TOUGH BUILDS
PROJECT
TEAM
GREEN
LOCATION San Francisco Size 2,625 ft2 Completion 2012 Program Single-family home Cost $1.1 million
DEVELOPER Eco+historical Architect Feldman Architecture Associate Architect Jonathan Feldman and Bridgett Shank General Contractor CBC General Contractors Landscape Architect Scott Lewis Landscape Architecture Structural Engineer Double-D Engineering Geotechnical Engineer Dave Olnes
CERTIFICATION LEED Platinum Site Solar shading, thermal mass for passive solar gain, daylighting Materials DuPont vapor barrier, low-VOC solvents, FSC-certified flooring Water Aquatherm piping system Energy H igh-efficiency solar panels, air-source heat pump
PHOTO: MICHAEL WINOKUR, WINOKUR PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT)
1,200-square-foot range. These former workers’ cottages were typical in the late 19th century, and almost all of them include only two bedrooms and one bath. In fact, although these historic homes feature elaborate façades in order to keep resale values up, their interiors are simple and far less grand. And yet, part of the goal is to keep these homes’ stories alive, even if it is mainly in their façades. Mogal recognizes this, as does the San Francisco government. The city mandates that historic homes undergoing major rehabs receive a historic report that identifies when it was built, who owned it, and when the lot was sold—elements that make up the “story” of the home. For Mogal, the stories have a little more character; for his project at 1566 Sanchez, a Stick Victorian built in 1889, he reused old rafter beams as roof-deck planter boxes to help the home adapt to the 21st century while retaining some of its 19th century identity. The most common architectural style in San Francisco is known
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as Queen Anne Cottage, a Victorian-era style also referred to as “Painted Ladies.” These homes were often painted in three or more vibrant colors to help highlight their detailed architecture. (San Francisco was a Gold Rush city, with its major growth in the mid to late 19th century, leading to its many Stick Victorian and Italianate designs.) Mogal’s two LEED Platinum homes in Noe Valley, the aforementioned 1556 Sanchez and nearby 1436 Sanchez, are, respectively, Stick and Queen Anne Victorians. The structure at 1566 Sanchez, like most small workers’ cottages, was a single-level, 1,000-square-foot home that Mogal expanded into a five bedroom, 2,605-square-foot, single-family dwelling. When Eco+historical began the project, much of the original interior was already gone, outside of some of its trim and doors. The home was built into a lot that sloped upwards as one went back into it, which left room for a full lower level. To make it more suitable to contemporary family living, Mogal excavated
“Historic homes are the soul of the city.” Josh Mogal, Eco+historical
the full depth of the house on the lower level to create a lower living space and a garage. He also added a third story, which he set back from the front so that the historic façade of the house appeared largely unchanged from the sidewalk. Challenges abound in this type of work. Compromises, for instance, were required by San Francisco’s Planning Code, which stipulates that an owner cannot build back further than his or her two adjacent neighbors. For 1566 Sanchez, Mogal ideally wanted three bedrooms and two baths on the top floor, but because the home’s neighboring houses were shallow, the limited depth of the new floor forced Mogal to settle for two bedrooms and two baths. Pushing the envelope sometimes creates extra hoops for design teams to jump through. The 1566 Sanchez project was the first San Francisco residence to use a polypropylene pipe called Aquatherm Green Pipe for its plumbing. The green pipe uses less energy to manufacture, is non-toxjuly–august 2014
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