Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Laurie Metcalf Leaving Valley Village

SELLER: Laurie Metcalf and Matt Roth
LOCATION: Valley Village, CA
PRICE: $1,925,000
SIZE: 3,738 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Thanks to a celebrity real estate leg up from Sandy Sanfernandovalley we've learned that the high-sterical three-time Emmy winning actress Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne) and her actor man-mate Matt Roth (Blink, View From the Top, Pups) recently hoisted their long-time residence in the suburban Los Angeles, CA community of Valley Village on the market with an asking price of $1,925,000.

She may best be known for her role as the goofy, insecure and aimless Jackie Harris on the long-running award-winning sitcom Roseanne but Miz Metcalf is a comedic thespian with acting chops that dive deeper than the highways and bi-ways of Hollywood. She was a founding ensemble member of the legendary Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago where she earned a slew of accolades and in 2008 Miz Metcalf received a Tony nomination for exercising her funny bone on Broadway in David Mamet's November.

Since Roseanne went dark in 1997, Miz Metcalf has gone on to appear in a laundry list of tee-vee sitcoms and dramedies including Norm, God, The Devil and Bob, Desperate Housewives, Easy Money and most recently The Big Bang Theory. She's also lent her voice to several animated movies including the wildly successful Toy Story film franchise.

It difficult to fathom that it was ever possible to purchase a (small) estate in suburban Los Angeles for under half a million clams but property records reveal that Miz Metcalf and Mister Roth did just that when they purchased their walled and gated .63 acre mini-estate way back in May of 1991 for just $360,000.

The property, at it's current list price of $1,925,000, not only represents an enviable $1,565,000 gain for Miz Metcalf and Mister Roth but it is by far the priciest property currently on the open market in the Valley Village zip code where the next most expensive home weighs in at nearly 5,000 square feet and is listed at just under $1,300,000. A few minutes poking around on the interweb also reveals that the highest price paid for a property in the last six months in Miz Metcalf and Mister Roth's zip code was a newly constructed 4,133 square foot residence that went for $1,437,000.

We really haven't any idea the condition or amenities the estate had when Miz Metcalf and Mister Roth acquired the residence but current listing information shows the main house was built in 1934, measures 3,738 square feet and includes 4 bedrooms and 3.5 poopers.

The petite foyer–painted an unusual, not entirely pleasant and very Irish shade of green–gives way to a voluminous and sky-lit double-height living and dining area with vaulted and beamed ceiling, hardwood floors, fireplace and a number of architectural details–such as the columns that flank the front window in the living room–that we'd prefer weren't there. A staircase with wrought iron balustrade wraps itself around the double-height dining area that sits adjacent to the well-equipped kitchen done up with a green tile floor laid on the diagonal, a combination of beige tile and butcher block counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

On the lower level two of the home's four bedrooms open to private stone courtyards. Upstairs are two additional bedrooms including the sky-lit master suite complete with vaulted and beamed ceiling, fireplace with funky hearth fashioned from a massive boulder, private balcony and private terliting and bathing facility with sky lights, flagstone tile floor, double pedestal sinks, claw-footed soaking tub and separate shower.

Although (and unfortunately) surrounded on two sides by apartment buildings the park-like backyard grounds remain surprisingly private and include numerous stone terraces, a built in barbecue grill, an outdoor fireplace, swimming pool, north/south positioned tennis court and generous expanses of lawn encircled by thick and trees and foliage. The grounds are decidedly un-manicured and while we're certain some of the children will say it's all a hot mess Your Mama finds it refreshing and revealing to see a celebrity-owned property not snipped and clipped into a tidy submission.

A detached two-car garage at the tail end of the gravel driveway that sweeps past the main house towards the rear of the property has a second level game room with wide-plank hardwood floors, a vaulted ceiling, wet bar and a deck that wraps around three sides with tree-top views overs the swimming pool and tennis court. Ordinarily we're not fond of putting pool tables in private homes–just a preference not a rule–but we're good with a billiard table in a detached and dedicated game room and rather like Miz Metcalf and Mister Roth's wacky pool table that looks like it's upholstered in faux-leopard skin.

Presumably Miz Metcalf and Mister Roth will opt to keep home base in Tinseltown but property records indicate that the mostly under the radar showbiz couple also own a home nestled into a scenic valley south of Yellowstone National Park and west of the Teton National Forest in Victor, ID.

listing photos: Keller Williams Studio City

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It looks very comfortable. Any decorating sins easily washed away. I do wonder, though, why a soaking tub would be set to face a blank wall when there is a window above that, I presume, could be lowered so one could "soak in" a view.

Madam Pince said...

I like it a lot. It's nice to see a HW home that isn't tarted up. Love the slightly disheveled landscaping. Nice to know Laurie Metcalf is as real as she seems. She sure knows how to keep Jim Parsons in line on Big Bang Theory.

Anonymous said...

Is that stale vomit on the floor of the kitchen, or the color of tile known as "verdigris"?

Anonymous said...

I would have place the tub along the wall and eliminated one of the sinks - the existing arrangement looks kind of strange.

All in all a very livable place - a few things need changing, but good bones to work with. I love the exteriors & landscaping.

Anonymous said...

she left him for an actor, a couple of years ago....

lil' gay boy said...

It is a lovely home, but the location is a major disappointment. Surrounded (actually, crowded is more like it) on both the north & west by low-rise apartment buildings, and less than two blocks from a rather noisy Ventura Freeway, spells major trouble.

Too bad, really. Since it faces south, with those apartments on two sides and the house to the east looking practically abandoned, seems that, despite careful stewardship, this mini estate is destined to be a tear down. After viewing the listing photos, I would, however, hire the photographer in a heartbeat ––– I don't know how he or she managed it, but the photos are quite impressive given the actual condition of the home & lot. I suspect that said photog could make Jocelyn Wildenstein resemble a young, in-her-prime Farrah Fawcett.

Ah, the miracle of modern technology...

Anonymous said...

One vote for "hot mess" here; I don't think that I could stand to live in this place, and that's saying a lot. It looks like the remodel and furnishings were all done using Home Despot close-out sale items or their equivalent, starting with the light fixtures.

Anonymous said...

What is it with tennis courts in California? If ya like tennis so much join a country club. No way would I waste space for that.

Anonymous said...

There are actually 5 homes in total for that sale list price on the market in Valley Village right now.

Jeannified said...

LOVE this place!!! It's not perfect, but very homey feeling. It's quaint and beautiful at the same time. Love the yard as well.