Backstory

Marin Home

FROM TOURS AND MAKEOVERS TO DECORATIVE DETAILS AND REALTOR INSIGHTS

GOING WEST

After a false start in Berkeley, a move to San Rafael checks off all the items on the wish list.

BY DAWN MARGOLIS DENBERG • PHOTOS BY TIM PORTER

The dining room table and chairs by Century were custom finished to suit the space.

JESSICA OZBERKER LOVED her Oliver Rousseau–designed Pacifi Heights home. But cold summers, parking hassles and inadequate outdoor space for her young daughter had her contemplating a lifestyle change. She thought she’d found what she’d been looking for in the East Bay and went into contract on a hillside home in Berkeley. Then, during the inspection period, the deal fell apart.

Trying for a fresh perspective, she switched realtors, turning to Nick Cooper of Pacific Union. He helped her synthesize her wish list. “I’d seen a couple places in Marin previously, but none felt right,” Ozberker says. But Cooper suspected she’d been looking in the wrong neighborhoods. “Based on everything you’re telling me, I think San Rafael is where you’d want to be,” he said.

From there it took a single showing to find “the one.” Alas, the home’s resort-like vibe — it has more than an acre of land with a pool, a hot tub, and access to the outdoors from almost every room — had other buyers clamoring. With offers due the following week, Ozberker pushed ahead with ordering inspections and hiring a structural engineer to assess known foundation issues. She knew she’d have an edge on the competition that way.

“In the end, there were three offers on the house,” she says, but her strong, clean offer prevailed. Before moving in, she hired a contractor to correct a number of the home’s structural deficiencies, and — while they were at it — perform extensive cosmetic and functional upgrades.

“We didn’t move walls or pipes,” she says, “but I changed out a lot of the finishes to be more to my taste.” For decision-making help, she tapped interior designer Jill Durst, of Culbertson Durst Interiors in Danville. Together they pored over tile and fabric samples and took field trips to view plumbing fixtures and stone.

The big interior changes included gutting three of the four bathrooms and a laundry room and redesigning the two gas fireplaces: the one in the living room now has a sleek concrete veneer, and the bedroom unit is anchored by a dolomite surround. “It’s probably my favorite feature in the house,” Ozberker says. They gave the powder room just a minor facelift — replacing the old toilet, adding whimsical wallpaper.

Outside, new concrete steps improve access to the expansive front yard, and an added second deck now overlooks the pool. “It’s the best place to view Tam on the entire property,” Ozberker says. “I also put in an outdoor shower so people could rinse off fter using the pool.”

About the move to suburban living, she has no regrets: “My daughter loves the freedom of being able to just open the door and run around outside. I love that I can easily get to downtown San Rafael, which has an urban feel without the hassle of urban living.” m

Opposite page: All new furnishings and fireplace surround. This page, clockwise from top: A seat on the new deck is the ideal spot to take in views of Mount Tam; the master tub; new pendant lights in the kitchen; Jessica and her daughter; the new fireplace makes the master suite a great hangout. THE DETAILS

WHERE SHE PURCHASED The Country Club neighborhood in San Rafael WHAT SHE BOUGHT 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath split-level home LISTING AGENTS Christine Christiansen, Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty SELLING AGENT Nick Cooper, Pacific Union International THE STATS Price per square foot for similar homes in the neighborhood: $750

Mountain High

This development is the ticket for those who love Tahoe, but hate the traffic. BY JIM WOOD

IMAGINE TAHOE WITH no one on the road but you and your (pick one) sweetie, buddy or pooch. That’s how it will feel as you climb up Highway 50 toward Carson City with the lake and its incessant traffic in your rearview mirror.

Your destination is Clear Creek Tahoe in Nevada, in the heart of picturesque ponderosa country. Clear Creek is an emerging, master-planned golf resort encompassing nearly 1,600 acres, more than half of them protected in a conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy.

Once you reach that land you’ll find nothing — as far as the eyes can see — but stately Jeffrey pines, dramatic rock outcroppings and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Yet Carson City is just over the hill, Lake Tahoe is about 10 miles away, and South Lake Tahoe and Incline Village are less than 20 miles away.

But truth be told, once you arrive at Clear Creek, there’s not much reason to leave. Even now, in its early stages, it’s got a nifty pro shop, a friendly grill and pub and a spectacular 18-hole private golf course by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, the only private golf experience west of the Rocky Mountains designed by this respected team.

Eventually, Clear Creek will have 384 residences that reflect the character of the Tahoe/Sierra Nevada mountain experience. At present, phase one is offering 121 lots ranging in size from just over half an acre to a tad under five acres at prices from about $350,000 to $1,750,000. Several have already sold. The community also has a group of 56 cottage home sites on the market that range from one-third acre to just over an acre priced from $225,000 to $395,000.

In the near future, set on a rise in the heart of the Clear Creek community will be a Family Campus, featuring pools, tennis and sports courts and a base camp for summer hiking and trail riding. Also, well along in planning is a nearby wellness facility including a saline lap pool, fitness equipment and luxurious spa. By late 2019, Clear Creek’s golf clubhouse will be a fait accompli overlooking the 18th fairway.

“But Tahoe is about skiing, so show me the slopes,” you’re thinking. Not to worry, Clear Creek has that covered. All property owners have access to Twin Pines, a historic Julia Morgan–designed lake house in South Lake Tahoe that’s a mere four blocks from the Heavenly gondola. There’s even a shuttle should weather turn nasty. Plus, with 180 feet fronting the lake and a long pier and buoy, Twin Pines is a popular summer destination for boating, swimming and sunning.

Speaking of sunning, Clear Creek’s 5,700-foot elevation sees an average of 320 sunny days a year. The high in August is 83 degrees; in January it’s a mild 45. And, most important, nearby traffic does not exist; you are practically all by yourself. There is a feeling of serenity, comfort and security. Meanwhile, the Reno-Tahoe International Airport is but 45 minutes away. clearcreektahoe.com m