It Took More Than a Decade for This San Francisco Home to Feel Complete
John Kleman and Georgianna Salz-Kleman create the house of their dreams with hard work, strategic planning, and the right opportunity.
John Kleman and Georgianna Salz-Kleman create the house of their dreams with hard work, strategic planning, and the right opportunity.
Architect John Kleman and his partner, studio director Georgianna Salz-Kleman, spent years looking for a home in San Francisco before finding the perfect fixer-upper in the neighborhood of Glen Park. Built in 1949, the two-story home sits on a coveted corner lot at the base of one of the city’s tallest paved peaks. The area offers unobstructed views and access to numerous open spaces, and it has cultivated a community where neighbors stick around for a lifetime.
When John Kleman and Georgianna Salz-Kleman bought this home in 2010, it hadn’t been touched in decades. The stucco exterior was introduced as part of the renovation.
Photo by Jonathan Mitchell
"The original owner had been unable to maintain it for decades," Georgianna remembers. This was in 2010, so the market wasn’t what it is now—but real estate still wasn’t cheap. "To sweeten our purchase offer, we said we’d take the house as-is and clean it out ourselves."
The couple bought the home knowing they would need to work on it, and this kicker put the cherry on top of that plan. "The clean-out required three truckloads of removed furniture, materials, and debris," John says. Once it was cleared of discarded belongings, they focused on the decaying fence, falling deck, and masonry chimney between the kitchen and living area that was too heavy for the wood floor.
"When open, the windows and doors catch the prevailing breezes, and a large operable skylight at the top of the interior stair creates a stack effect for passive ventilation," John says.
Photo by Jonathan Mitchell
"We spent most nights and nearly every weekend painting, repairing, and updating wherever we could," Georgianna adds. "We did everything ourselves: We rebuilt the deck, installed a fence inspired by Rudolph Schindler, cleared the yard, and resuscitated two neglected Meyer lemon trees. We daydreamed and sketched all along about how we might take better advantage of the unique site and views someday."
As the years passed, the pair continued to make this home their own. They scoured Craigslist for midcentury furniture, built retaining walls, and put in a new furnace. They replaced the appliances one by one, and made countless shopping trips to Ikea for countertops and curtains. "We enjoyed exercising some of the skills we used for clients, but in a more direct way," John says. And as they worked, they also learned more about the history that surrounded them.
"We were interested in revealing structure not just as a gesture toward honesty, but as a way to increase the apparent volume of the interior and create warmth without adding decoration," John says.
Photo by Jonathan Mitchell
See the full story on Dwell.com: It Took More Than a Decade for This San Francisco Home to Feel Complete
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