723 Colusa Avenue - Berkeley's Thousand Oaks Neighborhood

Thousand Oaks Gem! 1928 Traditional 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths; 2nd story added in 2000

At the main level: an updated cook's kitchen with center island (storage/electrical); custom cabinetry and elegant Asian styled pantry cabinet; 48 inch professional range (Capital Connoisseurian Series 48" Stainless Steel Pro Style Dual Fuel Range); bar sink; two bedrooms and full bath.

Natural wood staircase and bannister to the upper level where you'll find an elegant windowed landing leading to an ultra luxurious primary suite with seating area and fireplace, built-in cabinetry; large bath, double vanity, stall shower and tub, walk-in closet; and more!....a 2nd upper bedroom with a full private bath. 

For added convenience, a laundry room, side by side appliances, drawers and cabinet storage. 

Dual paned windows - Concrete perimeter engineered foundation with great storage.

The private rear patio is bordered by “Gibraltar” one of Thousand Oaks’  magnificent rock formations.  It’s mapped in Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association’s tour booklets “Thousand Oaks” and “Among The Rocks • Homes and Gardens In Thousand Oaks” and Jonathan Chester’s wonderful book “Berkeley Rocks - Building With Nature”

Only blocks to Solano Avenue, Berkeley and Albany’s wonderful shopping and dining street Kensington’s Sunday Farmers’ Market, Kensington Circus Pub, Benchmark Pizza and Colusa Market.

Nearby: Thousand Oaks Tot Park, Albany’s Memorial Park and Aquatic Center, and Great Stoneface Park.

AC Transit bus to Downtown Berkeley BART and San Francisco on the corner of Colusa and Portland.

Welcome to 723 Colusa – Berkeley’s Thousand Oaks Neighborhood

You are viewing a home that has seen many changes since its original construction in 1928. My wife and bought it and moved in December 1985. At that time it was a single story, roughly 1,400 sq. ft. home with one bathroom and three bedrooms. Everything looks MUCH different now!

So how did 723 Colusa come to be the home it is today?, It so happened that we also owned the home at 701 Colusa (next door to the North) and when it became vacant in 1997 - we moved in next door, and began what started out to be a straight forward second story addition at 723 - a nearly two year near total rebuild resulting in what’s here today.

The addition process began in the usual manner - interviews with several builders submitting proposals. The proposals were all much the same – a “box” on top of the existing first story with little or no attention towards making the result appear as anything other than a non-integrated part of home as a whole. One builder, however, indicated that he was open to working with me to achieve the result I wanted: a two story home that looked as if it had been built this way originally.

Foundation, basement, and perimeter drainage

I had previously dug out a portion of an unfinished, dirt floor crawl space under the house.. I personally dug out about an 8’ square area sufficiently deep to allow for a concrete pad to be poured, and installed a sump pump to collect and expel water intrusion which had been a problem (the original 1928 clay pipe perimeter drains had after 70 years become totally clogged). Accordingly, the final design had to include a completely new perimeter drain system, a significantly expanded basement area with interior access to it rather than a small exterior door in the northernmost corner of the home, and a nearly complete foundation replacement. The sump pump hasn’t had to run since – other than when I occasionally test it

Seamless exterior plaster, matching double paned windows throughout and insulation in exterior walls of both floors

Fairly far along in the remodel, a decision was made that significantly increased the scope of work. Specifically, the entire existing exterior plaster and lath was removed to end up with a seamless finish from top to bottom. This enabled the installation of fiberglass bats throughout, covered with plywood, which enhanced the structural soundness of the lower portion of the home. Exterior plywood effectively provides the cripple wall cross bracing that wasn’t required in 1928. It also ensured that upper and lower floor double paned windows could be installed without any unsightly plaster patching.

Choosing to have two large bedrooms on the second floor rather than three as our designer-builder originally proposed

The initial design included 3 bedrooms on the second floor. However, our purpose was to end up with a home designed as we wanted. We made the Primary Bedroom into a grand suite - a large room with entry via a “foyer” leading to the bedroom suite to the left, a bathroom and wardrobe closet to the right. We designed the bedroom suite with a sitting area in front of a fireplace, and ample room for a kingsize bed, tables and television cabinet. The adjoining bath has a tub and shower stall, a vanity with double sinks, a separate toilet room on one side and a large walk-in closet on the other.

Conversion of the original main level rooms

One of the bedrooms was what is now the TV/family room just to right of the foyer. At that time there was a closet where the present stairway is, down to the basement and up to the second story.The space qualified as a bedroom, but had two doors serving as a pass through from the entry to the back of the house.

Exterior cleanup and hardscape

Back, front and side areas were pretty much decimated by two years of the remodel with the backyard pretty much of a mud pit. We had pavers placed in the area between the house (leaving a roughly 3’ area for plants, bushes and a small tree between the back of the home and the pavers) and the previously existing low brick wall. Additionally, these pavers extended entirely down the North side of the home to the front gate. In the front yard pavers were placed to connect the front porch to the stairs leading down to the street level.

I hope this narrative has helped you understand what has gone into our efforts to make this home a place that you will proud to own,  and that you’ll enjoy living in as much as we have.

Sincerely,

Don Groth