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Very nice house, obviously a lot of care put into it...but I think it is picture 31 - the rock shelf looks weak and there is a house above this house on the edge. Too much rain = rock slide into the back of the house, earthquake = really close neighbors will be even closer or on top of you. Again, love the house for the most part, but not for $3 million.

Oh yeah, is the rooset included? A good ole' alarm c(l)ock.

This is really fantastic craftsmanship and I love the fact they took an idea and carried it through all the way. I have admired Len Brackett's work ever since first reading about his company "East Wind, Inc." in the New York Times, and have even bought his book "Building the Japanese House Today".

I am looking forward to the sliding vs. pivot vs. accordion vs. garage vs. barn(?) door debate. Seriously, though, what is that thing? I've misplaced my copy of "Zen and the Art of Weatherstripping"...

The original woodwork and design is well executed. The updated cement counters, wall treatment...not so much.

I REALLY want this...

Meanwhile, 550 Valley just dropped to $1.598M from its original $1.8M.

http://www.sfhouseprices.net/blog/2008/09/18/550-valley-st-san-francisco-2/

2-car ++ parking. Can go ahead and convert that into a gym since nobody in SF needs or wants one car, much less two ;)

@trip:

thanks for pushing your agenda on us. I have and want two cars. you ok with that?

noearch, did you catch the ;) at the end of my comment? Obviously tongue in cheek and poking fun at a discussion on another thread. You have and want two cars -- I have no problem with that at all, and it helps prove exactly the point I was making in the other discussion.

I feel so much better. Now I can relax and have a great weekend. Now I gotta figure out which car to drive. :)

True luxury in SF is two parking spaces even though you have only one car - for your houseguest so they don't end up staying an extra day working with their insurance adjuster.

Parking..hmmph.
Thats one thing (the only thing?) I have too much of ibn this City.
3 parking spots and no car....

what's with all the blankets thrown haphazardly about the place in a few of the pics? Lazy agent or lazy photog?

The parking issue is moot. There's copious free and easy street parking on that block.

Leave it to San Franciscans to turn a discussion on a handcrafted Asian residence with some incredible attention to detail and joinery into a debate about this city's hatred of the automobile and fascination with parking.

This is very nice, but in that it seems to have kind of lost its point and gone of to some strange extreme. Japanese homes tend to be very small and practical. Real Japanese construction tends to be an order of magnitude more humble than this. There is huge dissonance between this sumptuous space with imported boulders, tall ceilings, and plenty of room as compared to the humble carpentry it is born of.

I sure with I could afford this place.

Mole Man, you beat me to it. The irony of this place is breathtaking.

Is this a build from the ground up or a remodel of say an old stucco box? Look at old looking driveway in picture 37. Don't know exactly how it matters, look at that foundation people. A bit idiosyncratic at $3mm. Rather have something built from the ground up at that price, not that I have that price.

Is this a build from the ground up or a remodel of say an old stucco box? Look at old looking driveway in picture 37. Don't know exactly how it matters, look at that foundation people. A bit idiosyncratic at $3mm. Rather have something built from the ground up at that price, not that I have that price.

"Japanese homes tend to be small". True, but there are also many many Japanese now living lifestyles very similar to an upper middle class suburban American. There is a generational shift taking place where younger Japanese consumers eat out, don't cook, drive instead of walk, and demand large new homes built in far away suburbs. In fact this has turned into quite a debate in Japanese famillies where teenagers are driving SUV's to school(really!), while their parents still take the train, or walk to work. Affluent Japanese families are building large homes that make this Noe Valley residence look modest. Check out the numerous Japanese design magazines that showcase this trend.

Now I am not saying that ALL Japanese are now living this new lifestyle, but it is a larger percentage than we may realize. (It is the world's second largest economy) About a year ago the New York Times Magazine did a large feature article on "the new Japanese house" that explores this issue.

As for this house, I think it is fantastic! This is not the first time someone chooses to build their dream home in a style that was not copied out of DWELL magazine.

@nicole

100% agree. cement baths, counters, etc, seem out of place (and just plain fugly). like the grounds much more than the house itself. to each their own.

shills should avoid saying things like "I think it is fantastic!" to better delude the less plugged in. I guess they just can't help themselves.

I think IT IS fantastic! (So if you like a property that makes me a shill?)

OMG! "I think it is fantastic!" is the new hipster shill meme!

Ok guys, how much do we think this place is really worth, considering it's 3100 sq feet (approx) on two lots, by a famous architect? Also taking into consideration that our latest case study, 76 Caselli, is now at $1,999,000 (a full million dollars less for slightly smaller, a modern remodel, smaller lot, and closer to transportation, Castro, etc)?

Reduced today by nearly $300K. Now asking $2.7MM.

Down again, this time by $200K, now asking $2.5M (16.7% below original listing price).

The listing for 542 Valley has been withdrawn from the market without a sale.