Rebuilt by architect Ian Murray in 2005, then sold for $565,000 in 2007, the setback cottage at 247 Ney Street features a double-height trussed ceiling in the dining room, with French doors opening to the garden, and a living room clad in reclaimed paneling.
A steel staircase leads to the second bedroom, with exposed wood ceilings, skylights and another set of French doors which open to the roof.
And the one bathroom below is airy and refined.
Measuring roughly 1,100-square-feet, with garage parking for one car on a 93-year, no-fee lease, the remodeled Excelsior District cottage at 247 Ney is now on the market and listed for $859,000.
Beautiful. That staircase was SOOOO not done with a permit.
I pray it was an existing condition, but Lord… how do you move anything to that second bedroom? You need to hire a crane to bring things in through the balcony!
It is beautiful but that staircase was not done with a permit. And this is pretty troubling “garage parking for one car on a 93-year, no-fee lease” – huh? You don’t OWN your own garage? No.
Read that lease carefully! Is it transferable when you sell the property? Can you rent it out?
That staircase is by far the most hazardous thing I have ever seen. This isn’t some technical code violation. It is downright irresponsible of whoever built it. Ditto for the roof with no railing. It makes me suspect the integrity of the other work on this place. Was it all done without permits?
Gorgeous as the rest of it is, I would not want to live in that neighborhood.
Odd that it is described as a “seaside” cottage. Is your idea of “seaside” a freeway?
Seaside my foot. All marketing mumbo jumbo.
Just like the development going up (slowly, I might add…with prices dropping) on Brotherhood Way that says it’s walking distance to the ocean. One damn long walk across Lake Merced and HW1.
Just like the description of the kitchen on the realtor’s website … ‘stainless kitchen’. How about a stainless countertop and cheap plywood cabinet doors with crappy knobs. Sad thing is people just fork over the cash.
“Listen to the traffic…it sounds like a river” ~~~Sam Shepard
That must be what they mean, right? Completely agree with you Rusty about the railings and permits.
Also how come no one understands a lot of this stuff with permits? Across from me is being sold. There’s a kitchen island with a Wolf six flame cooktop & no venthood. Is that even legal as well? I thought that even Wolf doesn’t allow you to own that without a ventilation system? How does this get done?
I don’t think you can evaluate the work done based on the spiral stair. It’s obviously a statement, not evidence of shoddiness.
I disagree. Anyone who would value appearance over safety to the point of creating such an extreme hazard can be reasonably suspected of cutting corners on the plumbing, electric, insulation, load bearing walls, roof, foundation, etc. This screams “reckless disregard” to me. Is the missing railing on the narrow roof deck also a statement?
Anyone who would value appearance over safety…
Might be an adult who doesn’t drink to excess (and isn’t scared of heights like I am). From an aesthetic POV I totally love it, but I could never live with it, cuz I’m a chicken.
Sorry Bob … any architect worth their salt will solve a problem, not sidestep it. Take away safety & practical constraints and you’re taking the easy way out. These stairs are downright dangerous even when sober. Not to mention the ridiculous railing-free roof ‘deck’.
The ‘balcony’ also isn’t to code, it’s just a door out to a roof. No railing at all, nothing bad could happen there.
Love it. Reinforces my first rule of buying a renovated home: buy the ones architects renovated for themselves.
Correction: you should buy it prior to renovation and tailor the look to match your own personal style, working with an architect, if need be.
correction? odd. difference of opinion.
Garden view? More like a view of the window facing the small entry courtyard. Hope you’re not doing laundry when someone opens the fridge door. Appears the primary sink faucet in the kitchen is original (and not in a good way).
Love the open dining room!
I wonder if the walls were insulated during renovation. The exposed rafters in the dining room and bedroom make me believe otherwise. How does this measure up to the “green” standards that so many San Franciscans love?
This house is like a bad boy / psycho girl lover, seductive but so many red flags…
Wait! That was a staircase? I thought it was a stripper pole for the geriatric crowd, in which case, is perfectly safe. Has no one here ever been to the second floor of a house in Amsterdam? Not only are the staircases unbelievably steep but probably more narrow.
Yup, Europeans and many others (adults) wouldn’t think too much of that staircase, but fat/lazy/drunk (pick any) Americans…not so much. Besides, you have the wall all around you, just don’t fall forwards, like any other staircase.
Personally I’m digging th chutzpah of the place!
The staging and photography are top notch. The plants are so lovely. The paintings are tasteful too. $781 per sq for an Excelsior home anyone?
Do the plants come with it?
You start with your own new ones and when they reach the ceiling, you sell. Tradition.
This is an odd property because it looks like it is the back house on a lot. There is a front building with two garage doors. The lot is 2750 sq feet. I think the leased parking must be in the front building. The lot is subdivided it seems. The house is listed on redfin as 247 1/2.
Yes, see the back cottage with 3 skylights in Google maps
https://goo.gl/maps/Q58AW
“Nearby restaurants include…Taco Bell and KFC,” I don’t see this as a positive. Is there anything about this property that conforms? Yes, there are cities elsewhere that have small homes with narrow staircases. Is this really an asset? The majority of these types of homes were built before the US was an independent country. Newer homes in developed countries are built substantially to similar codes here. That staircase is a disaster waiting to happen and the roof “deck” is really just a roof with an interior door. We owned a property with a similar “feature” and it felt like sitting on top of a diner griddle. The lack of a railing is even more problematic than that silly staircase “feature”. How did they ever get the bed up there? They routinely use cranes to move furnishings like this in small houses in Europe, or they are brought up in pieces. All in all, this ridiculous property is a disgrace to functionality and a major lawsuit short of a real house.
Hard pass on this one
regarding getting something up that staircase: there is a newer home in Noe Valley with a traditional looking staircase. The initial turn going up to the Master Bedroom is too sharp and the owners are/were not able to move their bed mattress and box spring up. The movers had to hoist them via ropes up to the balcony and carry them in through the french doors. This is a new construction 3.8 million dollar abode!
Sold for 20% over asking.
It’s in contract, but has not closed yet.
Apparently, there were two complaints to DBI after the posting here, but per DBI it’s OK to have a door open onto a deck with no railing, as long as you call it a roof and not a deck.
And a followup complaint regarding the stairs, which is still open. Wonder if the buyer knows about this.
UPDATE: The sale of the cottage at 247 1/2 Ney has closed escrow with a reported contract price of $991,800.
Pretty high on the cool and unique scale and great indoor/outdoor living. Comments on others suggestions: Very adult house. Second bedroom is a den/office. Bet the buyer also does not have kids. Let a reasonable adult make decisions for themselves about the roof (not deck) and the spiral stairs. Insulation – not in the opened roofing situation. Also I don’t see any central heat vents. The gas fireplace in the “lounge” is one of those combo fireplace/furnace you see in lots of lofts, and could very well be no crawl space or attic space anywhere to put a central heater and run ducts. I bet it can get cold there. Also, bath right off the kitchen. One of my least preferences in homes. Location is actually pretty decent. Quite, convenient, safe, nice outlooks, and still 6 figures for a SF SFR.