House of Dreams : For Years, Homeowner Has Been Renovating, Slowly Transforming a Cottage Into a Castle From Another Time

Barry Wiggins’ home is more than his castle. It’s a dream coming true.

For nearly 8 years, he has been working on his Tujunga residence, transforming it into a whimsical structure designed to transport onlookers to another place and time.

“When people visit, I want them to have a warm, magical feeling,” he said, “so they can forget about their cares and imagine something fun. For a few brief seconds, I want them to be able to break away from the rat race.”

To accomplish this, Wiggins created a fantasy out of what was once a simple, 3-bedroom house of wood siding and shingles. After buying it for $79,000 in 1979, he slowly began to change everything about the place. Today the inside framing is the only original feature.

Medieval Images

Wiggins’ home almost seems to be an extension of the carefully planned arrangement of rocks that surrounds it. Out front, a 200-pound shield made of wood, copper, brass and steel bears the Celtic symbol of life. A wooden bridge to its right conjures up images of medieval fortresses and moats.

Stepping through the heavy wooden front door, one enters a dimly lit foyer with 4-inch-thick Douglas fir walls and a brick floor. Handmade Mexican lanterns of wrought iron provide a quiet, glowing light. Another heavy door opens to reveal a stairway. The thought of a dungeon leaps to mind.

Instead, at the bottom of the stairs are Wiggins’ personal quarters, complete with cobblestone floors, stained glass windows--including one depicting a castle--carved wooden gnomes and two built-in beds covered in green velvet.

Intrigued by Nordic mythology, Wiggins keeps a collection of miniature gnomes--”the little people of Viking lore,” he said--on the ledges that surround his beds. The reason is simple: “They’re mischievous and fun.”

Wiggins’ private bath is customized with German porcelain tiles and an Italian marble floor. Despite its lavish appearance, “I bargain-shopped for everything,” he said.

Teen-Age Interest

Born in Chicago, Wiggins moved to Las Vegas with his family when he was 7. Eight years later, they moved to Burbank. It was there that he became interested in construction when he watched actor Dan Haggerty build a house.

Wiggins said that when he bought his own house 9 years ago, “I knew I would change it, but I didn’t know how. I prayed for guidance.” He never sat down and devised formal plans for his enchanted home--and he still does not have definite designs for the remainder of the improvements. “Every idea is conceived as I go along,” he said.

When he began his venture, he admitted, he was naive about the construction business.

After the sides of Wiggins’ house had been removed, a building inspector showed up one day and asked, “Where are your permits?”

Embarrassed, Wiggins replied, “I don’t have any.”

After that incident, he said, he has been eager to comply with all the city ordinances.

Helpers Abound

Wiggins is quick to point out that he could never have undertaken the renovation alone. Local artists such as Tujunga-based stained-glass artist Eugene Hill, metal sculptor Thom Brown and woodcarver Amos Stockfish helped. And local contractors such as Tony DiAngelo assisted Wiggins in combining artistic design and quality craftsmanship.

In 1986, when much of the outside work was being done, Wiggins said, he hired more than 20 local residents to assist him with odd jobs. “Word got around,” he said. “People would come up the street and ask, ‘Do you have any work?’ I’d hire them.”

Although the building’s design appears capricious, Wiggins said, its construction adheres to strict architectural principles. Wiggins said the woodwork’s joints are mortised, the walls are double-studded and insulated, and the front windows are all triple-glazed.

The mortared stone work in front, incorporating about 500,000 pounds of rock from the Tujunga area and 75 tons of sand and gravel, is reinforced with iron bars.

The next phase in his project is to replace all the windows in the house with stained glass. Wiggins is working closely with Hill in their design and construction; for example, there is a traditional floral pattern for the front room and fairies in a field for the dining area.

After those renovations are complete, Wiggins plans to build a 3-story deck in his back yard.

‘Labor of Love’

Wiggins estimates that he has spent close to $100,000 on what he calls his “labor of love.”

Bill Shumberger, who has lived across the street from Wiggins about six years, said: “I wouldn’t do what he did. But the house is something else. It’s different, and it adds something to the neighborhood.”

Wiggins said about 30 people a day stop to look. And he still feels a touch of pride and joy, he said, when someone smiles at the sight or compliments him.

He said, “Sometimes I look at it and think, ‘How did this happen? It’s like magic!’ So many people don’t have a project in life. This has taught me patience and craftsmanship.”

While working for Petersen Publishing as an action photographer for their automotive magazine 4-Wheel & Off-Road, Wiggins, 38, invested much of his weekly paycheck in his project.

However, an injury in December forced him to go on temporary disability, and the work on his home has slowed. But he hopes to return to his former job and former level of renovation.

“If I get up and imagine the whole house done, it will never get done, because the mind says, ‘You’ve worked hard enough just imagining all you have to do.’ What I’ve learned is that I can do so much, if I do it one day at a time,” he said.