Sunset District Home With Lovely Garden Asks for $1.189M

With an arch over the front window, dark trim, and flowering vines ringing the garage, the house at 1351 10th Ave. presents an appealing facade. Those vines hint at what's in back: A truly handsome garden. The listing calls it a "deep" yard. What it is is a typical San Francisco lot: long and narrow. But clearly this home belongs to someone who knows how to work a garden trowel, and that person turned what could have been mundane into something noteworthy.

In truth, the owner could have hired it done and never set foot in the garden. But with touches like a large concrete outdoor sink and a long potting table, we like to think it belongs to someone who loved and cared for their yard, filling it with brightly colored mums, tasteful art on the long wooden fence, and raised beds whose placement makes the space nuanced and interesting.

Inside, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has hung onto some charming vintage details. Fittingly, the corner fireplace and crown molding are decorated with floral and garland motifs. The entry is covered with a peaked arch, and that architectural move is carried throughout the house in passageways. Some vintage hardware and lighting appears to be untouched. However this isn't a home stuck in the past; the kitchen, for example, appears to have been recently remodeled. The listing hints at future renovation potential, noting that a bonus lower level "offers room to expand." Since the home has 1,152 square feet, that possibility, if real, would be an attractive option to some buyers.

· 1351 10th Ave. [Curbed SF]