San Carlos homebuyer purchases two new adjacent condominiums at 1001 Laurel

Run Date: August 22, 2010

San Jose Mercury News

Art Wong felt right at home within minutes of strolling into downtown San Carlos in the fall of 2009. The longtime Los Altos Hills resident had just visited 1001 Laurel, a recently-opened 90-unit condominium project that anchors a portion of Laurel Street, the city’s primary downtown destination.

“I liked all the activity and ambience —people shopping, dining, lots of lively conversation, folks simply enjoying themselves. It was a great atmosphere, with a variety of age groups. I thought ‘this is the place for me.’”

John Baer, Senior Vice President of Development for The Matteson Companies, developer of 1001 Laurel, understands Wong’s enthusiasm for downtown San Carlos. “Our residents enjoy being close to everything that the open air downtown district has to offer—there’s a wide array of dining, shopping and entertainment choices here, all within an easy stroll of 1001 Laurel.”

Wong, a retired high tech manufacturing executive, had been looking to downsize from his expansive mid-Peninsula home in Los Altos Hills. Working with the 1001 Laurel sales team, Wong saw a 1 bedroom/1 bath third floor corner unit adjacent to a 2 bedroom/2 bath residence, both unsold at the time.

Could he combine the two units into one? asked Wong. Yes, said the developer. Soon afterward, Wong signed a contract to purchase not one, but two, condominiums at 1001 Laurel.

With the green light from the developer, Wong set to work assembling a team of architects, designers, decorators and contractors that would handle the unusual—and challenging—transition project.

Fortunately, Wong had engaged all of his team at one time or another in projects at his former Los Altos Hills home. “The main thing is that I trust each and every one of these people, and they bring a wealth of creative talent to everything they do,” said Wong proudly. “For this particular project, I had an idea of what I wanted. But just as importantly, I had a keen sense of what the potential hurdles were. That’s where communication with your team becomes so important.”
With quite a bit of advance design and preparation work, Wong’s team was able to bring the two residences together via a hallway that originally spanned the two-bedroom residence but had previously ended at a bedroom wall of the two-bedroom residence.

Sherry Scott of architectural firm Cristiani Johnson, the San Francisco-based company that designed 1001 Laurel, worked closely with Wong on the intricate redesign of the two residences. “Art is an excellent communicator which truly helps in keeping the project moving forward. He was always very open to our ideas and suggestions, enabling this to be a very collaborative effort.”

“The very real challenge that we faced was the fact that we had significant construction activity underway below a fourth floor unit, above a second floor residence and very near the condominium that abuts Art’s two bedroom unit,” said Dan Lucas, owner of Palo Alto-based Lucas Construction, founded in 1981.

“The critical task was removing a load bearing wall and bringing in a 27-foot beam and an 18-foot beam to provide permanent support, both of which weighed several hundred pounds apiece.”

The Lucas Construction team utilized a specialized high-rise forklift and crane to bring both beams through one of Wong’s third story windows.

The contractor, who has worked with Wong on remodeling projects for more than ten years, also transformed the larger unit’s kitchen into a much-needed storage area. Working with interior designer Donna Higgins and the 1001 Laurel Design Center, Wong was able to choose from a wide variety of options for hardwood flooring, cabinetry, carpeting and tile.

The newly-combined residences now feature two spacious master suites and an additional bedroom, ideal for family visits. With oversize windows throughout, Wong also enjoys both a balcony and patio, each offering breathtaking views of the Peninsula foothills above and around San Carlos.

1001 Laurel’s central Peninsula location in San Carlos is within minutes of world-class companies such as Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Stanford University, and is within 30 minutes of both San Francisco and San Jose. Commute options such as Caltrain and SamTrans are just steps away. For more information, visit www.1001laurel.com or call 650-594-1005. The 1001 Laurel Sales Center is open daily (except Friday) 11:00a.m.-5:00p.m.