So Krisel drew up some plans, told his friend Bob that his houses would sell better and make more money than the ones his father was building. "But Bob's father thought we were nuts," Krisel says.
"He wanted to teach us young upstarts a lesson. So he gave us land in the Valley to build 10 of my houses as a test."
Krisel's homes not only sold fast but also made more profit than the company's "cracker boxes." Impressed, George Alexander suggested they build slightly larger, more luxurious Krisel tracts in Palm Springs as vacation homes for those same budget-conscious customers who could never aspire to the extravagant oases built for Hollywood's elite.
Those original $20,000 tract homes, now known as "Alexanders," today sell for up to $900,000, says Arleen Ruby-Leviton, the Rancho Mirage Realtor who worked with Cabalquinto and Joyce. A new modern version sells for about $950,000.
Cabalquinto, 38, and Joyce, 37, spend weekdays in their airy Mount Washington house with wraparound decks, but it's their retreat in Palm Springs that they think of as home.
"We spend almost every weekend here," says Cabalquinto, chief financial officer of Universal Studios Hollywood. "It's where we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas, where we invite family and friends. This is our keeper, the one we want our son Jack to inherit when he grows up."
Their new, three-bedroom, two-bath house (with another large bedroom and full bath in the separate guest house) gives them midcentury modern design, which they love, but with 21st century amenities: updated climate control, tankless water heater, stainless steel kitchen, luxury bathrooms and extra storage space built into the two-car garage."It's the best of both worlds," Cabalquinto says. She and her husband, a management consultant, had looked at vintage homes in the area, but they all needed work. "We have demanding jobs, a baby -- we didn't want such complications."
When they walked into Krisel's new version, "we instantly felt it was ours," she says. "It was so perfect, so light, so spacious. It makes you feel relaxed."
What sealed the deal, she adds, were the twin palms in the yard. "We had twin palms as the motif for our wedding. We have it embroidered on towels. This house was meant for us."
The undivided living, dining and kitchen area -- with beamed ceiling, fireplace and terrazzo-like floor -- opens onto the walled garden and pool for an indoor-outdoor feel.
