Located near the top of Bernal Hill and overlooking both San Francisco Bay and Noe Valley, the original house featured fine views and a charming neighborhood context. However, a series of unpermitted alterations and years of neglect had left the small Victorian in terrible condition.

By carefully preserving the front façade and opening up the floor plan to a full lot width, sun-drenched great room in the rear, the redesign retained the historic character of the Victorian while modernizing it for today’s lifestyles. The great room is designed as the functional heart of the house, and overlooks a modestly-sized, yet function-packed backyard designed and installed by a local landscape contractor. A completely new foundation created room for a two car tandem garage and 600 s.f. of additional living space, and brought the house up to current seismic code. A modest addition and change in roof pitch at the rear helped transform the cramped 2 bedroom, 1 bath house into a spacious, three-level 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home with separate office, dining, and laundry rooms.