By Tasha Thrift
A new business is making our already beautiful Belmont Heights homes even more gorgeous.
David Ross has begun creating custom covers for exposed utility features attached to neighborhood homes. Called Cover It, the business has been around since November of 2021, and Ross’ work has graced several houses in the area, including where it started, in his own back yard.
“My wife said there are a bunch of things around the house she wanted to blend into the background,” Ross said. “She didn’t like the way the meters stick out in back and said, ‘Can’t you figure out a way to cover them up?’”
And he did. He says he “tinkered around” and came up with a design that worked with both form and function. Word spread, and he began customizing cover-ups for neighbors.
“I do this out of my garage and people contact me by word of mouth or wherever,” Ross said. “I normally ask for pictures and an idea of what they want covered up, then I do a visit.”
Carpentry isn’t his career; he’s a deputy alternate public defender for Los Angeles County. That is the career he pivoted to, after working as a TV reporter and documentary producer. He left that for law school and has been a lawyer since 1995.
It was around that time that Ross moved to Belmont Heights, on Mira Mar. He’s heard that he lives in one of the oldest houses in the neighborhood, built in 1908, where “supposedly you could see the Red Car train from the porch back when it was built.”
This sense of history might be what motivated him to create something to beautify Belmont Heights. He says he’s noticed some older covers around the neighborhood that are falling apart. For his covers, he crafts each one with sturdy materials and wood that’s “gonna last for 30-40 years,” Ross says.
“It’s not only a fun thing to do — it improves the neighborhood,” Ross said. “Some you can’t see but some you can. So instead of seeing a crummy looking pump or sprinkler station, you see something that blends and makes the neighborhood nicer.”
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