Pasadena | $2.695 Million
A Cape Cod-style house built in 1921, with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, on a 0.3-acre lot
This house is just off California Boulevard, one of Pasadena’s main thoroughfares, and is 10 minutes by foot or five minutes by car from the campus of the California Institute of Technology. The streets in this part of the city are lined with mature trees, and many of the homes, including this one, date to the 1920s. The neighborhood has long been popular with Caltech professors; Albert Einstein lived a few blocks away during his time at the school.
Upgrades done by the sellers, who have owned the home for several decades, include renovating the kitchen and bathrooms, and adding a covered patio and built-in barbecue in the backyard.
Size: 3,667 square feet
Price per square foot: $735
Indoors: The grassy front yard sits behind a white picket fence, with a stone path that leads to the front door.
The living room is bright, with windows facing the front and side yards; it has a fireplace with a brick surround and white-plaster mantel, as well as the original decorative plaster moldings. Off the living room is a study with doors leading to the side of the property.
The hardwood floors in the living room continue into the hallway; to the right is a column-flanked doorway to the dining room. Behind a swinging door, a butler’s pantry with wood countertops serves as a pass-through from the dining room to the kitchen, which has a butcher-block-topped center island and commercial-grade stainless-steel appliances. The kitchen is open to a family room with a fireplace, built-in bookshelves and vaulted ceilings. Also on this side of the house is a half bathroom with red chinoiserie wallpaper.
Off the family room is the primary bedroom, which has three large windows facing the side yard and an en suite bathroom with a double vanity and wallpaper printed with blue-and-white china.
There are three guest rooms on the second floor. One, at the far end of the hall, has a blue-and-white en suite bathroom with a porcelain pedestal sink; the other two have built-in window seats and share a full bathroom with a combination tub and shower.
Outdoor space: The grassy backyard has a pool, an attached spa and an adjacent brick patio with a built-in barbecue; there is another covered patio close to the house. The garage has been converted into a recreation room, with a bathroom that includes a sink and shower.
Napa | $2.699 Million
A modern farmhouse built in 2021, with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, on a 0.4-acre lot
This property is about 15 minutes from the center of Napa, near Silverado Country Club, home to an annual stop on the PGA Tour. The house was designed with fire safety in mind: It has a metal roof, concrete walls and concrete siding.
Those living in the area consider its proximity to vineyards a major amenity: The 10 wineries along the Silverado Trail are 15 minutes away by car, and more options are close by. Santa Rosa and San Francisco are the nearest cities, about 50 miles away.
Size: 3,571 square feet
Price per square foot: $756
Indoors: A steep driveway leads from the street to the house, where the front entrance is set in a covered porch.
The entryway has patterned floor tiles and a stairway that leads upstairs, to a living area with a gas fireplace and a set of double doors that open to a patio. Behind the living area is a kitchen that has a center island and white-oak cabinets topped with quartz; the floors are also made from white oak. The stainless-steel appliances are from Viking, and the porcelain farmhouse sink was custom made. Off the kitchen are a large pantry and a powder room with Spanish-tile floors.
There are three bedrooms on this level: the primary bedroom, which has an en suite bathroom with Carrara marble floors and shower tiles, as well as a porcelain soaking tub; a guest room with access to the backyard; and a second guest room of roughly equal size, connected to the first by a shared bathroom.
A fourth bedroom with an en suite bathroom, on the lower level, is currently used as a den.
Outdoor space: The terraced backyard is large, with flat space that could hold a swimming pool or an outdoor kitchen. The covered porch, which partially wraps around the house, has room for a swing and several chairs. A bonus space off the entryway, not included in the square footage, has concrete floors and could be converted into a gym or a screening room. The attached garage holds three cars.
Taxes: $33,732 (estimated)
Contact: Giselle Lampe, Lampe & Lampe, Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley, 707-266-8086; coldwellbanker.com
San Francisco | $2.695 Million
An Edwardian house built in 1908, with four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, on a 0.04-acre lot
This house is a few blocks from the heart of Noe Valley, a family-friendly neighborhood known for having one of the city’s highest concentrations of rowhouses. The area’s commercial corridor is within walking distance, along 24th Street, and includes bakeries, coffee shops and a Whole Foods grocery store. The house is also well situated for families with young children: Alvarado Elementary School is across the street, and James Lick Middle School is about half a mile away. A park with basketball and tennis courts and a playground is also nearby. The Mission District and Golden Gate Park are 10-minute drive.
Size: 2,350 square feet
Price per square foot: $1,147
Indoors: Steps lead from the sidewalk to the front door, which opens into a sunny living room with a bay of street-facing windows and a gas fireplace with a simple white mantel. Through a wide doorway is a dining room that has hardwood floors, like the rest of the rooms on this level.
Beyond the dining area is a family room open to the recently updated kitchen, which has a center island topped with butcher block, stainless-steel appliances, an aqua-tile backsplash and a breakfast nook tucked into a windowed alcove. Also on this level is a half bathroom.
From the dining room, a staircase with wrought-iron railings and a wooden banister leads to the upper and lower levels. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms that could function as a single large suite: Opposite the landing, a guest room with vaulted ceilings is the ideal size for a home office or a nursery; across the hall is the primary bedroom, which has a private balcony. A bathroom between the two rooms has a walk-in shower covered in sleek, gray stone tile.
Two guest rooms are on the lower level, which also has a laundry room and another full bathroom. Each bedroom is large enough to hold a queen-size bed and a desk; one has a seating alcove with a door to the backyard.
Outdoor space: A small deck off the breakfast area is large enough to hold a cafe table and chairs. From there, stairs lead down to the backyard, where a gravel area is framed by flowering hedges and mature trees that create a sense of privacy. The attached garage holds one car.
Taxes: $33,684 (estimated)
Contact: Paul Ybarbo, Sotheby’s International Realty, San Francisco Brokerage, 415-901-1724; sothebysrealty.com
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Source: | This article originally belongs to Nytimes.com
