Man Builds His Dream House (A Very Small One)

 

Many of us think about our dream home.

When designer Chris Toledo dreams about his, he lets his imagination run wild. He wants a Spanish-style house with hand-painted floor tiles, circling staircases and at least 12 bedrooms.

That is his dream.

For now, Toledo lives in a small, two-bedroom apartment. But that has not stopped him from building his dream home. It is just a lot…smaller. A lot.

Toledo was born and raised in southern California. He has been working on his miniature Spanish-style dream home for the past two years.

"Here in California Spanish-style that's very common. You can't go anywhere in Los Angeles without seeing Spanish-style houses.”

The beauty of these mansions² is there for anyone to see -- on the outside. But it is not easy to get a look at the inside of these homes. Homeowners protect their mansions with security gates, walls and in some cases armed guards.

But Toledo found a way to get around all that security. He went online and looked at houses for sale on real estate websites.

"I would go on real estate websites and look at houses there for sale that are the same style, the same age period. I would just look for all the original details. And most of the houses that I used for inspiration…they were probably about $2 to $10 million dollars.”

Inspired by the Mediterranean³ style, he researched this style thoroughly⁴. He filled his Spanish-style mini-mansion¹ with objects true to that style – many he made by hand.

His miniature version is as real as he can make it. His small house is made of real wood. He covered the wood with a material that would have been part of a real Spanish-style of building. He hand-painted over 6,000 small tiles for the floors.

The house even has electricity; Toledo made all the lights by hand. He also made many other household objects, like tables and pillows. Other objects he bought and then painted them to fit the house. He even included a copy of a very old oil painting that he found in a book on Spanish design.

Toledo’s final creation is extremely true-to-life. The bathroom sinks have water markings. The lighting⁵ fixtures⁶ have extremely small spider webs. Other pieces have dust on them.

The only thing his miniature mansion does not have is running water; Toledo was afraid it would ruin the building.

One person has already offered Toledo $80,000 for his miniature dream home. Toledo says he plans to use that money for a down payment on a home. It may not be a mansion but it will be real…and full-sized.

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

tile – n. a usually flat piece of hard clay, stone, or other material that is used for covering walls, floors, etc.

staircase – n. a set of stairs and its supporting structures

apartment – n. a room or set of rooms fitted especially with housekeeping facilities and usually leased as a dwelling⁷

miniature – adj. being or represented on a small scale

mansion – n. a large and impressive house : the large house of a wealthy person

real estate – n. property in buildings and land

original – adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning : made or produced first : not a copy, translation, etc.

sink – n. a wide bowl that has a faucet⁸ for water and a drain at the bottom and is usually positioned in a counter or on a pedestal

inspiration – n. something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone

down payment – n. a part of the full price paid at the time of purchase or delivery with the balance to be paid later

1 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

2 mansions   

n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

3 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

4 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

5 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

6 fixtures   

（房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动

参考例句：

• The insurance policy covers the building and any fixtures contained therein. 保险单为这座大楼及其中所有的设施保了险。
• The fixtures had already been sold and the sum divided. 固定设备已经卖了，钱也分了。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

8 faucet   

n.水龙头

参考例句：

• The faucet has developed a drip.那个水龙头已经开始滴水了。
• She turned off the faucet and dried her hands.她关掉水龙头，把手擦干。