San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Example of fine craftsmanship
Expert woodworkers carve out Healdsburg homes
Whether it’s a builder, an architect or interior designer, the homes experts design for themselves always seem to have little extras and bonuses. That’s the case at 1017 Sunnyside Drive in Healdsburg, where a pair of bespoke Craftsman residences constructed by an area builder offer an abundance of custom builtins, thoughtful creature comforts and expert woodworking.
“They built this to be their ‘forever’ home,” said Mike Downes of Vanguard Properties, who is colisting the property with Kimberly Maffia for $2.298 million. “But life happens and they want to be closer to their grandkids, so they are selling these homes they’ve poured considerable effort into.”
Set on a manicured lot that’s roughly a fifth of an acre in size, the homes pay homage to Craftsman principles inspired by Greene and Greene, an iconic Southern California architectural firm from the early 20th Century that played an integral role in defining the bungalow and Arts & Crafts styles.
These homes share subtle design details, like Hardie board clad siding and traditional Craftsman color schemes and window shapes. Custom woodwork—wainscoting, cabinetry and shelving—abounds throughout each twobedroom residence as well. Both homes feature lowvoltage lighting, fire sprinklers and solar panels.
The current residents acquired the property in 2007 and completed what’s now the guest house. That twobedroom, built in 2008, served as their primary residence for years as they constructed their dream home just steps away.
Completed in 2016, the twostory main residence pays homage to Craftsman principles.
Its timbercentric material palette pairs hickory flooring with millwork fashioned from quartersawn pieces of white and red oak. Interior doors are made of kilndried Douglas fir.
“The builder loves wood, so the style is very traditional and influenced by a lot of late19th Century/early20th Century design elements,” Downes said.
The love extends to the covered front deck in front of the main home, which was built without nails or screws. Instead, wooden knobs and pins provide the joinery which secures the planks in place.
“I can’t imagine the number of hours it took just for that deck, for that level of detail,” Downes said.
The homes, each of which includes an office, are linked by a partially covered deck with an outdoor kitchen anchored by Sonoma Cast Stone counters and a Viking barbecue.
Highend appliances—most noticeably a Bertazzoni range bearing a vibrant Ferrari orange paint job—equip a chef’s kitchen finished with granite countertops and McIntyre tile backsplashes. The main home’s allstar lineup of kitchen appliances includes a 42inch SubZero refrigerator, Viking microwave and KitchenAid dishwasher.
A breakfast area, complete with a banquette, rests beside the kitchen and opens to the partially covered rear deck.
An OnDemand water heater provides instant hot water, as three zones of heating and airconditioning provide individual climate control for each level and the main owner’s suite. This owner’s suite also includes a bathroom finished with Sonoma Forge fixtures.
The property shows spectacularly well throughout the day, Downes said. Sunlight bathes the front of the house during the morning, while the back of the home frames vibrant views of the sunset every night.
Antique French tiles line the floors of the powder room, a nook and the laundry room.
Take the virtual tour at www.1017sunnyside.com.
Listing agent: Kimberly Maffia, Vanguard Properties, 7074941770, kmaffia@vanguardsonoma.com; Mike Downes, Vanguard Properties, 7073318822, mike@vanguardsonoma.com.