Life on Top of the World

5 Woodside Way Oakland, California 94611 United States

Whoever said that “the best views of San Francisco are from Oakland” could have had this spectacular home in mind. Designed by noted architect David Stark Wilson, the home rests on the Orinda border looking west, over San Francisco bay, to see the city, Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, Angel Island, Mount Tamalpais, Tiburon, Sausalito, and Belvedere. There is no finer view anywhere in the East Bay, and yet the home is just five minutes down Grizzly Peak to the 24 freeway, providing easy access east and west to all of the Bay Area.

The home is water- and energy-efficient: A cistern cuts water bills in half, and the solar system brings energy bills close to zero and supplies power even in a multi-day blackout.

Enter the home through a dramatic hall, under a skylight high above. The hall moves gracefully into the dining room and then down a couple of stairs to a sunken living room, under an elevated, beamed ceiling. On cold winter days enjoy a warming fire from the oversized fireplace, headed by an artistic mantle. The nearby spacious kitchen – equipped with elite appliances from SubZero, Wolf, and others, and wide granite counters and an island – has spectacular views to the west and adjoins a breakfast nook and family room and fireplace.

Work or study from home is easy from the spacious office on the home’s main level, with a built-in desk and file drawers. The office (which easily could be configured as an additional bedroom) has views of the nearby verdant hillside.

Ascend a spiral staircase, marked with a distinctive copper railing, to three of the home’s bedrooms. The principal suite, under a 15-foot beamed ceiling, commands views of hillsides to the south and offers two walk-in closets, each with built-in shelving. The principal bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub and a shower that enjoys views of San Francisco and the bay. A spacious sitting room, surrounded by more than 25 windows, separates the principal suite from the two other upstairs bedrooms, each 234 square feet in size. One of these bedrooms offers bay views; the other oversees gardens and hillsides.

On the lower level is still another bedroom, nearly 400 square feet in size. It has a full bathroom and could be configured as another family room or playroom. Nearby is the spacious wine cellar, which easily could accommodate 1,000 bottles.

The extra-long two-car garage has a Tesla electric charger, ample storage space, built-in cabinetry, and a carpentry/work table. On the roof, solar panels keep utility costs low.

Both public and private schools, such as the elite Bentley School (K-8) and The College Preparatory (secondary) School, are just minutes away.