There Should Be No Place Like These Homes

Re “That Fascia’s Familiar...” April 13: The architectural copyright violations surrounding Fred Sands’ “$20-million dream house” are despicable. However, several parties mentioned are perpetrators in another widespread crime: building pretentious mega-houses and exposing the public repeatedly to this unsustainable plague. Larger is not equivalent to better; ostentation is ultimately unsatisfactory. A dream home is any Earth-friendly house designed well, using quality materials, that displays good workmanship.

Carl Maravilla

Redondo Beach

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There really must be something unique to Beverly Hills/Bel-Air if architectural details easily culled in half an hour with a Polaroid in the hills around Florence can compromise the “copyright” of two new houses into a three-week trial and nearly $6 million in damages -- to say nothing of 3,800 hours of architectural creativity (that’s nearly a year and a third, counting lunch). No wonder at times the whole Renaissance can seem no more than a flash in the pan!

Roland Starke

Santa Monica