Sausalito Contemporary-style tree house delivers prime locale, renovated interior

Ten years ago, Christa Hertzka of Alain Pinel Realtors sold a home in Sausalito to Michelle Verloop and her husband, Robert Ahearn.

The couple immediately fell in love with their four-bedroom, three-bathroom home and decided it was a place where they would grow and mature as a family.

"We definitely bought the home knowing we had plans for it. What sold us on it was that it had a wide footprint," Verloop said about the home, located at 77 Toyon Lane.

Verloop said they enjoyed the uniqueness of the home, but eventually they wanted to add their own touch. So a few years after the couple settled in, they planned a basic remodeling.

At first, Verloop concentrated on the bedrooms, but the project slowly took over the entire house.

"We started with one room, then dedicated to go with everything," she recalled. "I didn't intend to go as far as we did. We wanted to go with the deck, kitchen and bathroom, but we ended up doing the entire house. We did it in one go."

One particular area where Verloop wanted to make an immediate change was the deck.

"Between what was a separate studio room and dining room, there was a deck," she said. "You walked out of the deck and into a separate studio room that we didn't really use."

The couple had decided to enclose the deck to bring more attention to the studio room, thereby gaining a considerable amount of space that went beyond the property's footprint.

"We put big, 8-foot glass sliding doors on each side of that room and built a deck to the front and the back," Verloop said. "Actually, in the front deck, we didn't take the trees out; so that they go through the deck."

Verloop said they also gained more living space in other areas, such as the backyard, which has a stair pathway through a series of landscaped retaining walls. The property includes views of great scenery like Mount Tamalpais, Angel Island and boats setting sail across the bay.

"Behind our house, the backyard is dipped full of California coastal oaks and ivy - a wild but beautiful green look. A lot of the houses in Sausalito that are built on a hill have no perspective behind the house. You get these gorgeous views out the front like we have, but the back is built into the hill."

Inside, those same views are offered from any room, Verloop noted. "The windows in the back have these beautiful 'pictures.' There is a unique outlook on all sides of the house."

The home's interior setting brings to heart the custom style the couple wanted to present.

"The utilities are underground," Hertzka said about the home's structure. "You don't see that very often in the area. The other thing that makes it special is the material that was used; the bamboo flooring and very open floor plan. There are no hallways."

The openness highlights the family room/breakfast nook area, which connects to the master chef kitchen with Sub-Zero refrigerator and wine cabinet.

The interior also includes full recessed lighting, operable skylights, designer glass tile and warm paint colors throughout.

"We definitely wanted it contemporary. Modern, but warm," Verloop said. "Lots of green and golds because of the trees around the house. We wanted to have a tree house feel to the home."

Now placing the 2,687-square-foot two-story on the market, Verloop said the home is unrecognizable from the one they had purchased.

The couple, now with children, say the home offers a contemporary blend ideal for everyone - from young professionals to empty-nesters.

With a short distance to the Redwood Highway, the Toyon Lane home, priced at $2.249 million, provides easy access to most of the Bay Area. Yet the unique setting and redesign can make one prefer to just stay home in the artistic community of Sausalito.

"The design aesthetic appeals to people," Verloop said. "Most that have come into the house have said it was warm and inviting."

The property's listing agent is Christa Hertzka with Alain Pinel Realtors, (415) 717-7781, chertzka@apr.com.

This article appeared on page K - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle