San Francisco's Belvedere Island Mansion Has Hit the Market

This island mansion in Belvedere that boasts of Golden Gate Bridge views took five years to build and can now be yours for a whopping $29.5 million.

This stunning masterpiece from the award-winning architects, Aidlin Darling Design, offers captivating of the City, Richardson Bay, Mount Tamalpais, Sausalito, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Nestled above the Belvedere's west shore, the 7,500-square-foot abode took more than five years to complete. As to why it took that long, the current owner, Todd Chaffe, told in an interview published by Bloomberg that the codes are so restrictive that they had to "over-engineer" everything, including a commercial-grade fire suspension system. While it drove him nuts then, he said he is "cool with it" now.

Venture capitalist (VC) Todd Chaffe already owns two Belvedere houses prior to buying a third one. The first house he said was on the lagoon while the other house sits atop the island. But he wanted to be closer to the water, so when the opportunity to purchase the land, he took it.

While many venture capitalists live in Silicon Valley or the city, Todd opted to build his abode on Belvedere, which he considers special and describes it as a friendly and conscious community. The residence, which was built into the hillside, has massive decks off most of the rooms plus 280-degree views of the landscape, the water, and downtown.

The property cost him $25 million, including acquiring the land, building the mansion, and landscaping. He agreed it was an expensive mansion to build, but considering that the team consisted of one of the country's top architects, one of Bay Area's top landscape designers, and one of the top construction firms, the cost is understandable.

He had Blasen Landscape Architecture handle the task of designing the grounds of his 0.24-hectare land. All the major trees remained in place while olive trees and other things were craned in. And since plants are not really that expensive, they opted for the already mature trees and plants.

The first thing he decided after buying the land was to take advantage of the views. He opted for a contemporary design, so they employe massive glass windows across the house. This Belvedere house incorporated a mix of concrete, steel, stone, leather, bronze, reclaimed oak, and glass.

The abode, which was built into the hillside, has massive decks off most of the rooms plus 280-degree views of the landscape, the water, and downtown. The lower level alone has an infinity pool and a hot tub where you can watch the area's captivating sunsets.

The house comprises five bedrooms and six baths, play one bedroom, and a bath in the guest house. There is also a fire pit just right off the dining and living room. Todd added that the house has a huge 3-meter tall and 1.2-meter wide leather-and-metal door integrated into the wall between one of the living area and media room.

The house comes with custom-made furniture and two built-into-the-ground storage rooms. He is now selling the mansion for family reasons, and they will be moving to Southern California.

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