Charming Oakland Craftsman
Architect Leo L. Nichols built 3-bedroom home
A crumbling foundation was just what an Oakland couple needed when they were ready to buy a home. The historic home at 990 Vermont St. in Oakland held plenty of charm inside, but its base needed work and that appeared to scare off many of potential buyers.
Enter Jack Harrington, a contractor in concrete construction, and his wife, Bela. Together, they rehabbed the home Oakland architect Leo L. Nichols designed.
“We’d never worked like this in our own house, but I have some experience,” Jack Harrington said. “We were able to dig out the crawl space and add a basement level with an 8-foot ceiling.”
A covered porch introduces the three-bedroom, and double doors open to a foyer illuminated by a skylight. This segues to a living room revolving around a stacked stone fireplace. Builtin shelving flanks the woodburning fireplace as a sitting window is beside tall wainscoting and beneath a beamed ceiling.
The formal dining room features lattice windows on two sides and an alcove ideal for placing a storage cabinet. Hardwood wainscoting again lines the walls as a wide entryway looks into the living room.
Each bedroom bears individual charms. One boasts a wall of built-in shelving. Another features sizable corner windows, and the third links to a sun room. A Dutch door in this sun room opens to the landscaped garden.
The home had belonged to the same family for generations. While many of architect Leo L. Nichols’ original embellishments and built-ins remain, the bathroom was in need of a facelift. The last bathroom remodel was decades prior, complete with a pink countertop and green toilet.
“That had to change,” Jack Harrington said.
Now the bathroom offers traditional cabinetry and builtins with a tile floor and a more subdued color scheme. Plenty of work went into the kitchen as well. A farmhouse sink, hardwood flooring and a range with an induction cooktop highlight the list of improvements within the cooking space. A cozy breakfast nook stands off to the side, and a pantry rests opposite the kitchen.
The Harringtons are sad to leave their Oakland abode, but work transferred them to Southern California and there’s no reason for them to keep the home, Jack Harrington said.
“We definitely fell in love with the house,” he said.
Learn more at www.990 vermont.com.