Seven cost-cutters

1. Wood from the previous house at the site was saved to construct a rustic, weathered garden wall.

2. Rather than toss two-by-fours left over from construction or resell them at a loss, the couple made a patio table.

3. Old kitchen cabinets were repurposed as curios.

4. An old kitchen countertop was reborn as a long dining surface, installed atop sturdy folding tables.

5. Instead of buying an expensive vanity for the kids' bathroom, the couple repurposed a modern console purchased at a Crate & Barrel Outlet for less than $100.

6. Vintage plastic chairs that add a pop of color on a stairway landing were scored for $11 apiece at a Culver City vintage shop's going-out-of-business sale. Joe Colombo patio chairs also were bought for a song at the same store.

7. Rather than shop for garden sculpture, Choy and Wong fashioned their own -- a piece that evokes Georgia O'Keeffe's famed cow skull set atop scraps of industrial metal.

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Craig Nakano