Staring

This is an appeal from that portion of an interlocutory decree of divorce which awards certain realty to respondent as his separate property.

*584 The parties intermarried in 1952 and separated in 1958. At the time of their marriage appellant was operating a beauty parlor in her home and respondent was a self-employed plumber. During the marriage appellant acquired considerable property by gift and inheritance and it has been awarded to her as her separate property. In 1955 respondent purchased two lots in Merced County for $21,000 of which he paid $7,000 from his separate funds and $12,000 from a loan procured on the security of another lot which he owned before marriage. Thereafter he erected a commercial building on the two lots, financing the cost thereof by a $22,000 loan secured by a trust deed on the two lots and a $12,000 loan secured by a trust deed on the lot which he had owned before marriage. At the time of trial approximately $17,700 had been paid on the principal of the three loans (which aggregated $48,000). It is appellant’s contention that the trial court erred in finding that the three lots were the separate property of respondent. There is no merit in this…