proposals for new homes, and major housing projects throughout the area are beginning to pick up speed.

“We have climbed out quite a bit, but I’m cautious,” said Emmanuel Ursu, planning director for Orinda. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

In Orinda, remodels, additions and alterations for the 2010-2011 fiscal year increased 25 percent from the previous year, Ursu said. Such a large jump is likely a one-time occurrence, he added.

The number of remodels has remained fairly even over the past years in Moraga and Lafayette.

Since Lamorinda homes have maintained more value than property in other areas, residents are more likely to put money into improvements, according to Jim Wallace of J M Wallace Architects.

“People still haven’t completely lost faith in real estate, so they’re still feeling it’s OK to remodel their house for themselves,” he said.

It’s an ideal time to remodel because the work can be done cheaply, said Rick Kattenburg of Kattenburg Architects.

Kasey Stevens of Orinda first started thinking about remodeling his home in 2007, but couldn’t find a contractor. Once he finally started the project in 2009, he got four bids.

“When the bubble burst, it allowed us to get what we wanted with our budget. Before, we wouldn’t have been able to get what we wanted,” he said.

But many homeowners are approaching remodels mindful of the past. The scale of projects is much smaller now, Lamorinda planning officials said.

For others, the drop in home prices makes it difficult to bring blueprints to life. A number of clients who wanted to make home improvements were unable to obtain equity loans, Kattenburg said.

“It’s hard to get money, that’s the bottom line,” he said.

While the volume of remodels gradually begins to build, more visible changes may be coming in Lafayette. City officials have received a handful of applications for new homes in recent months — the first that senior planner Greg Wolff can recall in the past two years.

Large-scale housing construction also is slated to pick up, Lamorinda planning officials said.

Lafayette has experienced a number of plans for such projects, according to Wolff. The proposals include an apartment complex, a 23-unit town home project, and a facility for assisted living and senior living.

In Moraga, development could be on its way soon for lots near Moraga Country Club, as well as at the Palos Colorados site, said Rich Chamberlain, senior planner for the town. And at the Vista Encinos cul-de-sac, where construction was slowed down by the housing crash, homes could start popping up soon.

In the long run, the planners said, Lamorinda's overall look and feel is unlikely to change much as the area reconstructs after the bubble burst.

Most residents tend to favor traditional architecture, Wallace said. And plans for houses that do not conform to the neighborhood can run into roadblocks garnering government approval.

Right now, the most prominent architectural shift in Lamorinda is going green. Recent laws mandate environment-friendly additions, such as efficient lighting. More homeowners also are installing photovoltaic panels, electricity-generating solar cells.

Stevens’ house was built with plywood sheathing that insulates in the winter and cools in the summer.

“We thought it was a good investment,” he said. “It’s good for the environment and good for us financially.”