Open House Obsession: More Knotty Pine Than You Can Shake A Stick At, $1.4M

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Where: 350 San Miguel Road, San Rafael Hills/Pasadena
When: Sunday, April 8 2:00pm-5:00pm, Saturday/Sunday April 14/15 2:00pm-5:00pm
Asking: $1,398,000
What: A spacious 3-bed, 2-bath classic ranch, built in 1949– the early years of the post-WWII war building boom, when high-quality lumber lumber was  plentiful and relatively inexpensive.

Over the next three next three decades, this low-slung style would sweep the nation, initially a fusion of California’s vernacular barns with their board-and-batten exteriors, re-interpreted with a nostalgic Nantucket style, and looking back to the early wooden houses built by ship’s carpenters from the East Coast. Politically, it was a reassuring, patriotic way of living at a time when Modernism could be branded as foreign, or worse, Socialist.

Throughout the main entertaining spaces, the floors are traditional, random-width pagged oak. The planked ceilings, however, are straight from the post-and-beam playbook, and aside from looking cozy, pine tongue-and-groove paneling was an inexpensive, quick way for builders to finish the interiors. Plus easy to maintain and remarkably moisture-resistant, which is why it was doomed to show up in finished basements everywhere.


What We Love: Whether painted a soft glossy white or left alone, this house was built from treees that we’ll never see the likes of again; it’s the right price for a house with plenty of upside and vintage-styled possibility.


More: Check out the property’s dedicated site for additional images, details and floor plans. Represented by Julia Allos at Deasy Penner + Partners. Below, light filters down onto a lovely patio between the home’s roughcut board-and-batten siding and an old brick wall– the perfect setting for an outdoor kitchen.