Project name: 5871 Buena Vista Avenue
Project location: Oakland, Calif.
Square footage: 3,700
Project cost: $950,000

The goal for this home in Oakland, Calif., was to create a single-family residence to meet stringent design review and neighborhood requirements (i.e., view protection, two street frontages) while orienting the home for optimal San Francisco views.

A major challenge for Phillip O. Perkins Design, also in Oakland, was to keep the elevation of the house lower than the neighbors’ to provide a view of San Francisco for the neighbor across the street. Additionally, it was important to provide San Francisco views for the homeowners from both the master bedroom and public room levels.

To accomplish everything, a contemporary design vocabulary was selected to allow a low-pitch roof that was appropriate to the design. In addition, the plan was rotated so the façade was parallel with the street on each of the two streets in front of the home, retaining the street pattern of adjacent houses.