Cottage in the woods!
2 + Bedroom1 Bath
PLUS Bonus Studio/Bath below
Listed For $539,000

Bought with 3 offers for $578,000

665 Vistamont Avenue, Berkeley

665 Vistamont has much affection attached to it. It was not particularly pretty when it went up for sale in the late 1990s, having been owned for many years and then subsequently rented out and used but not obviously loved. Still, it had an indefinable aura about it. Everybody who visited said so electricians, carpenters, plumbers, chimney inspectors, and even more importantly, guests and family members. And this was well before we had completed our renovations.

Alter a year or so, we’d decided that this place was undeniably a home, with neighbors who were kind and caring and obviously here to stay. We had visions of adding a new dining area that would extend out toward the trees and reachable through French doors from what is currently the back wall of the dining room. This room, we’d decided, would have enough windows so that anyone sitting there would feel close to nature. Below, there would be an office or playroom, maybe even a wine cellar. This quiet street, where you could hear the wind in the trees in spring and a trail of merry-go-round tunes from the park in the summer, becomes especially wonderful on the most average of days, simply because it’s a dead-end street with minimal traffic. It’s the kind of place one might want to consider for the retirement years or to raise a family, because it felt safe, as we’d remembered when we were young, plus the street was generally unknown to the Berkeley population even though it was but minutes away to every convenience. Here, local residents who loved the stillness of nature came to stroll.

For these reasons, we made extensive improvements to our home.

Large Room (Garage Conversion)	Large Room (Garage Conversion)
Bonus Studio/Bath below!	Bonus Studio/Bath below!

665 Vistamont Improvements

1. Remodeled Bathroom
Main bathroom completely remodeled by architectural firm Friedman and Associates. Room was gutted, and old bathtub, sink, and toilet removed. Subfloor and exterior wall removed and replaced where needed. Entirely new plumbing infrastructure installed. All new tub, sink, toilet chosen specifically for the simple country look. White tile tub-surround interspersed with custom slate inlaid pieces and soap dish, chosen for its soothing, earthy hue, matches the slate floor professionally set over a mortar bed. Wood wainscoting chosen to lend an elegant yet simple country look to walls. Walls and ceiling painted with the highest quality Benjamin Moore paint under the guidance of an interior decorator experienced in color selection and historic detailing (Art Decor). Quality speckled sconce added over the sink area.

2. Remodeled Kitchen
Wall between kitchen and dining room was removed to create a more spacious yet homey atmosphere, more amenable to conversation between cooks and guests. As home lead test kit showed traces of lead on deep undercoats of paint on cabinets and walls where the wear and tear of time had made its mark, kitchen was gutted and lead abatement performed. All new wiring and plumbing infrastructures were installed at that time.

Entire kitchen was professionally redesigned by Friedman & Associates: Custom mahogany cabinets were
installed, including 24-baffle wine rack, inspiring cubby motif intended for both display and storage: Large cubbies above the sink were designed for large pottery bowls, display pieces, or oversized books. Small cubbies above the work area were intended for teas, spices, and knickknacks. General layout and shelf/cabinet specs were created for efficiency of movement while cooking, with regard to the most advantageous location of cooking tools and books. A shelf was reserved specifically for telephone books near the phone jack in the dining area, and gently curved open shelves afforded a place for small display items that would be visible from both the kitchen and dining room. The counter curve radius was chosen to minimize bruises and bumps.

Custom granite counters with granite back splash were installed. Top-quality sink and faucet selected, including a spigot for filtered water. High-end Bosch dishwasher installed. Custom-designed tile back splash surrounding the stove was designed specifically to display spice bottles (admired by nearly every guest) and to keep spices close at hand for cooking. Pull-out drawers in cabinets to right of Stove specified to hold tail bottles (cooking oils, vinegars). Space for baking sheets/racks located close to stove (at left). Sub-floor repaired, and fourteen-inch Italian tiles Set on a mortar bed to lend an old-world touch to flooring. Stove cavity designed for a 30” Viking stove. Arch constructed over stove to echo the house’s original arch motif in the hallway. Patented apricot-glazed faux finish on walls.

3. Plaster Walls
The plaster walls in each room was either repaired or replaced with sheet rock as needed. All rooms were repainted with custom best quality Benjamin Moore paint under the guidance of professional colorists/interior designers (Art Decor) who advised on paint/color selection.

4. Electrical
Fuse box in closet between large and small rooms replaced with modem circuit breaker. New circuit breaker installed for all new wiring for kitchen. Separate circuits for refrigerator, microwave, etc., per code requirements.

5. Large Playroom
Large room (garage converted by previous owners) was made safe by installation of collar beams between ceiling rafters. This improvement provided a firm support for walls to ensure the integrity and safety of the structure. Large plate-glass window removed and new Custom windows (matching style of original windows elsewhere in house) installed to meet safe egress standards. Walls and ceiling painted with highest quality Benjamin Moore paint. Patented premium glaze applied on walls and “combed” to create a subtle design.

6 Hardwood Floors
Living and dining room floors sanded and revarnished.

7. Lights
All new ceiling lights and curtain fixtures installed.

8. Trim
Authentic 1940s baseboard trim retained to maintain the integrity of the architecture of that period.

9. Heater
Fifty-year-old Atlas furnace removed and replaced with new Bryant energy-efficient furnace. Asbestos abatement performed to remove old asbestos-coated ducts. New ducts installed.

10. Laundry Room
Laundry room installed where old furnace had been. (Laundry facilities previously located in the crawl space under the house.)

11. Plumbing
Plumbing and house modified as required by Berkeley’s Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO)

12. Seismic Work
Seismic retrofit plan commissioned and paid for but not implemented (cost of plan about $1000.) Seismic retrofit estimated to cost about $4000

13. Cleanup
Crawl space cleaned of debris. Previous owner had filled with old junk such as broken bicycles, TVs, signs, etc.

14. Yard
Yard cleaned of debris and overgrown plants. Ivy removed including root network to a six-inch depth.

15. Stucco Wall
Stucco wall added along the back edge of backyard.

Here's a Full Color Flyer (1.1 MB), neighborhood information (921K) a home inspection (132 K)and a set of disclosure documents (6.5 MB) for you in Adobe Acrobat Format. Please use this link to email ira@berkeleyhomes.com after you download the file so we can keep you informed of any changes in the reports and also the offer status.

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Ira & Carol Serkes

MLS: 02011379 Cross Streets: Woodmont/Sunset; Map: 609H4
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