45th Avenue was constructed in 1905, when the Sunset District was still a smattering of small beach cottages. The original structure was a simple four-square with a shingled hipped roof and a front porch. Over time it was buried in stucco and additions dragged down the rear.
The remodel excavated a few feet, inserting a second unit under the original house, and allowed for 3 full floors at the rear. A custom steel and ply staircase travels from garage level workroom up to the master suite. Framing clues and finding original porch windows reused in the basement led to the restored façade. Two large crevasse-like skylights bring light deep into the house, keeping it aglow even on the foggiest of days.
Originally a laundry boiler room, the brick house is now a full service guest apartment. The ground floor is 8′-2″ x 11′-6″; approximately 93sf. It hosts a full kitchen, living room with couch and coffee table or dining table, and fold out cushions for a lounge chair on the stair landing. Up the ships’ ladder is a mezzanine dressing area with built-in walnut wardrobe and drawers. a 42″ square bath has a wall mount toilet, custom stainless steel medicine cabinet, small sink supplied by a shower valve, and floor drain for showering. a sandblasted door and window keep it light and spacious. A tread and a glass landing lead to the bed loft with queen mattress, storage in hinged headboards, bookshelves, and reading lamps.
Renovation of a mixed use property in San Francisco’s Mission district. The façade: Eastlake. The rear: a mass of water damage, plywood siding, and multigenerational porch enclosures. Unsalvageable, this area provided the guilt-free impetus for the twentieth century intervention of a steel and glass window wall.
Total reworking of a post earthquake rooming house in Chinatown. The compact envelope is reinvented by the insertion of a central light well, connecting the basement garden to 3 floors of living area and a roof deck. New white walls and glass complement exposed brick, original staircases, and patched fir floors.
Conversion of a 1908 carriage house into an apartment, with the former hayloft becoming a 380 sq ft living space. The simple, yet dynamic interior roofline is highlighted by wood siding painted bright white. Services tucked under a dormer include an etched glass shower enclosure, recycled bead board toilet cabinet, and a compact kitchen. Storage and art studio are behind barn doors below.
Bernal Heights addition and remodel. Extensive work at the back of the house allowed the façade to retain the simplicity of a post-earthquake cottage. Sloping away from the street, the site gives way to a terraced interior with ceiling heights increasing towards the back yard. Twelve foot high floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors connect the kitchen/dining area directly to the patio. A sky-lit stairwell core opens up to 4 bedrooms and 2 baths on the second level.
Bernal Heights addition and remodel. A dilapidated porch and stairs were replaced with a 3 story addition. The tiny footprint is expanded with curtain wall-like glazing and steel bracing. A new stairwell connects the top floor through to the basement and continues out to the yard. Original trim, doors, and inlaid floors dovetail with the newer palette of simple finishes.
