Video: Custom Home Tour

“In a project like this, the biggest challenge is bringing light into the interior,” says architect Cary Bernstein of Hill House, a 1,800-square-foot remodel in San Francisco’s Glen Park, a village-like neighborhood on the south end of the city. In this case, Bernstein had more to work with than many other of the urban remodels she has done in more than 20 years of practice. This lot was a full 40 feet wide, rather than the 25-foot-wide lot common to the area. An extra 15 feet allowed her to design in light on all four sides, “stretching” the façade to integrate a stairwell into the interior space. That space allowed for side gardens, too, that lead to a landscaped backyard. “They’re very nice gestures to the neighbors,” she says of the side gardens, not to mention that they add privacy and bring the outside in. For a deeper look at how Bernstein got big results out of a small footprint, come take a video tour of Hill House.