A San Francisco software developer paid $3.55 million for one of the city's iconic Painted Ladies homes that's a 'fixer-upper.' Now she's embarking on an estimated $3 million renovation process.
Culver told Business Insider that she toured her new home for the first time at an open house, which she said was "super crowded."
But then she saw the views of downtown, Alamo Square, and the Golden Gate Bridge that the home offers and fell in love with the place.
The home has 2,588 square feet of living space across three stories, as well as a garage.
Source: Coldwell Banker
It's also a "fixer-upper," a status Culver admits is "very intimidating," in some ways.
It requires a full-house renovation. The plumbing and electrical systems need updating, the kitchens (there are two of them) and the bathrooms need remodeling, and a good, thorough cleaning wouldn't hurt either.
Source: Business Insider
As facade preservation is a high priority in San Francisco, the exterior of the home will remain the same, though Culver said she'll probably have the paint job redone most likely with a shade of pink.
"The goal is to have it fit nicely with the homes on the road," Culver said.
Luckily for her, she doesn't have to do too much of the work — she's hired a local project manager for that.
Culver said the first step for him is to set up an interview process to hire an architect for the project. The home's dimensions, square footage, and elevation need to be taken, and a land surveyor needs to be brought in.
And then there are also the "normal and boring" parts, like getting homeowner's insurance, Culver said.
Once the architect is chosen, they will come up with potential designs for the interior of the home, which they'll review with Culver.
Then it goes to the San Francisco Planning Department for approval, a step that is notoriously lengthy in the city. Only once the design plans are approved can construction actually start. That may not happen for another six to 12 months.
"I'm not going to go knock down walls tomorrow," Culver said.
But even when that time comes, Culver said she's going to do as much as she can to preserve the character of the home.
Some of the city's beloved Victorians have been stripped of their character as their new owners "gray-wash" the structures into sterilized, modern abodes, as The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Source: Pink Painted Lady/Twitter
There are intricate details — like in the newel posts, ceilings, crown molding, antique fireplaces — that are priceless nods to the home's history and role in the city's signature architecture.
The home also comes with two trios of those beautiful bay windows the city's homes are known for.
But there are some aspects of the interior that she'll have to tweak.
For example, there are details that were added mid-century, long before Culver bought it, like unnecessary walls.
In the 1960s, the single-family home was split into two units. The entryway was made into a common space, with the main floor serving as one unit and the top two floors serving as another.
Source: Business Insider
That's why there are two kitchens that come with the home.
Since there was some work done in the 1960s, Culver said it's difficult to pinpoint when each design element was added.
"Part of this is like this discovery process," she said. "Like, when was this part built?"
Depending on what the city approves for them to do, Culver could lease out one of the units eventually, merely keep it as an in-law suite, or simply have the entirety of the home to herself. But she said since she does intend to live there, it's unlikely that she'd rent out one of the units.
The process is a time and energy-intensive one, but having someone to spearhead the project for her is a big help, she said.
"For me, it meant the world, because I just don't have time," Culver said.
She serves as co-founder and CTO of a podcast app company called Breaker.
She's also an angel investor.
Source: Leah Culver
With this new side hobby, she also intends to document the process on social media.
She said she wants to capture the bulk of each part of the project. The documentation is something she's even factoring into her hiring decision for the renovation team: they have to be open to being photographed and published on social media.
Accounts on Twitter and Instagram have already been made for viewers to follow along. Named "Pink Painted Lady," the accounts collectively have 11,000 followers.
"I'm not wanting to become a social media influencer or anything like that," she said. "I just think it's exciting."
She said she realizes that documenting her home renovation also provides a direct line for criticism of her process working on one of San Francisco's historic homes.
"I don't know that everyone will approve of the decision not to make some choices, and I get some pushback from people in the audience, but we'll see," Culver said.
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