Up and Down--Elevators and Basements

Basements, so common in the East and Midwest, are gaining cachet again in Southern California where they were pretty much abandoned when forced-air heating replaced messy furnaces, and slab foundations became the speedier construction alternative in post-World War II housing. They are so large, so plush and so sunlit from skylights, windows and walls of glass offering million-dollar ocean or canyon views, should we even call them basements? And when we get tired of those stairs? Pop in an elevator. Check out the stories in the subpages below.