Sky House

A San Francisco couple with two elementary school girls aimed to relocate from Noe Valley to San Francisco’s scenic Pacific Heights neighborhood in search of more space for their active family. An existing two-unit building stood out immediately – a quintessentially San Franciscan 180-degree view from the roof deck inspired the direction of our studio’s renovation and the client’s modernized vision. Creatively reorganizing public and private spaces, Sky House invites bay views and natural light into the fully remodeled interior.

The renovation offers a creative fix to a lack of natural light in the vertically oriented, stacked upper unit. A reimagined central staircase allows sunlight to connect multiple floors through a generous skylight, cascading down a carefully detailed screened guardrail. This central stair thoughtfully unifies the lower living spaces and the upper entertaining areas, adding a focal point to previously disjointed levels. The third floor hosts the primary suite overlooking the city skyline, with children’s bedrooms clustered around a communal family room. On the fourth floor, an open plan living room, dining room, and kitchen overlook the bay; sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors open completely onto a transparent guard rail creating an indoor/outdoor space. Perched on the top level, an indoor lounge flows seamlessly onto a scenic roof deck with a wet bar fit for entertaining. The building’s lower rental unit thoughtfully occupies the first two floors of the home, connecting to a rear yard reimagined by Studio Mala.

The refreshed façade hints at a modern interior; wood banding and asymmetrical glazing juxtapose the traditional roof form, maintained from the existing structure. The home is all electric with a solar array and battery backup system – our team worked closely with Positive Energy to carefully track, monitor, and improve upon water and energy usage, focusing on resiliency and efficiency.