Hot Property
Oakland four-bedroom restored to showcase period details.
Bill Doyle recruited an army of artisans, craftsmen and experts from around the region while restoring 4191 Gilbert St. in Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue neighborhood.
“It’s increasingly difficult to find artists who do stuff for this period,” Doyle said of identifying experts capable of recreating classical details for the home built in the early 20th century. “The local artisans deserve so much credit.”
Now the home Doyle purchased in 2014 offers an expanded, modern kitchen and newly constructed bathrooms. There’s a new deck overlooking the backyard and revived finishes await at every turn.
Part of the difficulty in finding experts relates to the home’s architecture, he said.
The home is an American Foursquare, a design style that borrows elements from the Prairie School and Craftsman styles. It prevailed around the 1890s to the 1930s. The style often appeared in the Sears mail-order catalog and arrived in a boxcar of pre-fabricated parts for assembly.
Doyle heaps praise on the vendors enabling him to recapture the glory of the residence standing next door to a home designed by Julia Morgan.
Oakland’s Arts & Crafts Period Textiles provided the handmade window coverings. Panache Lighting in Berkeley restored the luster of original brass light fixtures dating to 1910. Theodore Ellison Designs created the stained glass windows found in the foyer and alongside the turned staircase. Benicia’s Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers created the hand-printed design positioned above the kitchen’s wainscoting.
“Working with classic homes is something I like to do,” said the retired lawyer and father of four. “I like older homes because there seems to be more character and detail.”
Reaching this point took time, persistence and a robust checkbook. Though the home retained original elements, updates and improvements hadn’t occurred for decades. Doyle recalls encountering some surprises along the way.
“We took down the living room light and realized at some point someone had buried live electrical wires in the plaster,” he said.
Doyle’s devotion to original detail doesn’t yield a home full of obsolete technology. Though almost every light fixture in the house is more than 100 years old, they’ve been rewired to illuminate LEDs.
“The lightbulbs look like vintage Edison bulbs, but they’re LEDs and run on dimmer switches,” he said.
There’s also an on-demand water heater and highly efficient ventilation system with all-new ducting.
Doyle plans on remodeling another classical house in the coming years, though he’s not sure when and where.
“Right now I’m looking for a place to perch, but I’m not exactly sure where that will be,” he said.
Learn more at www.4191gilbertrestoration.com.
Listing agent: Barbara Dunlap, Pacific Union Real Estate, (415) 359-6445, barbara.dunlap@pacunion.com.