Conventional wisdom is that renovations increase the value of a home, but armchair preservationists fret that unregulated alterations to historical housing stock erode San Francisco’s architectural character.

(Or at least, they did ten years ago–these days, anyone who worried about that kind of thing probably feels the damage has been done.)

So when a Bernal Heights Victorian circa 1900 comes back on the market after just two years with the promise of capitalizing on a renovation, it’s fair to ask: Did the work done improve this house or not?

We’re talking about 12 Roscoe Street, a four bed, four bath setup freshly listed for more than $2.29 million and advertised as “handsomely remastered”; this place last sold almost exactly two years ago for $1.75 million (actually $200K less than the initial asking price), at the time sporting just three beds and two baths. According to the building permits, the additional rooms came out of former garage space.

That’s a good use of the space, but what do we think of the new look in aesthetic terms? Certainly they’ve added a lot to the formerly bland, institutionally gray facade, and the old interiors were mostly nothing special to begin with–question is, does the new look seem like it’ll stand the test of time, or will we right back on the renovation wagon within ten years? Compare the photos below and tell us what you think.

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