The house built around a tree in the Mayberry-like Valmonte neighborhood

The Kraft home was built around this mature Jacaranda tree that was a part of the original landscape of a home there previously built in 1948. Photos by Tony LaBruno

The owner wanted an Old Spanish style home, but with a modern openness, with a tree in the middle

by Stephanie Cartozian

What sold Vicki Kraft on the 1948 house in the Mayberry-like Valmonte neighborhood was its mature Jacaranda. 

Her initial plan was to remodel the house without disturbing the tree. But even after realizing it made more sense to build a new home, she was determined to preserve the tree, located in the middle of the lot.

This mature Jacaranda tree was the impetus for Kraft’s purchase of this property and then the inspiration behind the home’s full design.

For help she enlisted Luis de Moraes, of EnviroTechno Architecture. 

Her preference was for an Old Spanish style home, with a modern twist. She wanted the home to be airy, and single story. At the time, in 2021, she was living in the Beach Cities in a three-story home, and didn’t like its vertical nature. 

The sparkling pool and traditional Old Spanish 2-layer boosted roof achieving a bold, yet timeless design.

In addition to a single story, and preserving the Jacaranda, Kraft wanted room for a garden, which she couldn’t have in her lot line to lot line Beach Cities home. And she wanted an ADU for use as a studio/pool room, and for visiting family.

She thought of every detail for her new, 3,100 sq. ft. home, often sketching ideas. One sketch was of a nook inside the front door door to “throw her purse and keys into.” 

Traditionally Spanish homes have interior arches, Kraft reimagined the look to have wide, square openings leading from room to room. She wanted the house to be more open, and less “stuffy” than traditional Old Spanish homes. 

The Kraft home took longer than anticipated to build due to hurdles with the city, yet the home boasts a beautiful detached ADU and a sparkling pool.

The extra tall, 8-ft interior doorways and knotted, natural wood doors and the light colored, beamed ceilings create a bright look, compared to traditional Old Spanish interior.

“I like the natural, reclaimed wood look.” Kraft said. Kraft also thought to expand rooms that are traditionally small with this style home, like the laundry room, closets and her office, to create a more open, more relaxing feel. The ceilings are high too, but with Fleur de Lys details inside the square archways and interior corbels and natural woods and earth tone tiles. 

The kitchen with natural wood colors that had to be bleached first then stained to achieve this light and bright look at the foot of the skylights.

Still, keeping with the Old World design character, Kraft had a traditional, “2-layer boosting” roof created with the characteristically “bumpy look,” and appearance of cement oozing from the tiles. The style is a nod to Old World durability and offers more insulation than traditional roofs. It is also a lost art not often seen on the Hill, despite the Peninsula’s rich Spanish heritage. 

Luis de Moraes, architect and interior designer with homeowner, Vicki Kraft, in front of her newly built home in the Valmonte neighborhood.

As for the Jacaranda tree, it survived four years of construction unscathed.

“I had to go through the mud and mess, and drag the garden hose each time to the back of the yard to keep the tree watered and I’m not even sure if it needed it,” Kraft said. Pen

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