Found a house in Canoga Park that has some crazy good bones

Let's look at this place. It has that solid suburban California footprint from the late 70s, but they have done some clean updates to make it feel fresh.

Price: $949,000
Size: 2,878 sq ft
Beds / baths: 5 / 3
Lot: 7,509.744 sq ft
Location: Canoga Park, CA
Standout: Entirely gated front yard and driveway
Standout: Private pool with integrated spa

First impressions from the street

First, you notice the gate. The whole front yard is secured by a black iron fence, which gives you a ton of privacy right off the bat.

Gated front exterior of the house at sunset — Source

During the day, it looks incredibly tidy. The driveway is huge, so there is plenty of room for parking before you even get to the garage.

Daytime view of the gated front driveway — Source

The front doors are massive double doors with decorative glass inserts. It feels very official before you walk in.

Wooden double front doors with decorative glass — Source

The front entry

Once you walk through those doors, you are in a proper foyer with stone tile floors. The staircase wraps upstairs with a clean wood and white railing.

Foyer with stone tile floors and wooden staircase — Source

The formal living room has some serious height

To your right, the formal living room opens up with some massive vaulted ceilings. The fireplace is the main anchor here, and it has a classic carved mantel.

Formal living room with high ceilings and a fireplace — Source

Here is another angle of the same room showing how much wall space you actually have to work with.

Alternative angle of the formal living room and fireplace — Source

If you stand near the fireplace and look back, you can see how the room connects directly to the entryway and the stairs.

Living room view looking back toward the staircase and foyer — Source

The natural light coming through the front window makes the whole front half of the house feel incredibly open.

Wide shot of the living room looking toward the front entry — Source

A kitchen that feels like the hub of the house

Around the corner is the kitchen, which has a solid U-shape layout. The tile countertops are retro, but the stainless steel appliances keep it functional.

U-shaped kitchen with beige cabinets and stainless steel appliances — Source

The breakfast bar sits right on the edge of the dining area, perfect for quick morning coffee.

Kitchen breakfast bar with two wooden stools — Source

Standing back a bit, you can see how open the kitchen is to the rest of the main living spaces.

Wide view of the kitchen opening up to the family room — Source

This massive family room is where everyone will hang out

Right off the kitchen is this sprawling family room. It has wood floors and a wall of glass sliders looking out to the pool.

Large family room with wood floors and pool views — Source

If you strip away the staging, you realize just how massive this floor plan is.

Empty family room showing the expansive wood flooring — Source

The glass doors lead straight out to the concrete patio, which makes backyard transitions easy.

View from inside the family room looking out to the backyard pool — Source

The main floor guest setup

Downstairs has a separate bedroom that works perfectly as an office if you work from home.

Downstairs bedroom staged as a home office — Source

It is a great size for a guest room too, especially with the wood floors running all the way through.

Empty downstairs bedroom with wood flooring and ceiling fan — Source

The full bathroom on the main floor has been updated with a sleek vanity and a walk-in tile shower.

Updated downstairs bathroom with a modern vanity and tiled shower — Source

Let's head upstairs

Up on the second floor, the primary bedroom is huge. It easily fits a king bed and still has plenty of floor space.

Large primary bedroom with a red rug and wooden floors — Source

This bedroom has its own private balcony access through double doors.

Primary bedroom looking toward the double doors leading to the hallway — Source

The layout gives you a great spot to set up a small reading corner or extra dressers.

Wide shot of the primary bedroom showing window placements — Source

The primary bathroom has a double vanity with plenty of drawer storage and mirrored closet doors.

Remodeled primary bathroom with light wood vanity and gold mirrors — Source

On the other side of the bathroom, there is another vanity setup, making morning routines much easier.

Opposite view of the primary bathroom vanity area — Source

The shower is tucked away with clean white subway tile.

Primary walk-in shower with white subway tile — Source

The private balcony off the primary bedroom looks out over the front street.

Small wooden balcony deck overlooking the front street — Source

The rest of the bedrooms

The second bedroom upstairs has its own ceiling fan and a wide window looking out to the yard.

Staged bedroom upstairs with a ceiling fan — Source

It is bright and has the same wood floors that run through most of the house.

Empty bedroom upstairs with wood floors and window — Source

The third bedroom has a mirrored sliding closet door to help make the space feel even larger.

Upstairs bedroom with mirrored closet doors — Source

It is a simple, clean space that works for kids or guests.

Upstairs bedroom looking toward the rear window — Source

The shared hallway bathroom has a green glass vanity top and a tiled shower-tub combo.

Hallway bathroom with a unique green glass sink vanity — Source

The fourth bedroom also has mirrored closets and plenty of space for a queen bed.

Upstairs bedroom showing mirrored closet and doorway — Source

Having all these extra bedrooms upstairs keeps the family space separated from the main living areas downstairs.

Empty upstairs bedroom with wood flooring — Source

Every room feels clean and ready for whatever furniture you want to throw at it.

Wide view of empty bedroom with mirrored closet doors — Source

The backyard situation

Outside, the backyard is basically built for warm California days. The pool is a great shape, and there is an orange tree right on the edge of the lawn.

Backyard pool area with a small grass lawn and orange tree — Source

On the other side, there is an integrated spa and a wall of tall cypress trees that block out any neighbors.

Backyard pool view showing the integrated spa and cypress trees — Source

The back of the house has a massive concrete patio area, giving you tons of space for outdoor dining tables or lounge chairs.

Rear view of the house showing the sliding glass doors and pool — Source

From the air, you can see how much of the lot is dedicated to that pool setup, while still keeping a bit of grass on the side.

Aerial bird's-eye view of the house and pool lot — Source

To make sense of the whole layout, here is the floor plan for the main level.

Main level floor plan schematic — Source

And here is the layout for the upper level, showing how all five bedrooms fit together.

Upper level floor plan schematic — Source