We have to admit, we’re a little confused by the choices that were made to “update” the California Craftsman at 11 Mendosa, but we can still see the designer bones beneath.
According to tax records, 11 Mendosa is 2,494 square feet. And listed for $1,599,000, call it $641 per foot for the Forest Hill home and an opportunity to undo the updates.
∙ Listing: 11 Mendosa Avenue (4/3) – $1,599,000 [11MendosaAve.com]

26 thoughts on “Designer Bones Beneath”
  1. Art Deco bathrooms? Spanish tile floors? Craftsman built-ins?
    What is going on with that kitchen? I sincerely hope that it was not done in the last 10 years but I fear that it was done recently.
    It is livable as is, but it is really a hodge-podge of periods and styles.
    It is kind of a long hilly walk from here to either the Forest Hill Station or to West Portal shopping, but would probably appeal to someone who prefers to drive everywhere.
    I sure wish the listing gave us the square footage, but that looks to be 3000ish to me, so about $550/sq ft. Reasonably priced.
    [Editor’s Note: As reported above, it’s 2,494 square feet per tax records and listed at $641 per square foot.]

  2. You all don’t get it. This used to be a 15th century horse stable and has been artfully renovated, preserving the original feel. I can still smell the manure…

  3. What the hell is going on with those wall? Did they literally strip every crumb of plaster from all the walls or did they do the exact same faux finish on every wall in the entire house? Looks like it was once a beautiful home but is now some kind of dungeon from design hell. A most unfortunate outcome.

  4. I kind of like the exposed brick… has kind of a European farmhouse vibe. The house definitely has a lot of potential. Seems awfully cheap for a place in SF but then again I’ve lived here 4 years and never once been to Forest Hill.

  5. “I kind of like the exposed brick.”
    I can’t tell if it’s actual brick or ‘brick,’ (wall treatment). Agreed on the euro farmhouse vibe – if said farmhouse was a contrived effort in the burbs.

  6. Forest Hill is very nice if you like trees and yards. It is well served by transit, especially if you live near the Forest Hill muni station, which runs trains every few minutes into downtown at rush hour. There are some problems with Muni backing up in the tunnels though, maybe someone who rides it regularly can talk about that.
    It is pretty foggy though, about Sunset levels of fog.
    It is not very trendy right now, so reasonably priced compared to hot neighborhoods.

  7. I like stone but masonry walls in earthquake country give me the creeps. It doesn’t matter whether it is veneer or faux painting, it still seems odd and out of place here. Maybe add some faux retrofit steel braces to complete the effect and calm EQ anxiety.
    The price seems good though.

  8. The fog is always overstated. I am sure you think it is foggy right now. There is several fog breaks between the ocean and the east side of Forest Hill. 19th avenue is often a line where the fog ends in this area. While near GG park the fog will go much farther in.
    The Noe/Mission opinion would be that last week they had beautiful weather everyday and they are lucky to not live on the westside. But in reality it was nice everywhere.

  9. I don’t live there, so I really don’t know exactly how much fog there is. I know that I have been to plenty of open houses in the summer, where I left sunny Noe Valley to go check out a foggy place in Forest Hill or St. Francis Wood or West Portal and came back to the sunshine later in the afternoon at home.
    If I can see fog on the top of the hill I figure it is foggy there, but I don’t see any fog right now, so it is probably sunny.
    Yesterday evening around 7 PM it was sunny here but windy and there was fog at the top of the hill, so I figure it was foggy on the Westside. Am I right?
    I did live in the Panhandle for a decade so I have some idea of what it is like. How does Forest Hill compare to The Panhandle?
    Most summers in the Panhandle, the fog would sit in for weeks.
    Do you live there sparky-b? Can you tell us what it is like?

  10. NVJIm,
    Yes correct it got foggy here last night. It is foggier than Noe/Mission. It is less foggy than the panhandle. I am by no means saying it is as sunny as Noe in the summer, it’s not. But it is not as foggy as typically described. Also, like I said foggy on the coast and in Sunset/Parkside doesn’t always mean foggy in Forest Hill/SFW/WP, the fog stops around 19th ave. a lot of times.
    I have said lots of times I am suprised that houses around the area don’t cost more when the transit and southern commute as well as the commerse are all better than Noe.

  11. I think West Portal commercial district is about the same as 24th Street in Noe, but other than that I agree with you 100%.
    Forest Hill in particular has beautiful homes but I am a big fan of that era.
    Why home prices there have not gone up there along with Noe, Mission and Bernal is a big mystery to me as well.

  12. West Portal is way better than 24th street, for day to day stuff. Shopping for presents for women 24th street is better. I will take West Portal.

  13. sparky-b
    maybe i don’t understand how important fog vs no fog is to some people but imho forest hills is a more attractive neighborhood and i think the local elemtary school is better also

  14. According to Google maps, which tends to be pretty good on these things they are about the same in no traffic. In heavy traffic like at rush hour, Noe is a bit closer.
    For Google HQ in Mt. View, Noe is 10 minutes closer right now at 4PM on a Friday. Apple off 280 is 7 minutes closer.
    This is for what Google Maps has for “Noe Valley” which is near 24th and Castro and “Forest Hill” which is near 9th and Medosa (kind of near the edge of Forest Hill). I live near 30th and Church which is about five minutes closer. YMMV.

  15. 9th and Mendosa is the corner this house is on, the edge and closer to 280 would be by Dewey.
    But I should clarify I was talking about the neighborhoods, not just Forest Hill. Use that same mapping for West Portal and it is a wash. Also in rush hour 280 is better than 101, in my opinion.
    If I was looking to buy in the area I would choose West Portal and SFW over Forest Hill.

  16. The construction material is architectural clay tile – sort of like concrete blocks except made of baked clay tile – like bricks. Good structural value (if there are rebars etc. inserted), pretty good insulating value as they are hollow. Many substantial buildings are constructed of this, but are usually stuccoed on the outside and plastered on the inside. When carefully laid, as it has been here, it makes a fine finish material.

  17. FH and NV may be on equal terms for the southern commute by car, but not by Caltrain. You can bike from the heart of NV to Caltrain in 20 minutes. Double that for FH. Transit from this property to caltrain isn’t so bad but NV still wins.

  18. I saw the house. A few things: (1) the walls inside and out are clad in terra-cotta tile, the original to the house. The house never had plaster walls anywhere in the house. (2) though the real estate company calls the house a “California Craftsman”, it is not. It is the architect’s version/vision of a “California Spanish Colonial”. For whatever reason, the architect chose terra-cotta tile rather than plaster for all the walls. (3) The Art Deco bathroom on the second floor is original to the house. Art Deco bathrooms were the style of choice for many if not most houses of that time period (built in there 1920’s) no matter what style the rest of the house was designed as. (4) Though the kitchen was updated in the last 20 years of so, it does not feel particularly incongruent with the rest of the house.
    I don’t understand why so many “contributors” to this site leave such bitchy, rude and uneducated “opinions” about home design. You don’t have a clue about what you’re talking about. You really don’t. You obviously never saw the house yourself and you know next to nothing about residential architecture. Yet you still feel the need to leave nasty comments. It gives this site a bad rep. This is a great site. Quit trashing it with your ignorant opinions.

  19. I actually like this. The terra cotta tile is a little overpowering…might even approve of white paint/plaster on some (but not all) of the walls.

  20. ArchitectureLover – whatever. I’ve seen enough. The place looks like arse. You don’t need to be on a high horse to see things as they are.

  21. Tripp Knightly – no offense, man, but I’d pit my eye and taste against yours pretty much any day. Is all the terra cotta tile everyone’s taste – definitely not. I’m not saying it is. I’m saying that what I see on this site way more often than not is a lot of negative, bitchy sounding off about what’s “good” and what’s “sooo not” by (A) people who -by the comments they’ve left (like the first ones about this house) – never saw the property they’re spouting off about and (B) people who – just being frank – don’t really know much about residential architecture (and prove it in their comments) – in this case, houses of the early 20th century. I’m not saying don’t have an opinion, but geeez, man, at least go see the house you’re getting all “I’ve got something to saaaay” about and when you do say something here, be civil for God’s sake. This can be a great site for information and debate. It’s been devolving for awhile now into a dumping ground for low-brow “I have an OPINION!!!!!” comments and it’s unnecessarily ruining the site. This used to be a cool site for what’s going on real estate-wise in SF. Now, when you mention SocketSite” to people who’ve followed it for awhile, they roll their eyes because of all the rude and useless “opinions” that get left on it.

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