Our Current Abode

Our home, at present, is certainly not a dream home by any measure. However, given the pricey housing market in the San Francisco Bay Area, we were happy to purchase it for its potential at the end of an exhaustive search that took over a year. The property has a few key virtues. It has a bit of a view, a nicely sized lot by Bay Area standards, a good school district and a good location for both commuting and access to services. Since these virtues are separate from the house itself, we figured that the building could be overhauled to make it fit better with our wants and needs. Indeed, we actually prefer having the opportunity to implement our own upgrades rather than being forced to pay a premium for someone else's changes in which we may not have any interest.

When we first visited the house we were actually more excited about the lot. It's almost a 1/4 of an acre, which is larger than many properties in the area, but it feels larger than it is due to the slope. Indeed, when we first stood in the back and looked up, the back "yard" seemed a bit imposing in that it rises steeply from the house before transitioning to a gentler grade. Once we passed the steepest part though, it offered a nice view of Silicon Valley, a bit of the Bay and the mountains in the distance. On a clear day, we can see individual buildings in downtown San Jose, 25 miles away. The lot already had a variety of vegetation and, as it's nestled with neighboring lots which are largely undeveloped, it gives us the feeling of being part of a larger outdoor space.

The house itself is a non-distinct building in a subdivision built around 1950. Not including a few minor improvements, the house is in its original condition and there is really nothing green about the property aside from some of the vegetation and a few energy-saving lightbulbs. In fact, the lack of insulation and the barely effective heating make it a chilly energy hog in winter and an oven in the summer. The lack of insulation and need to keep the windows open in summer also results in a surprising amount of noise from vehicles passing by. Poor siting and a thoughtless design add to the effects. The front of the house has two low-set bay windows which, while providing light and a bit of a view, contribute to overheating in the summer and require the use of shutters for much of the day. Poor design makes parts of the house require artificial lighting even when it is bright outside and even bright elsewhere in the house. Finally, the house sits at the bottom of a long slope and does not integrate well with the rear of the property.

In terms of square footage, the house has just over 1300 square feet of usable space with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. However, it feels smaller than it is due to the poorly designed layout which wastes space in the middle and sides of the largest rooms and relies on dark hallways and enclosed staircases. The previous owner converted part of the garage into a basement room and a bathroom that is not up to code. We must admit to appreciating the 2-car garage that remains, though.

Given the current state of the house and our need to accommodate a growing family, there are a number of things we will be exploring in our remodel and expansion project to mitigate these various issues and better leverage the natural advantages of the site:

• Indoor / outdoor living - integrating the rear of the lot with the house
• Orientation and siting - taking advantage of the arc of the Sun, providing better lighting and views, reducing noise and controlling temperature fluctuations
• Solar Energy - taking advantage of the plentiful sunshine our location provides as a source of electricity and water heating
• Water Conservation - channeling water to improve hillside stability, collecting water for the dry summers and making use of graywater
• Design - increasing the amount of usable space without unnecessarily increasing the square footage
• Landscaping - composting, gardening, terracing, irrigation, making the slope more usable

As we move forward in our journey, or not, we will be updating the site with what we find. So be sure to check back later.