According to the U.S. Green Building Council, there are just 14 homes certified LEED Platinum (the highest sustainability rating) in San Francisco. One of them is the home at 4443 19th Street. The house is very modern, especially in a part of the Castro known for Victorian cottages. But don't think the owner demolished a vintage home to build this house, the existing home was preserved. We'll tell you how in a bit.
The new house was designed by architect David Marlatt of DNM Architects with interior design by Doyle McCullar. It was built in 2014 for a person the listing describes as a "technology executive." He or she must have be into living green and modernism.
At the front of the house, a section angles out in order to focus on city views. In the rear, expanses of the home are covered with industrial polycarbonate panels that provide shade without blocking the light and privacy from the guesthouse in the backyard. An open-tread stairwell runs behind it.
Interesting thing about that guesthouse: It's the original Victorian house on the lot. Its form and shingle siding has been preserved, but it has been given a modern-day entry as well as a crown of solar panels.
Another notable feature is the roof deck on top (directly over the master suite). The unobstructed view is panoramic, to say the least. It allows occupants to see rows of Victorians and the cranes marking new high rise construction; the past and the future all at once, just like this property.
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