$8.6M Pac Heights Co-Op Is Basically One Giant Tin-Foil Hat

When unit 4 at 2170 Jackson Street last changed hands back in 2007, its price was just $2.7 million. However, the dated co-op needed a complete overhaul at the time thanks to interiors that looked like they hadn't been touched since the 1970s. The property got a down-to-the-studs renovation but retained a definite air of stuffiness. It also added one unusual feature. In an effort to block electric and magnetic fields (EMF)—radiation released by devices like cell phones, wireless routers, and GPS devices—the apartment's guts have been thickly coated in semiconductive graphite paint, essentially swathing all 3,428 square feet in the brush-on equivalent of aluminum foil. The electromagnetically fortified home is now back on the market asking $8.6 million.

According to the account on this property website, after the graphite paint went down, the apartment's conductive envelope was extended by connecting each floor with wire tape to each wall. Then each wall was connected with wire strips to the ceiling, and every window was coated with a film of EMF-blocking polymer. The idea of this elaborate rig—known as a Faraday cage—is basically to block the energy from electric fields by channeling it all around the apartment, but not through it.

The co-op takes up a full floor and comes with three bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and one spot in the garage. It's hard to tell whether or not the bones of the interior are nice, because they're currently stuffed with drapery, clashing patterns, and way too many fluffy rugs for our liking. One bedroom is white and frilly, while another is bright red. There are stunning views out across the Marina to the bay. Because this is a co-op building, prospective buyers must go through an interview and get approval from the co-op board, but apparently fear of electricity is not enough to disqualify a wannabe resident.

· 2170 Jackson Street [Alain Pinel Realtors]
· Electric & Magnetic Fields [National Institutes of Health]