Park Street Renovation
The renovation of Katie and John Eller's Park Street Residence in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco began with a referral from a friend: "She said, 'I want your architect and your contractor,'" recalls Sarah Willmer, founder of Studio Sarah Willmer, Architecture. "Katie had heard so many renovation horror stories and saw that her friends were having such a good time with us; we just had a such a good rapport with her friend."
The renovation doubled the size of the old Victorian from just over 1,000 square feet to just over 2,000 square feet. More importantly, it untangled the mismatched layout and separated the public and private spaces while opening up the south-facing wall to let in ample daylight.
In early 2006, Katie and John Eller reached out to a friend for a reference. "She said, 'I want your architect and your contractor,'" recalls Sarah Willmer, founder of Studio Sarah Willmer, Architecture. "Katie had heard so many renovation horror stories and saw that her friends were having such a good time with us; we just had a such a good rapport with her friend." Soon after, the couple sat down with Willmer to plan the renovation of their old Victorian home in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.
Photo by Ken Gutmaker
Completed in September 2008, with the final touches finished by June 2009, the home will be open to the public in September as part of the San Francisco Living: Home Tours, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects San Francisco chapter as part of its month-long Architecture and the City Festival.
Click the yellow "Slideshow" button at the top right-hand corner of this post for a preview tour through the home and the story behind its renovation.
The couple couldn't afford to add another story for a master suite so they agreed to move their bedroom to the ground level with the other private areas. Their room opens to the backyard for now, but Willmer installed plumbing upstairs in case one day they are able to build up.
Photo by Ken Gutmaker
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What a beautiful space! I've always been a fan of using contemporary design with existing buildings. I really think the addition of all the glass and opening up the space gives the house a much roomier feel. It's great the way the out doors is invited in to the home!
Wow, I can't believe the size was doubled to 200 square feet. That place looks amazing. I especially love the simple, monochrome color and modern design.
Just amazing! Beauty indeed. Great job guys at SSWA ! I love it. My only 2 cents is re main elevation. I would expect a bit more jazzy front. I know, I know... sometimes those city halls are so stubborn and so narrow minded...
Just amazing! Beauty indeed. Great job guys at SSWA ! I love it. My only 2 cents is re main elevation. I would expect a bit more jazzy front. I know, I know... sometimes those city halls are so stubborn and so narrow minded...
Serendipitous that the bedrooms ended up on the bottom floor - it's always cooler down there. Perfect for a good night's sleep.
I like the simple modern interpretations done to the front elevation of this home. It's sort of "victorian modern", which I find quite nice.
I enjoyed the interior space images but the front, is so dull in all that grey, it made the whole thing fall flat on its face. The home is gorgeous and deserves some life to show that off with! I think livening up the front would bring in a dynamic conflict with the back yet, possibly, if done well, would meld the styles together with so much admiration.
Doubling the square footage and still looking so seamless is amazing.
I actually love the front. It is so sleek and allows the building to remain incognito. They rearranged the front steps nicely it make it inviting and appear more balanced with the windows all now visible. I also agree that the way they doubled the space without making it feel like and addition is incredible! Very happy to have seen this here
I like the stairs and the wooden wall in the upper roof. The mixture of wood and metal makes it feel safe but airy and light too.
Excellent post.I want to thank you for this informative read, I really appreciate sharing this great post.
We live on Park Street. This used to be one of our favorite houses. I always loved the light green color. I thought this was one of the most charming houses on that side of the street. From seeing the inside through this slideshow I can tell that the architect is incredibly talented and absolutely everything that was done inside the house and the backyard looks amazing. That being said, we hate the front of the house. When it was first pinted gray we thought, really? I hope they're coming back to finish the trim the windows. Surely they couldn't have intentionally finished it that way? The facade is trying to take a Victorian home and make it look modern. It really doesn't work. I really love how the inside looks but I just wonder - why did they have to change the facade? From everything I see I can't tell where the front of the house had any need to be architecturally changed apart from reconfiguring the staircase. I'm sure that the inside of the home is a joy to behold and that the Ellers will enjoy it for years to come. As a neighbor I'm delighted with the improvements and increasing the property values in the neighborhood. However, I do so wish that the front had been kept Victorian. San Francisco is a Victorian city. Most of the houses on the block are Victorian. This house was a truly adorable Victorian to start. I absolutely love modern interiors but I just don't see the need to change the original Victorian facade to something that frankly looks mis-matched and in time will surely look very very dated.
I think I should change careers - she is a language coach and he works in a community outreach program. How did they afford this magic? Must be nice.
I agree, why does Dwell always hide the costs of renovations like these? If you are going to invite in readers to see the inside of your residence, you should also be willing to part with the costs that were required so others can save/plan accordingly!
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