Bill Prady Snags Another Toluca Lake Property

Five-time Emmy-nominated sitcom writer/producer Bill Prady needs another house in L.A.’s low-key but high-cost Toluca Lake about as much as an octopus needs a helicopter, but tax records indicate he’s none-the-less splashed out $5 million for a fourth luxury property in the affluent star-approved neighborhood.

Prady cut his showbiz teeth writing and producing “Caroline in the City,” “Dharma & Greg” and “Gilmore Girls” before he struck primetime gold (and a syndication goldmine) with the spectacularly popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” which he created with Chuck Lorre. Interestingly enough, Prady isn’t credited with creating or writing any episodes of his mega-hit show’s popular spin-off prequel “Young Sheldon,” but he is listed as a consulting producer on a couple of dozen episodes. Anyhoo…

The late 1920s Tudor cottage sits on nearly half-an-acre along the calm, picturesque shore of the itty-bitty private lake that gives the neighborhood its name. Listings held by Craig Strong of Compass show the almost 4,400-square-foot home, a handsome, stone and shingled affair with brick and faux-timber accents, has five bedrooms and five bathrooms that include a separate guest or staff suite with private entrance.

Diamond-paned leaded glass windows lend aristocratic grandeur and architectural authenticity to the cavernous living room that features gleaming wood floors, a soaring wood-beamed cathedral ceiling and a massive brick fireplace. The living room flows easily into an equally spacious step-down den that showcases a vintage brick floor and a second fireplace, this one set into a paneled wall flanked by built-in bookshelves. A wet bar facilitates boozy entertaining and floor-to-ceiling glass sliders allow for an easy transition to the lushly landscaped backyard. Beautifully maintained and clean-as-a-whistle, the house is nonetheless considerably dated when it comes to its décor and finishes: The light from a sparkly, old-fangled antique crystal chandelier is reflected in a mirror-paneled wall in the dining room, where the exact same Chinoiserie-style toile wallpaper pattern is repeated on the fabric of the drapes, while the master bedroom’s teal wall-to-wall to wall carpeting is straight out of a Red Lion Hotel in 1983 and the shimmery pastel floral wallpaper in the dressing room and the unfortunately wall-to-wall-carpeted bathroom, with its pale pink stone work, look like they reek of talcum powder.

Sitting on a flat rise above the lake, the back of the L-shaped residence embraces a sprawling, partly vine-enshrouded and pergola-covered brick terrace for relaxed outdoor living. Brick stepping-stones span a koi pond, and a wide, velvety expanse of lawn slopes down to the water’s edge where the heavy limbs of a huge tree shade a small dock with panoramic views that sweep over the placid lake.

The budding land baron’s other Toluca Lake holdings include: a three-bedroom cottage acquired in 2014 for a mite more than $1.2 million; a nearly 8,500-square-foot mansion picked up in 2013 for close to $4 million from now-divorced actors Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli; and an almost 8,000-square-foot nine-bedroom traditional on one of the neighborhood’s few private streets that was scooped up in early 2016 for almost $5.1 million.

Its close proximity to all the Burbank studios, along with easy access to West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, have long made Toluca Lake a favorite and convenient neighborhood for showbiz movers and shakers. Bob Hope was a longtime resident, and current entertainment industry heavy-hitters with homes in the swanky ‘hood include Eric McCormack, Melissa McCarthy and Viola Davis. Steve Carell custom built his traditional mansion on the site of Jonathan Winters’ longtime home, astronomically popular YourTube children’s entertainer Blippi recently moved to the area and a handful of years ago Sia dropped $3.6 million for a 1.25-acre spread where she razed an existing home to make way for a decidedly more contemporary compound.

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