Monday, August 18, 2008

Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Little Holmby

BUYERS: Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott
LOCATION: Thayer Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $2,275,000
SIZE: 3,300 (approx.) square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Situation on much sought-after Thayer Ave. is this elegant home, custom built in 2005. Large living rm, formal dining rm and gourmet cook's kitchen with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. Stained oak floors on main level. 3 bedrooms upstairs, 2 bedrooms down. Master suite with dual closets & city views. Lushly landscaped backyard with new saltwater pool, built-in BBQ and covered eating area.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Recently the wildly rich Hollywood widow Candy Spelling decided to downsize and reportedly plunked down a fat forty seven million inherited clams for a not yet completed 16,000 square foot doo-plex penthouse in Century City.

Meanwhile, big gem luvin' Miz Spelling's much maligned (but beloved by Your Mama) reality show queen daughter Tori Spelling and her hottie huzband Dean McDermott recently paid $2,275,000 for a much more modest house on Los Angeles' Thayer Avenue, a location which happens to be just a few blocks west of the "The Manor," the 123-room monster mansion in which little Miss Tori grew up on South Mapleton Drive

A brief consult with our beloved and bejeweled abacus informs Your Mama and the elder Miz Spelling paid a staggering 20+ times more for her new penthouse palace than Tori and Dean paid for their decidedly unglam but family friendly 5 bedroom and 3.5 bathroom house. That prolific price differential which should indicate to the children just who got all Aaron Spelling's many millions after he went to meet the great producer in the sky back in June of 2006.

The children will note with great interest (and perhaps even some flabbergast) that the front facade of the Spelling/McDermott house is not, and we repeat, is not the same as the front facade that appears on the couple's current and not particularly compelling reality show Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. Your Mama learned from Blabbermouth Bill that the quasi Spanish style house shown on the couple's TV program is actually in Woodland Hills and is absolutely not the same house where Tori and Dean actually live on Thayer Avenue in an area of L.A. sometimes referred to as Little Holmby, Westwood or just plain ol' West L.A.

According to listing information that we received from a friendly source we'll call the Holmby Hausfrau, the 2005 built domicile measures in at about 3,300 square feet, has a front facing two car garage, a fireplace in the living room, a good sized kitchen with stainless appliances and and an island work counter, a family room with double height ceiling and French doors to the small but nicely appointed back yard which features a built in barbecue center with blue tile counter top and a saltwater swimming pool and spa.

Since the photos of this house show the interior day-core of the previous owners and not that of Mister and Missus McDermott, we will not bather to discuss the lackluster furniture choices. However we can't help our snarky self when we say that despite the rather inviting backyard set up, this house is just so ordinary, a real residential snooze that lacks any real architectural chutzpah. We would have expected something a bit more "Hollywood" for this Beverly Hills bred babe, but then again, perhaps living in such undistinguished circumstances is a kind of rebellion, a big fat middle finger to her high maintenance mommy.

But most disturbing about this house for Your Mama is not the unflinching mediocrity of design, it is that it lacks any real privacy, something that Your Mama would think this couple would want and need. So listen children, we're going to say this once and only once...do not get in your damn cars and go over and start ringing Tori's doorbell and tripping her security. Her mama may not be kicking in much moolah to allow the couple to buy a more private abode, but don't think for one minute that Candy darling won't cough up the cash to hire a private security goon to sit outside this house 24/7 and wallop any moe-rons who might step on to the grass and disturb her grand babies.

Anyhoo, Your Mama sincerely wishes Miss Tori and Mister Dean a happy home with their children and we look forward to an invite to their next back yard barbecue and skinny dippin' party.

P.S. Thanks to all your comments, emails and phone calls, we now see the error of our geographic ways and recognize this house sits in Westwood and not Little Holmby. However we're just too damn lazy to change all our references to Little Holmby in the post.

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

2.3 for THIS?! BORRRRRING.......

Anonymous said...

how very ordinary. i think she had a nicer place on 90210

Anonymous said...

To find the house, look for a new home on Thayer, that probably has Security cameras/signs out front.
(and people sitting in cars nearby, who are likely Paparazzi or hired security)......

Nice starter home until the big bucks start rolling in......

luke220 said...

With all of Candy's money it is a shame that Tori has to live in a dump like this.

luke220 said...

Mama, I'll be the first to ask, tell us about YOUR new 'hood. We promise not to drive by.

chris said...

Mama: your 3rd paragraph needs some attention: wrong words and sentences that don't finish.

Anyhoo, as you say, I suppose they could or would not have asked to share a few square feet of mama's new monstrosity so they could save some money for other things. No, they had to have their own place. Do you think the modesty of their purchase means that Daddykins didn't leave them much, all his money going to his widow or sunk into the Maplesomething palace? Or just their frugal good sense in these parlous times?

Anonymous said...

I think the renovations/decor that they did on the house where pretty cool.

http://www.1955thayer.com/ (pics don't so the renovations/decor)...

StPaulSnowman said...

Dear Chris; please remember that Mama left Pemberton, the nice gay proofreader, back in New York. It was a shrewd move since the entertainment folk care less about spelling and syntax than glamour and gore.

pch said...

Wow, they managed to find Orange County tract housing right in the middle of Little Holmby. I guess if you can't live in Laguna Niguel or Aliso Viejo, you can always bring it's unimaginative sameness to you...

Anonymous said...

Love Her... Love The House
You Should Do A thing on their B&B in Fallbrook
http://chateaularuebandb.com/

Anonymous said...

I second Luke220's comment, I would really love to hear about where Mama is living. And, we promise not to drive-by or bother you. If you won't show us the house, can you at least tell us the neighborhood, something, anything??

Lenora said...

They are no longer at the B&B; they were only renting it. They showed the finished product on the show last week; overall, I liked it though there is one bathroom that's pretty hideous.

I also think it's been pretty well established that Tori didn't inherit much from Daddy, I think it was under a million.

Anonymous said...

For someone who grew up with so much wealth I doubt she cares if she has the biggest house on the block. She and Dean seem pretty down to earth and regular and this house is probably just fine for them.

Alessandra said...

It's a boring house in a decent location. But I'll cut Tori some slack because she genuinely seems to be into the whole parent trap and perhaps what she and Dean wanted was a family-friendly home that wasn't too challenging from any design perspective. I get that, speaking as a parent who sometimes finds her design aspirations at complete odds with what the kids need or want. Sometimes, you just throw up your hands and say, "I'll take the dull tract-style contemporary because who the hell cares if the kids color all over the walls?"

Not that I would make those same choices, but I understand it when other people do.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe they paid $2.3 million for south of Santa Monica in the city of Los Angeles. It is a desperately boring neighborhood!

Then again, I can't afford a $2.3 million anything and I don't think my parents would cough it up for me either. I give Tori a lot of credit for (hopefully) living within her means and being true to herself.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe they paid $2.3 million for south of Santa Monica in the city of Los Angeles. It is a desperately boring neighborhood!

Then again, I can't afford a $2.3 million anything and I don't think my parents would cough it up for me either. I give Tori a lot of credit for (hopefully) living within her means and being true to herself.

Anonymous said...

Miss Tori's new pad is about as interesting as her last place in Studio City... which is to say its not! But, for roughly $2.3 what do you expect? Yes I know... that's no small amount of money, but as we all know - its the Westside! So $2.3 explains the south of SM Blvd location. I am surprised by the purchase, though. I would have thought she and her studly husband would have moved into whatshernames? Molly Simms' place on Hollywood Blvd. A very chic home that has not lost much of its circa 1939 charm. Then again, it was priced at $600K more than the parent trap on Thayer. BTW Mama, can you find out who's buying Casa Simms? Its already in escrow! Anyways, excuse my dull commentary today. I'm too stressed out looking for a new gig and juggling all the duties of life itself to put more into this today. I had to let Hesperia go , so I'm off to Turner's to replace the liquor she ripped off before leaving this morning. Caio for now.

Anonymous said...

see... I even forgot to put my name down. Damn that Hesperia!

pch said...

Oh my god, it is south of Santa Monica. Hadn't bothered to look for an aerial shot until 3:32 mentioned it. Little Holmby doesn't cross Wilshire, so I guess that makes this plain 'ole Westwood. Or maybe something else? That part of town has always seemed vague and nebulous to me.

Hippie Canyon, long time no see!

Anonymous said...

He's a real catch.

June. 15, 2007
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Being “The Other Woman” wasn’t easy for Mary Jo Eustace.

“Your life is one way, and then 10 minutes later your life is another way,” the ex-wife of actor Dean McDermott tells “Access Hollywood.”

A life changed in an instant. Married at the time for 12 years, Mary Jo Eustace relives the moment her then husband, Dean McDermott, announced his extra-marital affair with Tori Spelling — who was also married at the time

“I said have you met someone,” Mary Jo continued. “And he said, ‘Yes.’ And I said, ‘Is it Tori Spelling?’ ‘We’re soul mates,’ he responded.”

“I really didn’t know if it was true or not, I wasn’t really sure. Then it started to sink in that, yes, indeed this was true,” Mary Jo recounts.

Her world turned upside down in August of 2005 when Dean met Tori on the set of a Lifetime TV movie, “Mind Over Murder.”

Throughout his three week shoot schedule in Canada, Mary Jo had trouble reaching Dean from home, as she cared for their 7-year-old son and newly adopted infant daughter.

“The whole thing was just odd,” she continues. “My daughter was 3-and-a-half weeks, so I was just sort of maintaining at that point and thinking when we connect, I’ll find out really what the deal is, because I didn’t know.”


continued, MSNBC

MsCellania said...

I hope to hell they fence and alarm that pool.

Anonymous said...

What happened to her house in the dona streets? Did she sell it?

Anonymous said...

Hey PCH, I too took it as No. of Wilshire from Mama's description of Little Holmby and "blocks" away from the Spelling Mansion. Now that I look at a map, that is plain old West LA to me. It does explain the price/square footage. I thought that was a lot of house for the price in Little Holmby.

Anonymous said...

House doesn't seem worth the price.

Anonymous said...

This is old news....they moved in back in February!

Anonymous said...

Are you a neighbor? One of Ben's smoke buddies? You probably see him out in the bushes sucking down a Marlboro from time to time.

Anonymous said...

Love Tori, yes it's a total parent trap of a house...but that's OK, Tori seems to be quite a good parent, as does Dean. They both seem down to earth and I'm glad they now have a proper house to raise their family in. I give Tori tremendous credit for doing things on her own, her dad would be proud, she got his brains.

Anonymous said...

If that's all $2.3-million buys in LA these days, I'm glad I leave on the East coast, where $2.3-million can still get you a pretty damn interesting house pretty much anywhere except Manhattan, Greenwich or the Hamptons...

lil' gay boy said...

It's blah, which just about matches my interest in this couple.

But more power to her for holding her head high whilst Mama Candy makes a more-than-middle-aged fool of herself.

Question for you West Coasties: is this a zero lot line neighborhood? I have family that have a home in Queens that resembles the neighborhood at the beginning of All In The Family, and there's still more space between the houses –– what gives?

Anonymous said...

Technically it's not Little Holmby BUT so many (those who live S. of SM Bl)want it to be that they use the tag as necessary. C'mon, wouldn't you? Just like the Westside used to be W of the 405 and now it's pretty much anything W of La Brea! Give me a break!

jmg said...

Luv this site. Luv tori and dean's show. Hate this house. I keep up with LA homes and prices. Tori you could have done better.

pch said...

Well, Little Holmby is a well-defined section of Westwood. Hilgard to the west, Beverly Glen to the east, Sunset to the north and Wilshire to the south. You can fudge the borders of Westwood. I honestly don't know how far south it goes -- if a resident tells me Olympic Boulevard (hell, Pico even!) I won't quibble. But Little Holmby means something very specific.

It's like Hollywood, with its easily manipulated borders. Someone who lives in a sub-section like Beachwood Canyon won't give their address as Whitley Heights or Mount Olympus or Outpost Estates. If you live just outside the traditional boundaries of Hollywood, however, you can probably get away with saying Hollywood, because it encompasses so much.

I understand the impulse for a more prestigious address, and acknowledge that liberties are taken, but calling this section of Thayer Avenue "Little Holmby" is like slapping a V-12 badge on a compact Mercedes-Benz and thinking it's going to impress anyone -- you only wind up looking a little status-crazed and silly.

Anonymous said...

With the TV show, the book and other projects.....how long do you think they will be in the house?

Bet they are off to a Gated Community within 1-2 years. (without any money from Mommy).

Anonymous said...

Bravo to Viva 8:34pm...well said my dear! As my niece says, you talked my mouth!

"Love Tori, yes it's a total parent trap of a house...but that's OK, Tori seems to be quite a good parent, as does Dean. They both seem down to earth and I'm glad they now have a proper house to raise their family in. I give Tori tremendous credit for doing things on her own, her dad would be proud, she got his brains."

Anonymous said...

they could have bought a house in hancock park with tons of charm for that.

Anonymous said...

we got punked! kudos to "T" and Dean for not revealing the front of their loveshack. Tori's always talking about how crazy her childhood was, so it's no wonder she would like to "blend in" with the regular folks on a street like this. it's almost like her living situation is diametrically opposed to how her Mama lives. very anti Marie Antoinette! yay!

Anonymous said...

You got it wrong........Marie Antoinette was a fantastic mother to her son and daughter.

Anonymous said...

to: Anon 9:11

oh! no i just meant that Tori's decor is pretty simple compared to the blingd-out style of her mommy.
i know that Tori's a great Mama.
:)

Anonymous said...

All this talk about Tori being so down-to-earth and nice. She stole someone's husband away - how nice is that?
But just like Marla Trump, I predict she'll eventually find out what it's like to be the dumpee. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Chicago Girl. My close friend's father bailed on her mother and her brother and sister when he found his "soulmate" back in the late 1970's and started a new family with the "soulmate". Her sister went on to have two out of wedlock children with a drug addict, and my friend still struggles with various self esteem issues because her father found a "soulmate". Middle aged women who decades later still can't understand why Daddy left and started a new family with his special new lady. But I guess when you find your "soulmate", the family you leave behind is collateral damage. Just my opinion. Not much respect for this ego driven couple; sorry, although I wish her ex-husband, and his ex-wife and children, much health and future happiness.

Anonymous said...

It was a solid little house with loads of potential. I watched the recent episodes JUST to see what they did to the house, and while it's not all to my taste, they did inject a lot of juicy style to the place. While there may be other more interesting rehab projects available in LA, there's a lot to be said for something new and structurally sound that only needs some style - especially if you're the parents of a toddler about to bring a brand new baby home! Who wants to be struggling through a whole house re-do then? I think this was rather smart of them.

It's nice to see a developer house that actually has enough wall space in the master bedroom for a king size bed and night tables. So many architects/builders don't think about furniture placement when they're designing.

I also think that they made excellent use of the space in a very small back yard. They're packing a lot of living into a small lot.

Thumbs up from me.

Anonymous said...

(kisses Mama)
I put this one together a few weeks back..sorry I didn't write..I too noticed that the real house and the house they show on tv is different. I was surprised to see how plain the real house is.
I heard somewhere that Tori and her brother only got $800,000 from Candy when their father passed away. She's got to be surviving off the money from her book and the TV show...which I absolutely love. She's so endearing isn't she!

Scott McIntosh said...

Like pch said, Little Holmby is a very defined area and this is nowhere near what is considered Little Holmby. This home is mainly considered Westwood and with the 90025 zip code, some picky people may refer it to West LA. Also, as someone else mentioned this home closed in the beginning of the year. And these prices are not uncommon for the neighborhood. Thanks for the interesting blog Mama!

http://www.thewestwoodblog.com

Anonymous said...

You know, as I read everyone's comments I can't help but to think how amazing it is to know that there are som many "HATERS" in this world. Here is a couple who love each other and have a beautiful family, despite the fall out of Tori & her mom, and they have a beautiful home and they are "HAPPY". Not miserable like most people in this world who have money or don't. Who gives a damn how much they paid. My house is worth $500k in the Bronx, NY and its not in the millions. I wish I had there house regardless of the neighborhood., My neighborhood is not as nice as their's I'll tell you that, but I love where I live. I'll be bet dollars to dounghnut, that people who are also leaving negative comments here are either miserable on wealthy or miserable and cannot afford what they have. Yeah her mom has millions, so what. She is smart enough to now how to be independant and do her own thing! Ask yourself this question, how many of you are waiting for Mom & Dad to buy you that big house or croak and leve you their millions???...Sad isn't it!!!
Well kudos to Tori & Dean, Tori, you do not need mama's money!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Who cares about zip codes, and what's near the home. Only "BOOOOOORING" people likes yourselves. Stop being jealous and buy your own damn place whith out the help of mom and dad.