Renovation

A recent stroll along Bruin Walk brought a baseball spring-training-like surge of optimism. It was warm and sunny, UCLA's campus buzzed with the energy of 20-year-olds and hope sprung eternal. The football team is decent, but the basketball team is the franchise. Like USC football, UCLA basketball is a community treasure. It gets the headlines now because John Wooden earned them years ago. Los Angeles may be gaga about the Lakers, but it will always have room in its heart — and expectations — for the Bruins to excel.

Northeast London's William Morris Gallery has reopened after an $8-million overhaul that has reinvigorated the childhood home of Britain's Arts and Crafts pioneer. This elegant parkland villa in Walthamstow -- a free-entry attraction -- showcases Morris' oeuvre, from curlicue tapestries to heroic-themed stained glass, using touchscreens, interactive activities and period artifacts to illuminate a Victorian who believed beauty was essential to human existence. The first of nine rooms introduces Morris, stoking your interest for the next room's early experiments in painting, embroidery and furniture-making.

Dear Liz: I have read tons of books on finance and debt repayment, but I'm having trouble deciding what to do next. My husband and I are 52. He receives a monthly disability income, and I work two days a week. We still have about $105,000 left before our mortgage is paid off. We also owe about $7,000 in credit card debt and $5,500 in overdraft charges. Should I concentrate solely on paying off debt, including the mortgage? Should we modestly renovate our 20-year-old home because after six kids, it is in need of a little TLC?

The price tag for renovations at the Rose Bowl went up yet again last week after officials added $6 million to a construction contract for the already over-budget project. The money is needed to cover repairs for botched upgrades installed ahead of the 1994 World Cup games and increased labor costs incurred in the rush to finish seating upgrades before UCLA's football home opener on Sept. 8, officials said. Originally expected to cost $152 million, the project is now budgeted at about $170 million - excluding $14 million in work that has already been deferred because of cost concerns.

When Marcus Tyson visited his new campus days before his senior year was set to begin, he stood in a nearly empty parking lot and declared that the trailer before him looked "like prison. " By Tuesday, the first day of school, mounds of dirt and workbenches had disappeared, but the white-and-green portable classroom remained. "Still pretty awful," said Marcus, 17. Culver Park Continuation High School, now stuck in the back of a parking lot between the district's adult and middle schools, began classes this week with about 50 students in a single portable unit.

Until the cockroaches, mice and fleas took it over, the historic Boyle Hotel was once the "jewel" of Boyle Heights. For decades, it was a landing spot for mariachis, who frequented the nearby Mariachi Plaza in search of gigs at weddings and quinceaneras . But in late 2010, the living conditions had become so poor that dozens of tenants were told to move out to make way for a $24-million renovation. For Martin Mayorga, that was a relief. The 44-year-old mariachi is one of dozens of people finally moving back this month into the converted apartment building, which now has 51 units of affordable housing, commercial spaces, a community room and a mariachi center.

This '40s house in the Hollywood Hills retains a classic vibe even though it has been renovated with a more open floor plan and contemporary interiors. Walls of glass in the living room, a floor-to-ceiling bay window in the two-story master suite and a wrap-around deck take advantage of the city and hillside vistas. Location: 3430 Wonder View Drive, Los Angeles 90068 Asking price: $3.495 million Year built: 1940 House size: Four bedrooms, 51/2 bathrooms, 6,150 square feet Lot size: 17,940 square feet Features: Bar, library/study, media room, office, six fireplaces, service entrance, heated swimming pool, outdoor shower, pool bathroom, lawn, off-street parking for 10 cars About the area: In the first half of the year, 138 single-family homes sold in the 90068 ZIP Code at a median price of $841,000, according to DataQuick.

Matthew Kennedy spent his 39th birthday at the hospital learning to walk again. Three months ago, the Venice Beach resident started having trouble moving his legs. When a chest X-ray at a Santa Monica health center revealed a shadow in his lungs, he was quickly transferred to a highly specialized tuberculosis ward 25 miles across the county at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar. Doctors think the bacterial disease attacked his nerves - unusual for TB, which typically infects the lungs.

Songwriter, singer and former "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi has put her house in Studio City back on the market at $7.995 million — slightly more than 20% off the $10 million asked last fall. The estate features a 7,600-square-foot French chateau renovated and expanded by DioGuardi and her husband, home builder Mike McCuddy. Among the house's features are a 23-foot-tall stone fireplace, beamed walnut ceilings and herringbone walnut floors. The five-bedroom, 61/2-bathroom manse sits on about 3 acres with a studio, an 50-foot-long infinity pool and a hot tub. DioGuardi, 41, gained recognition as a judge on "American Idol" for two seasons starting in 2009, but her real claim to fame is the hundreds of songs she has written for pop stars including Celine Dion, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Pink and "Idol" winner Kris Allen, among others.

Members of the Los Angeles wartime veterans group never thought they would end up in a home-front fight. That's what is happening at Patriotic Hall, however, as American Legion leaders battle to stay in the place they have called home for 87 years. Los Angeles County is wrapping up a $45.4-million renovation of the 10-story neo-Italian Renaissance landmark at 1816 S. Figueroa St. and is preparing to reopen it for use by veterans' organizations. But the American Legion and a dozen other veterans' groups worry that they won't be getting their old office space back.