Unfinished House to Be Tardy Builder’s Jail

A Calabasas man who has been assembling his home for almost a dozen years was sentenced Monday to six months in jail but was allowed to start serving his time at the house, which is still unfinished.

Commissioner Richard Brand of Calabasas Municipal Court decided to allow Thomas Spring, 50, to remain home, figuring that the only way Spring’s house will be finished is for the aerospace engineer “to stay home and do the work.”

Spring has said he has been struggling to finish the home since he purchased it nearly 12 years ago and had it moved from the path of a water pipeline project in Woodland Hills to his one-acre lot in the 24000 block of Mulholland Highway. He had the house cut into four pieces for the move and has been trying to reassemble it ever since.

Lack of Funds

During his lengthy battle with neighbors and county building officials, Spring has complained that lack of funds and tight construction schedules imposed by the county have prevented him from meeting deadlines.

Spring had pleaded guilty to failure to comply with county building and safety division orders to either finish the house or demolish it.

Spring said in court Monday that he, his wife, and their eight children are living in a trailer on the property until he completes the 4,000-square-foot home.

But the prosecutor in the case, Deputy Dist. Atty. Tim Hansen, said he was not optimistic that the home will be finished soon.

“We’re just dealing with someone who’s very stubborn and who doesn’t want to hire somebody to finish his house,” Hansen said.

A progress report is due at an April 11 hearing. Hansen said that, if the house is not finished by then, he will seek to have Spring serve the rest of his sentence in Los Angeles County Jail.

The sentence allows Spring to work at his job from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Brand said.