Jul 12, 2020

Places We Go : Alameda Beach House

Originally published in July, 2020. Updated in May, 2021.

OK, I'll admit it. I've fallen a little in love with the idea of a beach house. Not any beach house but one just 20 minutes from our house here in Oakland. What could be more fun than to have a get away just 20 minutes away? When this nearby property came up for sale, my brain started buzzing. Let's take a look.

Here's the little charmer in my favorite beach town, Alameda, CA. Listings on the San Francisco Bay beach are very rare and there only asking $740,000. What could be done if I only had a extra million dollars?

Whew! Good news - a blank slate. Bad news - everything needs to be done.

Built in 1964.

This must be the original kitchen.

Could these hardwood floors be saved?

There are two bedrooms and two baths. This one has a view of the San Francisco Bay.

Everything would be a total gut job.

The other bedroom has no window but access to this little courtyard. I'd use this space to expand the closet and add skylights to the bedroom.

The other bathroom.

View of the back of the house. As you can see, this is the worst house on the street.

The backyard - oodles of possibilities.

View to the south. I believe this path is part of the 500 mile San Francisco Bay Trail.

View to the north. That's the San Francisco skyline on the far right. My dreamy little beach house comes with quite a view. What do you think? Let's see what could be done if I only had an extra million dollars.

griegedesign.com

I'd design the front of house like this - an updated beach shack.

stylebyemilyhenderson.com

Front entry would set the tone.

apartmenttherapy.com

The great room.

zdesignathome.com

A kitchen with a beach shack vibe.

thelightingcompany.com

The principal bedroom.

housebeautiful.com

The guest room's twin beds.

modelista.com

Modest functional bathrooms.

apartment34.com

And in the back, a simple back deck. Let the views speak for themselves. That's it. Nothing too fancy. I'd try to vault the ceilings and shiplap all the walls. Since I'm just dreaming, I'm not worried about replacing windows & doors, HVAC, the dry rot and termites, adding a new roof and exterior, landscaping etc. I hope you'll agree that it's sure fun to dream.

Bids will be open on July 15. I gotta think the buyer will do a teardown as it's 1307 sq ft, 2 bed/2bath. Houses on the street are valued well over a $1M and are all two-story. Still, if I were buying, I'd stick with the charm of a little beach shack.