Berkeley: Blow the Budget and Head for the Hills

If you’ve been pondering what to do with that spare $5 million burning a hole in your pocket, here’s an idea.

The Frederick Folger Thomas House at 683 Santa Barbara Road has recently come on the market and is causing a flurry of interest, not least among the locals who have watched major renovation works being carried out to what the realtor describes as this “Berkeley treasure” over the past year or so.

Set high in the north Berkeley hills along one of its twisting, leafy streets, the imposing house is disappointingly undistinguished from the outside, despite its setting in newly landscaped gardens (complete with very cute waterfall). I even spotted a few cracked shingles on the front facade.

The interior, however, has been given the ultimate luxury makeover. The open-plan living area feels like the lobby of a top-notch hotel. The views towards the Golden Gate Bridge from the seated bay window were billed as wonderful and they are.

There’s a wood-paneled dining room, a top of the range kitchen and four bedrooms, including a stunning Douglas-fir paneled master suite with a blissful bathroom. The shower has views of the clouds and is bigger than most central London apartments. Both come with their own fireplaces. It all felt very “high-style old Hollywood” to me.

The house is full of nooks and crannies and the layout would take some getting used to (the photo of the side view below gives you an idea). There is even a staircase in the living room that leads effectively nowhere. There’s a separate garage and independent apartment with a bathroom and kitchen but – slight hitch here – no bedroom.

My questions about this house are twofold: are the new interior fixtures and fittings in keeping with the style of the original house? (And does that matter?) And, would the sort of people with $5 million to spend be looking in this spot, nice though it is? I rather see them heading to the Peninsula.

Still, if the numbers at the open house are anything to go by, there is no lack of interest. How many of the visitors have that sort of cash is another question.