The Sun Is Out, The Sky is Blue

Thank God the rain finally stopped this weekend. The sun gracefully crept out Saturday morning below ominous cloud cover to cheers of gratitude and relief. Our City by the Bay at last emerged wrapped in soft luminescent layers of apricot light with unanticipated shimmering freckles dotting its renowned skyline.

LA & A sign
LA&A sign

After spending what seemed like an eternity indoors avoiding rain, cold and Omicron, Marshall, Toby and I jumped in the car last Saturday and headed to our sunny, rain-soaked property on Golden Gate. I was relieved to see our sign was still there, hanging on the crusty rusted gate even though the crew had been unable to work for several days due to wind, rain, mud, and standing water.

Favorite House on the Island

The ragged heap
The ragged heap

From the start of our project, neighbors we had never met asked questions about our intentions as they walked by, alarmed by the site of our historic home slowly dissolving into a ragged heap. Several surprised us by declaring it had been their favorite house on the island. We decided to display a sign informing those who passed by of our vision to restore the property to its original 1927 Spanish Revival roots. We received a great response with many people signing up for the blog.

View from the heap
View from the heap

This image is taken from inside the house facing north to the front yard where a retaining wall will be built on the edge of the shadowed excavated section in the foreground. The hedge at the top of the property on either side of the unseen archaic gate faces the cul-de-sac at the end of Golden Gate Avenue that runs along the ridge of Belvedere Island facing downtown San Francisco.

New Construction Begins

view of the heap facing west
View of the heap facing west

The crew removed the dry rot sections of our venerable home along with its interior plaster, flooring and ceiling materials, exterior stucco, windows and doors and terracotta roof tiles. Recently, a thick L-shaped perimeter wall seen in the shadows behind the ladder was poured at the lower level with two floors of the existing wooden shell still standing above.

Lower level corner of concrete wall
Lower level corner of the 12" concrete wall

After a long period of deconstruction, new construction has been ongoing as evidenced by this formidable 12” thick x 8’ 6” tall Z-shaped concrete corner that serves as part of the footprint for the lower level. The crew excavated 13 ½’ below the main level floor in preparation for pouring the lower-level foundation. The garage has also been demolished due to extensive dry rot and the need to create a path for tractors to access the land.

Batter Board Structure

View to the south
View to the south

Marshall is standing on the batter board structure that serves as a reference for measurements of various points on the property. The southern edge of the terrace on the main level is now marked by an unseen red line drawn on the ground, about 6” in front of the batter boards.

Pedestrian Stairway

Park Lane
Park Lane

Park Lane is a street-to-street pedestrian stairway that runs along the eastern edge of our property. Our 6’ high wooden fence on the right runs halfway down the hillside stairway. The 10’ high ivy-covered painted wooden fence on the left belongs to a 19th century three-level stucco home with a ballroom on the lower level. The stairway is accessed many times a day by local residents who can view the renovation through our lower wire fence as it evolves.

Retaining Walls

Lower retaining wall framing
Lower retaining wall framing

Our property has a 32% grade in the back of the house down to the street below and is difficult to negotiate on foot. After removing 24 fire-prone trees by order of our local Fire Department, we felt a few retaining walls were needed to prevent a landslide. Pictured is the first retaining wall being framed at the bottom of our property.

Lower concrete retaining wall
Lower concrete retaining wall

Through our wire fencing that continues along Park Lane below our wooden fence, you can see the crew working on the 8” thick curved concrete wall sloping from 7’ high in the center to 1’ high on either end.

Filled concrete retaining wall with tarps
Filled concrete retaining wall with tarps

Blue tarps were laid by our crew on top of the newly installed dirt to protect it from becoming muddy during the rains in December and early January.

Filled to the brim
Filled to the brim

This crescent-shaped 100’-wide retaining wall is by far the largest and tallest of the future garden walls to be built on the property. Thanks to our knowledgeable engineer and incredible crew, the bottom retaining wall was elegantly constructed to hold earth in its enormous, curvaceous pocket. The bottom of the property is defined not only by the wall but by a group of ancient Monterey cypress trees through which we can see San Francisco Bay and Sausalito.

Our Muddy Boots on the Ground Crew

Henry and Juan Antonio
Henry and Juan Antonio

Two of our dedicated crew, Henry on the left and Juan Antonio on the right, do an excellent job moving dirt around the property with small tractors, an essential time-consuming task on our steeply sloping lot.

Our crew and foreman
Our crew and foreman

Here is a group photo of our hard-working crew that I took after the Thanksgiving party on the jobsite last November. From left to right – Francisco Ruiz, Carlos Nowell-our foreman, Antolin Gomez, Oscar Gomez, Francisco Morales, Daniel Chacon, and Liandro Diaz, better known as Lalo. We are most appreciative of their diligent service and formidable skills.

Blue Skies for Now

Hoping for good weather - View of San Francisco
Hoping for good weather

Although we are two months behind on our project due to the challenging weather, I couldn’t be more grateful for the rain that has filled our parched reservoirs in Marin County.
Thankfully blue skies are predicted for the next few weeks. We have our fingers crossed the property will dry out soon so headway can be made quickly. I will have more descriptive images to show you as we progress in the upcoming blogs. The fun will really start when we arrive at the framing, finishes and fixtures stage coming later this year. Please stay tuned.
Happy New Year Everyone and blessings to all of you!

 

For the love of rain and blue skies too,

XOX,

Linda, Marhsall, and Tobywan-Kenobe

Showing 10 comments
  • carol davis
    Reply

    Yea for the rain and now the sunshine so progress can continue!! Love keeping up with you❤️❤️❤️

  • Janice Weickum
    Reply

    So happy to see this progress!

  • Yvonne Danelle Carpenter
    Reply

    So glad you have good weather. Now, maybe you can get something done every day! Even the little jobs count. I am so excited about the end result. I know it will be worth all the waiting and dreaming. For now, just stay safe, warm and content.

    Danelle

  • Lynn
    Reply

    You must be ecstatic to be in the construction phase instead of the deconstruction stage, Linda! Such an exciting yet challenging project – kudos to you for finding a creative way to inform your neighbors about the progress of the house, and of course, sharing your journey with us. Love your crew! Here’s hoping you have wonderful weather ahead.

  • Donna
    Reply

    I cannot imagine a better steward for this historic property than you. Bringing this property to stability is one thing – but I can’t wait to see bright, happy, whimsical touch you bring to everything you touch.

  • Norma Pendleton
    Reply

    You’re her fairy godmother indeed.
    The beautiful views are spectacular.
    Can’t wait for the complete transformation.
    A gem hidden inside to sparkle.

  • Doree Fitzhugh
    Reply

    I could almost smell and hear the memories of my childhood. The Art of California is in all the senses and you bring them to life beautifully.

  • Jenny Duffy
    Reply

    “The sun is up, the sky is blue…It’s beautiful and so are you…Dear Prudence…won’t you come out to play?” Your beautiful “Prudence” is reawakening, emerging again to show the pure wonderfulness that she is. How exciting!

  • Joan von Weien
    Reply

    How wonderful to see the crew at work, and the slow but sure rise of your home! Spring will be here! Your home awaits its family!

  • Robyn Holley
    Reply

    We think of you so often and are glad to see your progress; we miss you! Milly and Robyn

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