The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 100

8 Part Friday, May 22,1981 Cc a Angeles gimes DO IT YOURSELF: Home Builders If you've checked out supermarket prices lately, you'll eat out at the Tail more often. It now pays to pamper yourself with our great food and service forget the kitchen drudgery and dishes. The Tail offers an unbeatable, new. complete dinner value. Three times a week, every week.

And it isn't just low price that makes us incomparable. Its our top quality beef. fowl, and fish at our low price. So.head for the Tail. (1 FABULOUS FIELD STREAM DINNER Choice of highball or cocktail from our name bar-well brands.

Special Caesar style salad or Pepper Pot soup. U.S.D.A. Eastern choice New York Steak or Mountain Brook Trout. Vegetables. Chocolate parfait.

Coffee or tea. AMERICAN TAVERN DINNER Choice of highball or cocktail from our name bar-well brands. Special Caesar style salad or cream of tomato soup. U.S.D.A. Eastern choice Prime Rib au jus or Mountain Brook Trout.

Vegetables. Creme de menthe or tri-color sherbet. Coffee or tea. CANDLELIGHT DINNER Choice of our superb house wine Burgundy, Chablis, or Rose. Caesar style salad or cream of asparagus soup.

U.S.D.A. Eastern choice Prime Rib or U.S.D.A. choice New York Steak or Mountain Brook Trout or Roast Duck a I'Orange, Vegetables. Chocolate mocha pie or creme de menthe parfait. Coffee or tea.

S(o)50 Coadaaet frm Flnt Pae requirements (35-38 Lee says that 300 families requested applications and 75 actually completed them. There were 25 qualified applicants. It took more than a year to put the project together. The houses are being built on what was city-owned surplus property, land originally cleared when the street was widened. The city agreed to sell lots for 000 apiece, though they are assessed at $13,000.

Santa Barbara Savings and Loan Assn. and Fidelity Savings Loan Assn. are financing the project, with loans of about $46,000 a house, lending the money to the Neighborhood Housing Service during the construction period. Lee explains. The loan was made to us rather than the families so that if someone dropped out after, say, three months, another family could buy in by paying the first one for the work at $5 an hour.

"In fact, everybody stuck with it" It took awhile to get insurance for the project "The insurance companies envisioned a high accident rate," Lee explained. "One person stepped on a naiL That's alL And all she got was a tetanus shot" Building Training The families got some instruction in home building at the Owner Builder Center in Berkeley, and on-going help from the construction manager and two supervisors employed at the site. "Now they are pretty skilled apprentice carpenters," Lee notes. Yolanda Byrd, an assembler for Xerox, says, "At the beginning, I said, 'Gee, 1 can't even build a doll Now I know what a floor joist is, and a truss." The owner-builders did about 60 of the work, teaming up for tasks ranging from digging the foundations to shingling the roofs. The electrical, plumbing, sheet rock, stucco and cabinet work, as well as the concrete for driveways and porches, was subcontracted.

"It had its high points and low points, with people getting burned out," Lee acknowledged. "We had picnics to get them back up." Catting Time He expects to organize things a little differently in the future. For example, this time, the families dug the foundations themselves "And that burned some out at the beginning. So next time we will bring in equipment to dig." He is also looking into prefabricated walls, which can simply be shipped to the site. Although this would seem to be a more costly way of doing the job, Lee points out that it can save time, thus offsetting the higher interest rates that probably will be in effect He would like to knock perhaps three months off the 11 -plus months it is taking this time.

The reasons are not all finandaL "Eleven months is a long time for people who, after all. have full-time jobs and a separate life he says. 1 want to sit down with the construction manager and supervisors to get their opinions on what went wrong and how we might speed up the process.1 The families were allowed to make some changes in the plans of the compact (1.175-to-1,225 square foot, plus garage) houses, which were built to four floor plans and six elevations. One family turned what was designed to be a bedroom into a dining room, others added fireplaces, or burglar alarm systems, or stereo speakers in every room. Pauline and Jake Evans have built a stereo center into what was originally intended to be the living room closet Jake Evans is one of the two construction foremen, and the only owner-builder with previous carpentry experience.

His wife is a nurse. She says. "Here I nail out the stress and strain of my job. Sometimes when I go home, I feel I didn't really work I've really enjoyed it" The husband sings the virtues of working outdoors and then says, "The other thing is, it is something tangible. You can see what you have achieved in a day's time or a week's time or a month's time.

A carpenter's work is the least stressful work there is." Having said that, the Evanses then acknowledged that the project has not been all roses. "It has not been easy for any of the family members. There are certain stresses, certain problems," Pauline Evans says. "You just about have to make up your mind you're going to stop having vacations, or partying." Making Sacrifices Her husband adds, "We have not had a trip out of town. I have not been playing tennis, which I usually do.

"But it is worth it we think so." Denise Sumtter agrees emphatically: "One year without being able to enjoy your weekends?" she says in a "that's nothing" tone of voice. "Why people mess up years. You can mess up years." She describes the last 11 months: "You have to cut out your friends for this. We see the people who live next door sometimes, and the people at work, but there's no time for others." There is little time for the children, either. "The kids are in school until I get home from work," Sumtter says.

"I cook dinner and get their clothes out and do their hair, and that's about it She (gesturing toward six-year-old Lameana) reads to me on the way home from school in the car, so I know if there are any problems. We cram it in somehow." Everyday chores have to be crammed in, too. Pauline Evans has gotten used to doing everything in the evenings after work, but thinks she will "probably go back to the old way of doing things" as soon as the house is finished. Her husband comments: "Maybe this should show us we were wasting a lot of time before." Filling Honrs A family may bring along friends and relatives to help fill the 40-hour weekly quota, but none may bring more than four people, so that there are not, say, 20 individuals working two hours each. It is expected that no one will get more than 40 hours behind.

If a couple does fall way behind, they could be dropped from the project On the other hand, adjustments are made for an owner-builder who gets sick. Or pregnant Like Yolanda Byrd, mother of a girl, 5, and a boy, 11 months. "I went into labor the first day we started," she says. Now she works on the houses three or four evenings a week, after she leaves her regular job. Please see DO IT YOURSELF, Page 9 $(3)25 (o) $(o)95 (2) Reservations suggested.

We honor American Express, Visa, Master Card, Diner's Club. McHenry's (nfttte (Cock eMsBBBsaAd Los Angeles on La Cienega 1 block north of Wilshire 273-1200 Valley on Ventura Blvd. at Coldwater Canyon Blvd. 784-6241 USC to Offer Summer Classes for Students Preparing for College USC's College of Continuing Education will sponsor four summer classes for high school students interested in developing college-level skills before entering a college or university. Courses including speed reading, computer skills and effective writing will be offered on the USC campus.

A course on effective study techniques, "College Success Seminar," will be held on campus and at various locations in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. Details are available by calling the USC College of Continuing Education at 743-4343, Ext 403. Robinsons $1,588 SPECIAL QLOUSON MINK JACKET Rents Furniture ICILIEAISAKHEIE (EEOTES "Quality Furniture at Bargain Prices" 5-PC. GAME SET SWIVEL STYLE All oak chairs and parquet table, padded bummer nylon seats III cV I and DacKS. If (IfeT WW -WU 7 Vi.

1 TTVWir IM RUST ONLY 1F NEW jM Rental 3MJ WjgS? DEFRIGEDATOn 0 SOROS 3CHR0UE GLASS II II iy V. CHROME GLASS Now mink is morpalS than ever at our greatX" I price! Our corded jacketk is silky and beautiful, but not too uppity to be seen fSf with pants. Definitely on the sporty side, with zip My front and tie waist. In Natural Lunaraine and ff Dye-added Ranch Mink. You can even charge it to OCCASIONAL TABLES all riEW! Any size Contemporary a Af Arm unair 00 ETAGERE M5? tan, white or black Rust, Quantities limited.

Shop early. All items subject to prior tale. Customer pick-up only. Bring truck or van. rJ3HTCBG0JL 7179 Teiegraph Santa Ana Fwy.

at Garfield exit 725-1811 Sun. 12-5.