Beautifully & Thoughtfully Updated, Wonderfully Convenient!

Stylish updates plus energy-efficient upgrades in this convenient Piedmont Avenue Home

Nestled on a tree-line street in the desirable Piedmont Avenue area of Oakland you’ll find 264 Mather Street. With a WalkScore® of 95, it's truly a Walker's Paradise, within a half mile of Temescal and all the trendy restaurants and shops. Or head a bit further north to Rockridge, and the abundance of interesting amenities that neighborhood is known for.

Built in the mid-1920’s, this handsome 4+ bedroom, 3 bath home has been tastefully updated, and made significantly more energy efficient with recent smart upgrades.  It has elegant period details intact, including coved ceilngs, a built-in buffet in the dining room, detail strips in the oak hardwood floors and charming multi-paneled doors. The current owners also made important structural upgrades from the roof to the foundation. And they made both practical and stylish improvements with the addition of stone pavers to the two patio areas, making them true outdoor living spaces, and great for entertaining! The addition of an exterior door to the lower level bedroom makes it ideal as a professional office, or guest suite.

This is a wonderfully convenient home, with proximity to great amenities not only on nearby Piedmont Avenue but also in Temescal, with Rockridge not far away. Claremont Country Club is nearby, and The Ridge is very convenient for groceries and various restaurants. Blue Bottle coffee is just down the block. This is East Bay living at its best!

This home offers especially easy access with no stairs to the front door. Through a handsome original door you are welcomed into a formal entry, leading to the open and bright living and dining rooms. Light streams through spacious windows on two sides. These owners added a practical built-in for coats, or shoes, or whatever needs storing! A stone mosiac fireplace in the living room features a recently-added efficient gas insert. A large picture window in the spacious dining room gives a view of the larger of two private fenced patios. These patios, recently upgraded with handsome pavers, are true outdoor living spaces.

The kitchen was remodeled with state-of-the-art appliances, including a Wolfe range, a handsome hood, and a Miele dishwasher, unique for offering a removal cutlery rack. Walls are lined with dramatic and popular tilework. There are copious cabinets, and a sitdown prep area, or a great place to talk with whomever is cooking! The kitchen opens to the second private patio, perfect for al fresco dining. 

Upstairs you’ll find a primary suite with a generous walk-in closet and bright updated bathroom with clawfoot tub. Two addtional comfortable bedrooms share a bathroom with spacious shower. A bonus room offers both an ideal location for laundry, and a space for working out or an office space for working with Zoom!

In each of these bedrooms you’ll find a wonderful energy efficient upgrade that these owners made: there are heat pump mini-splits in each room, providing quiet heat in the cooler times, and air conditioning for our increasingly common hot days. They also outfitted the hallway with a whole-house fan which they used regularly for improved air quality.

The low-maintenance garden is planted with a combination of succulents, and perennials on a drip system.

There’s parking for four cars in the driveway, and the entire property is securely fenced. What’s not visible but very valuable are recent structural upgrades, including substantial earthquake retrofitting, and a new silicon coating on the roof.

You can wander down the street to local favorite Blue Bottle Coffee. This home is also very near Oakland Technical High School, which was advantageous for these owners. 

For practical shopping there’s the nearby Ridge shopping center. including various restaurants and services, and a large Safeway store complete with a Starbucks! This wonderfully convenient location is well-placed near the popular shops of Piedmont Avenue, including the Landmark Cinema and the ever-popular Fenton’s Creamery. Or, head west to trendy Temescal and within a mile you have access to the MacArthur BART station. In any direction there are great options from this remarkably convenient location!

FEATURES:

Period details in the living & dining rooms:

• Coved ceilings
• Detail mouldings in the handsome oak floors
• Multi-paneled original doors here, and throughout the home
• Stone mosaic fireplace, now with gas insert
 

Tasteful updates:

• Impressive kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances, copious cabinets, quartz counters and elegant tiles
• Three updated full bathrooms, two with showers and the primary with claw-foot tub
• Two patios upgraded with stone pavers with easy access for outdoor living

Energy-efficient upgrades made by this owner:

• Heat pump mini-splits in all upstairs bedrooms providing efficient heating and air conditioning
• Whole house fan installed in upstairs ceiling
• Gas insert installed in living room fireplace
 

Structural upgrades made by this owner:

• Substantial earthquake retrofitting engineered and installed by well-respected local experts Monte Stott and Jim Duval
• Roof improvements with two coats of silicon throughout
• Sidewalk compliant 
• Seller willing to make sewer lateral compliant before close of escrow

Home occupies 2090 square feet, according to recent drawings.

Lot occupies 2663 square feet, according to public records.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about 264 Mather Street

What changes did the owner make since their purchase in March 2020?

All upgrades made in 2020 except where noted:

Substantial earthquake retrofitting installed and foundation repairs made. Dry rot that had been found behind stucco also repaired. Monte Stott was the engineer, and James Duval the contractor, two highly-regarded local experts.

Energy-efficient upgrades made:

• Whole house fan installed in the upstairs attic
• Heat pump installed outside with mini splits installed in each upstairs bedroom, providing both efficient heat and air conditioning to those rooms
• Living room fireplace converted to gas with insert (2021)
 

Roof repairs made: owners caulked, had the existing bitumen roof patched, and a two-coat silicon roof installed over the bitumen roof

 Laundry closet converted to laundry room with office and/or work-out space

 Exterior access added from ground floor office/bedroom, making this ideal as a professional office, or a guest suite

 Both patios were upgraded with pavers, creating true outdoor rooms

 Sidewalk repair made, bringing the property into compliance with the City of Oakland ordinance

 Automatic gas shut-off valve installed

 Removal of second kitchen sink, and installation of counter seating in kitchen

 Security system upgraded

 These improvements were made at a cost in excess of $100K.

What is the current pest report amount?

Dry rot was found in some of the older windows totalling $6045, and there were miscellaneous areas of rot in a subfloor on the ground floor, and in cellulous debris totalling $1440, for a total Section 1 of $7485.

What is the status of compliance items?

The seller has brought the property into compliance with the sidewalk ordinance.

This property was compliant for the sewer lateral when purchased in 2020. However, a recent inspection revealed the need for some additional work. A bid for $4450 is now included in the disclosures. Seller is willing to bring the property into compliance, or credit that amount, with an appropriate offer.

This is a remarkably convenient location with a 95 WalkScore®, near Piedmont Ave, Temescal AND Rockridge! From 264 Mather Street you can wander down the street to a local favorite: Blue Bottle Coffee. This home is also very near Oakland Technical Highschool, which was an advantage for these owners. On Piedmont Avenue itself you'll find a variety of restaurants, individual shops and many services. You are near the popular Landmark Cinema and the ever-popular Fenton’s Creamery, as well as Piedmont Grocery, 

For practical shopping there’s the nearby Ridge shopping center, including several restaurants and services, and a large Safeway store complete with a Starbucks! Or, head west and within half a mile you reach trendy Temescal, and within a mile you have access to the MacArthur BART station. Head north and soon your are in Rockridge and an abundance of restaurants, cafés and shopping of all descriptions. In any direction there are great options from this remarkably convenient location!