Holiday time in the San Francisco microclimates

Poinsettia! Full grown! In the Mission! 

The cheerful resident said its been here at least 20 years.

Yes, those red "petals" are actually "bracts", the little yellow things are the flowers. 

You can use that little fact to impress people at your holiday gathering, tell them you got it from your microclimate nerd realtor.  Ooh, and here's a cool microclimate weather forecast, (whole Bay Area) and here's that great app (SF only) to help you dress in the morning.

And then there's these guys...

Prickly pear and Bougainvillea. 

And on the west side of town, where these things will not grow...

Times are not easy and there is much suffering in the world. In lieu of more news about bidding battles I offer a little San Francisco Beauty as a tonic and as nutrition...  with my wishes for blessed holidays for all.

Atriums, Center Patios, Courtyards

Been a little busy lately. With really cool properties. Two of which have indoor patios.

Back in the day when I was first raving about aspect and light from different exposures, here, and here, I did not factor the light bringing power of the the atrium. Not to mention the gardening possibilities! Two of those shrubs, in the photo above of a recently sold Terra Linda atrium, are flourishing gardenias!

 

In the close confines of the city, an atrium or patio is a fabulous way to have private outdoor space, and bring light into the heart of the living space, even with close neighbors on both sides. Here's a fun link to city floor plans built between 1920 and 1950, the "center patio" is still a favorite today. 

I love these traditional courtyards of stone. 

My Igloo!

                              

and Houuzz.com has lots more images of beautiful more modern atrium loveliness.

Daily Delight NY Zoning MESH Architects

Wishing you all a flourishing, light filled Fourth!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Why Winter is a Great Time to Look at Property Part 2


Yes yes, I know this is nothing compared to so many snow covered "real winter" places. My favorite Christmas card came from beloveds at Denali National Park in Alaska who say that the "only lights they see right now are the aurora borealis kind."  Sounds so magical, but brrrrr! Good thing they are snow people.

Still, within our own range of expected temperatures, it is cold right now, so naturally my thoughts turn to microclimate. Let us review what makes a home location colder or warmer within the range we expect here in the San Francisco Bay Area. We all know this intuitively somewhat, but I love to spell it out because I am a microclimate real estate nerd.

Wikipedia

Elevation: Cold air sinks. Besides being blocked from the sun by the surrounding hills, bottoms of valleys are where the cold air sits, and they are the first to frost. Large buildings can also act as hills creating canyon light and weather regimes.

Aspect: the direction the land faces determines how much light/heat it gets throughout the day, depending on the time of year.

Proximity to large bodies of water:  The ocean and San Francisco Bay have a moderating effect on the temperature. Closer to them it does not get as hot or as cold as it does farther away.

If you seek a frosty location for say, peony growing, a valley blocked from the immediate maritime influence might suit you. In that case you'll ideally want to be on the south facing slope, in a solid house with a thrifty furnace. Wherever you choose to live, there will be microclimate variables. If you want to grow things, you'll factor in the climate needs for your priority plants. If you're not a plant person, you'll still want to contemplate your personal warmth and light and wind (or lack thereof) preferences.

NBC Bay Area Weather

So again I say, it's a great time of year to be sussing out locations. No need to intellectualize it, your body will understand individual microclimates just fine.

Microclimate - Outer Richmond

cocoi_m's photo stream

As promised, "microclimate by real estate zone" posts hereby begin. Here is the real estate zone map, via the Zephyr site, where you can see that Zone 1E is the in the far northwest corner of the city, extending west of 32nd Avenue out to Ocean Beach. It is surrounded by parks (GGNRA's Lands End to the north, and Golden Gate Park to the south) and ocean on three sides. 1E is one of the coolest parts of the city, temperature-wise, with fog often moving in from the beach, and pouring in the Golden Gate.

SFGate

The spring winds from the northwest hit this area first, and sometimes with the most force, because the wind accelerates when it finds the gap of the Gate, so both the north coast and Ocean Beach sides get plenty of wind. The new Lands End Lookout is brilliantly oriented with its back to the wind, which creates a wonderfully sheltered outdoor space in the lee of the building, and on days like today you can enjoy the awesome views from your cozy spot inside.

SFVA

There are some areas that are more sheltered than others, such as the coveted blocks of Sutro Heights, near Sutro Heights Park (below) on the south facing hillside below the far west end of Geary. Washington High School is at the top of the other large hill in the district, there are some warmer pockets east and south of there, and on each block there are more or less sheltered areas. Here is the Kelly's Cove weather station, for your use, should you be sweating in the Mission and thinking about the beach. Today's 33 mph winds probably nixed that idea. Kite surfers were happy though.

Poetic Shutterbug

If you are a heat lover, you may not be happy in the Outer Richmond. If you like it cool and fresh and quiet, with seagull sounds and salty air, and appreciate good food and a fun theater, 1E is for you. If you are park and ocean minded, you will love it. Many winter days are lovely, with sparkling clear skies, and less wind than in the spring. In the summer, the fog and sun dance can be very entertaining, and the fall, well, it's pretty heavenly.

Microclimates and Real Estate Districts

 
People often ask me about the weather in specific areas, so it seems maybe time to start posting about microclimate by real estate zone. Of course, micro climate can be very micro so there will be multiple microclimates in each zone, depending on slope, aspect etc., but some generalizations can be made.

OCSC Sailing School

There are various apps, for Android, and now for iPhone, which draw from the wonderful Weather Underground  weather station data, which can give you more or less present time data on weather in different locations. I love the accuracy of this data- I had an open house out at Ocean Beach on an extremely windy Sunday a while back- the swell was up and there were a bunch of kite surfers out. My weather reports kept saying 10 mph winds, but I was freezing in the foyer and watching the kites rip around and that just did not compute. I finally dug into the Weather Underground app or the weather stations, and sure enough, the Outer Richmond station reported 25-35 mph, with gusts to 45, which made me feel a lot less crazy. 

SanFranciscoWeather

So, you can use Weather Underground weather station data, on your phone or computer, to compare the weather in different zones. As discussed ad nauseum, there are generalities- east is warmer then west, south facing is warmer than north etc.

Acme.com

Notice, above, the three different weather forecasts for inland, bay and coast? If you don't like the weather, you don't have to go very far. Since your home can't move though, it's good to choose a climate you prefer when you are making a purchase. In the next post I will begin to make my way across the real estate maps of the city and Marin and blather on about climate, parks and open space, walkability and the like for each zone or town. In the meantime, here's the "super scientific" (not, but close enough) map from heyneighborhood.blogspot.com for San Francisco, and a cool little write up on Marin microclimates here.

Personal Microclimate

I visited some friends today who live in a beautiful east/west running valley in West Marin. It was wonderful to be with people as attuned to (obsessed with?) microclimate as I am. Being in a valley, they are very attuned to their location, and how it affects how much sun they get at this time of year. Their property is on the south facing slope, a few hundred feet up from the creek, and because of the direction the valley runs, they are largely spared the prevailing (cold) NW wind. Their neighbors a few houses down at a lower elevation get much less sun and are more prone to frost, since the cold air flows down the valley.

Beyond the overall issue of warmth and energy use, microclimate preference is a somewhat personal thing. If you like being an early riser you'll like an eastern exposure, especially for bedroom and kitchen. If you are a later sleeper, and/or like your home flooded with light during cocktail hour, you may prefer a western exposure. If you like to cook using herbs and vegies from your garden, you will love a walk out terrace or garden to the south, and if you are an artist and like the cooler, more consistent light from the north, you'll like your studio facing that way. If you are particularly sensitive to cold you'll want a southwest exposure.

Cats have this microclimate thing DOWN

In the city, a full floor flat would be lovely, so light from all directions would fill your home at different times throughout the day. In a single family home you'd need to be on flat terrain, or the top of a hill to be exposed to all the directions. Of course, other buildings and trees can also act like hillsides and block your sun exposure.

Armaclad Windows

Now's the time, I say again, to go look at the neighborhoods you are considering, at say, before 10 and after 2, and see where the sun is. There's not much that is sadder than finding out you live in a shadow 6 months out of the year, AFTER escrow has closed, the movers have driven off and the kids have started school.

Stormy Weather and Real Estate

The leading edge of storms come from the south here at the golden gate. So, while your south facing terrace is a boon in terms of warmth and light, you may have south facing windows or doors suddenly blown open when the storm hits. No worries as long as your doors, siding and windows are in good shape. They will take the brunt of sun and rain and storm wind over time though, so good maintenance is key to the integrity of your building.

wunderground.com/

When looking at property, south facing windows, doors and walls merit close inspection by your contractor and pest inspector. Sun bakes this side of the house (when it's not foggy) and weakens it over time, and then wind driven rain can work its way into buildings, causing "dry" rot and deterioration of the structure. 


When it comes to buildings and moisture, "a stitch in time, saves nine". A little scraping, caulking and painting can save you big money by preventing moisture from breaching the exterior. Consistent yearly maintenance, and if necessary, upgrading of windows and doors is good investment for the future of the building. 

Whole Building Design Guide

It's not too late for window maintenance, or to make sure your gutters are clean and flush with the roof, but work that opens up the exterior siding is best done next dry season.  Smart homeowners who want to upgrade their windows will do it well before winter storms (plan now, for next summer!) since often there is hidden water damage under the siding (or stucco), which can be a big can of worms. More moisture from rain is the opposite of what the building needs.