Grizzly Peak - Custom Single Family Home

    This home high in the Berkeley hills was built for a local client as a speculative investment. The site was a very, very steep double width lot. Prior to this the lot had been considered  unbuildable because of the steepness and soils conditions. Like many of our completed projects I regret not having taken more pictures during the course of construction and of the finished product prior to occupancy. This one is no exception. I have few pictures during construction, and none of the finished product.

    In a typical hillside foundation pier holes are drilled at all supporting foundation locations. These are usually 18-20" in diameter and 18-24 feet deep. These piers are reinforced with a rebar cage consisting, again typically, of 6-8  5/8" vertical bars. Above grade these bars are bent horizontal and are tied to horizontal rebar cages consisting, typically, of 6-8 more 5/8" reinforcing bars. Because of the extremely high loads involved the pier holes for this foundation were 28" in diameter and, on average, 30 feet deep. The vertical reinforcing was heavy "I" beams with welded moment connections above grade. The horizontal reinforcing cages contained 8-12  1-1/4" reinforcing bars.

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The View

Located high in the Berkeley hills the owner enjoys a view that starts with the city of Berkeley in the foreground and continues right out the Golden Gate Bridge.

Foundation

The form boards are 2 X 12's. Note the height of the foundation section just to the right of center, about 12' over a distance of not much greater than 12 horizontally.

Foundations

These were taken a day after the foundation pour so it's clear that the formwork held up.

Foundations

Seen from above the foundatoin is no less steep.

Foundations

The effort that went into just the formwork was greater than required for the construction of complete houses.

Foundations

Complicating this foundation was the fact that there were many angular walls.

Foundations

Another view of the difficult work.

Framing Going Up

The building site was high enough in the hills that on many mornings the early arriving crew was treated to a view of a sea of fog covering the cities and bay below. The hill tops in the distance are the San Francisco penninsula.

Fog Below

Another early morning view of the sea of fog. This time the hilltop is Mount Tamalpias in Marin County.

Framing

Framing going up.

Framing

Front Elevation

The front elevation of this home is only two stories high and is very deceptive as to the total size of the building.

Rear Elevation

The exterior redwood siding and trim is being installed.

Rear Elevation Height

From the rear the building is roughly five stories high. This is a very big home!