Zoned historic residential/commercial, this home with a detached studio (the 3rd bedroom) is 5 blocks from university, 7 blocks from historic downtown, and near hiking trails on Boston Hill. The home is surrounded by a garden of fruit trees, grape vines, herbs, and flowers with various places to enjoy the abundance of birdlife throughout the year. All plantings are drought-resistant, and the garden is easy-care. Inside, the house is stunning with a natural plaster sculptural treatment (more below) on walls, doors, and window frames with sconces and recessed lighting. Besides central gas heat, the home has been renovated for passive solar gain (the natural plaster "thermal mass" is part of the passive solar design), so that the home stays cooler in summer and warmer in winter, lowering utility bills. The home is 5 blocks from the university, 7 blocks from downtown, on a street with light traffic.The house, formerly a store, sits on a concrete slab and was built like a bunker, with 14" poured concrete on the north, and concrete blocks on the other three sides, all wrapped with insulation and wood siding. A 50-year-warranty steel roof was installed in 2006. For those with chemical sensitivities, this house has been a chemical-free zone for 10 years. Two bedrooms in the house (9x11+, 10x12) have 100% all-natural wool carpet, and all rooms were painted with non-toxic paints. Rustic wood ceilings in the bedrooms add natural cozy effect. The larger bedroom has a 9' long closet, and the smaller room a 5' closet. The smaller bedroom has two windows, one looking into the sunroom and beyond to the garden; and the larger bedroom has a larger window with window seat which looks onto the shady hillside behind the house. Most remarkable about the house (why it may well become a historic home one day) is the stunning natural plaster sculpture created by the owner and California natural plaster artist and engineer, Gavio. Sculptures on the walls include two dramatic trees, one floor to ceiling in the living room, the other with a "full moon" light behind a branch in the second bedroom. Delightful touches such as cat's paws adorn one built-in bookcase. The second bedroom in the house remains unfinished, awaiting the new owners's creative touch. The current owner will offer consulting or references for guidance in completing this room. The living room has two "solar tubes," 6 sconces, recessed lighting, and an excellent small fireplace (Answer brand, Lopi model) with a straight stovepipe (easiest for cleaning). The fireplace sits on a brick hearth with a natural plaster-finished banco (bench) and firewood bin beside - all part of the natural sculpture, with a gnarled tree root coat rack built in. Window blinds are quality wood. Floor tile, laid in an attractive but subtle diagonal pattern, is porcelain. The 14x14 kitchen has 32 drawers and cabinets, with two views into the garden, with grape vines, cherry tree, and view of Boston Hill most prominent. The kitchen walks out to a covered patio surrounded by a curved "hill cut" fashioned with stone terraces at its base, with fruit trees herbs, flowers, fountain, and space to intersperse a few vegetables. The full bathroom has two small windows and a skylight, and if a buyer needed a second bathroom, this one could be turned into one and a half baths, with the half-bath entered from the living room. The sunroom helps heat the home in winter when the sun is naturally low in the south, but stays in shade under the eaves when the summer sun is naturally high in the sky. The winter heat gain has been calculated in BTU's worth $50/month. The room also functions, of course, as a front entryway and sitting room looking onto the garden. Because the room is connected to the thermal mass of the home's construction, the thermal mass absorbs much of the room's heat, and keeps the room pleasant to use year-round.The detached studio is 11 x 20 frame construction with corrugated steel roof. Interior is framed insi
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