1397 Clayton
The second of the two new 4,000 square foot homes on Clayton which plugged-in people have long known to expect has hit the MLS as 1397 Clayton priced at $2,999,000 as well.
1397 Clayton Kitchen
The sister property at 1395 Clayton remains available having been listed for a month.
∙ Listing: 1397 Clayton (4/3.5) 4,000 sqft – $2,999,000 [1397clayton.com] [MLS]
Heavy Equipment Hard At Work At 1399 Clayton (We Do Believe) [SocketSite]
From A Lot To Even More On Clayton [SocketSite]

19 thoughts on “Two Of Two Contemporary New Homes On Clayton: Number 1397”
  1. I like the look of this one better but safe to assume it suffers from the same small room syndrome as the one next door?

  2. It seemed to me that the place next door had well-proportioned rooms and flowed into each other well. Not sure what Michael means by ‘small room syndrome’ here; rooms with large linear dimensions relative to the ceiling height tend to feel dysmorphic to me.

  3. That kitchen looks like a perfect place to unpack takeout cartons from the Ferry Building market in, but it would be a crime to make bolognese sauce in that space.

  4. Of all the contemporary style (the listing agent calls it “VERY CONTEMP”), multi-level SFRs that we’ve seen on socketsite over the past several months or so, this place seems to me to have the most curb appeal.
    Anyone have an idea how much the new owner’s going to have to plan on paying for regular scheduled maintenance on a residential elevator?

  5. I’m not sure what Michael means by “small room syndrome”- but I’d wager this house sells faster than its twin. Being set slightly forward windows along the exit stairway (to the left, behind gate) make it much brighter inside.
    My 85yr-old mum will be thrilled with the elevator.

  6. “Anyone have an idea how much the new owner’s going to have to plan on paying for regular scheduled maintenance on a residential elevator?”
    We have an elevator in our house- which is actually down the street form the Clayton house (Corbett)
    any hoo
    The yearly check up with our elevator company is like 165- not really a big deal– and when there is a problem it’s like the plumber 100-150.

  7. I think by “small room syndrome” what is meant is that one would expect more gracious layout and proportions from 4000 ft. Odd jogs in walls, small eating spaces, bedroom with weird “step up” before the window, master with a lot of angles. Feels like the architect/contractor didn’t take the time to think about bones or flow.

  8. I have to agree about small room syndrome – I think the lack of floor plans on the MLS were not an omission. They are under Features on the website, but the link is on my name. I was also surprised to see the number of odd bumpouts for structural beams, HVAC, and plumbing in a new house, especially that step up in the one bedroom. The whole house seems thrown together, not thoughtfully designed. Great neighborhood, but very busy street right on a busy Muni line. Since they are positioned at the stop sign, the residents should get used to hearing the Muni bus air brakes every 15 minutes.
    The dining nook / hallway is something I would expect in an 1970s apartment, not a $3 million dollar house. It’s hilariously labeled “family room” on the plans. Why didn’t they use the space differently? And what idiotic staging to make it so obvious! Even replacing the table with seating, bookcases for cookbooks, desk space or more kitchen cabinets and leaving the hallway open would fix this.
    The floor plan of the first level with the 3 bedrooms seems odd to me. It’s basically a cave, but the bathrooms seem oddly small while the laundry room is very large. It looks like the hot water heater and HVAC is in there (which seems like a BAD idea if anything ever goes wrong like a flood – the garage or a separate wet area is much better).
    The neighboring house overlooks that backyard to the point someone sitting on that back deck could watch every move. Better hope for a compatible neighbor rather than someone who hates any noise you make or vice versa.
    Hopefully, they get their price as SF could use the property taxes, but I have to wonder if they are priced too high compared to the many other just gut renovated $2 million and up houses in Clarendon Heights. 53 Clarendon looks very nice for a lower price.

  9. 94123 Native,
    Thanks for your thoughtful analysis and the link to the floor plans. It is a terrible design.
    The letterhead on the plans alone is a redflag: (Drafting Graphic Services – Vacaville) I thought over two stories requires a licensed architect.

  10. I don’t think that means much – I googled them and it says they do a cheap real estate website package. Of course, I couldn’t find anything on the DBI permits site showing any sign of an architect but it looks like the permits were filed by Bruce Bonacker in 2002. While the outside looks vaguely like some of his work, you can see the years of revisions since then.
    Apparently they got in trouble for excavation without a permit due to a neighbor complaint. They also had to amend and refile the foundation permits. Considering that, this is the post that would scare me:
    There is an underground stream there, so that water would come out onto Clayton in the winter. I remember during an El Nino year (1998, maybe) the retaining wall there collapsed from the flow of water. Hopefully this has been addressed with the new construction there.
    Posted by: Dan at June 9, 2010 6:08 PM
    I vaguely remember what he is talking about, but I think it was earlier, around 1995-1996, when I was living in the neighborhood while we bought and renovated our current house. Clayton had at least one lane closed for several days until they got the hillside stabilized. But they seem to have trouble with the retaining walls around Clayton and Market any El Nino year.

  11. The sale of 1395 and 1397 Clayton have closed escrow with reported contract prices of $2,570,000 and “$1,605,000” respectively. And yes, we’re assuming that’s a fat-finger error with respect to 1397 Clayton and its sale price was actually $2,605,000.

  12. D5 is hot, hot, hot. Expanding out of just Noe and Cole now.
    [Editor’s Note: $650 per square foot is “hot, hot, hot” for contemporary new construction?]

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