theFrontSteps – San Francisco

[Editor's Note: We have a new contributing architect, Sven, and this is his first post ever. Please take a moment to read his post, and welcome Sven Lavine.] I decided to do a little brainstorming on the factors affecting San Francisco house design. I want to steer clear of discussions of the city’s historical & [...]

There are many reasons WE live here in San Francisco, and certainly many reasons YOU live here, so feel free to share with us. We captured this photo just yesterday evening on walkabout in North Beach, and thought, “damn that’s cool!” Just another reason we live here…great (iconic) architecture old and new all around us.

We were fans at Usonian, but if you must…the whip cream on top: Polished concrete floors; radiant heating; chef’s kitchen; custom walnut cabinetry; multiroom sound system; remodeled bath with handcrafted Heath tile; Sub-Zero refrigerator with glass front; Viking convection oven; Miele range; 2,344 sqare feet all on one level; two car side-by-side garage. Some history [...]

Oh if we had time to publish these things when they’re hot off the presses. Oh well, we’re still fans of all things architecture, especially when Eichler is involved, so we’ll throw them up for your delight. Coming soon to the Lucas Valley (Marin) real estate market (and what we’d almost consider an epicenter of [...]

For those of you that read this San Francisco real estate blog on a regular basis, you’ll know I’ve been watching the progress of many of the new developments around town. One of my favorites happens to be Millennium Tower (301 Mission). Not because I’ve sold many units there, but because it truly stands out [...]

If you think we come up with this legal mumbo jumbo reporting on our time, you’re nuts. This taken from the SFAR Advantage Online: The Department of Building Inspection is increasing the fee for 3R reports from $50 to $160. The increase is part of a comprehensive adjustment of permit and inspection fees designed to [...]

Part 1: We noticed it [3373 22nd Street] hadn’t had a Sunday open in a while, but rather than a pending or sold sign outside – we noticed the sign was just gone yesterday. It isn’t on the public mls as in contract – it just isn’t there. You know the scoop? We are dying [...]

Where readers ask and we (the community) try to answer: Hi, I own a building with 4 other people here in San Francisco and we need to get good advice on how structurally sound our building is re: earthquakes. I want to be able to trust the opinion and not be concerned with getting an [...]

As stated numerous times, we can’t do all of this without you, and appreciate your tips, suggestions, and rants, so keep them coming. One person who is particularly helpful and deserving of praise is our friend the Fluj, who this week sends us this: To my mind, the western portion of North Slope Potrero has [...]

Where readers ask, and we try to answer: Hi – I read your article [about calculating square footage in San Francisco] and had a quick question on measuring square footage in a high-rise condominium in San Francisco. Do you know if the structural concrete should get included in the condo square footage? The condo I [...]