Curiosities
I have evaluated over 700 buildings for which I have prepared due diligence reports. The majority of my projects were for a single building, though numerous reports, such as those for hotels, were for multiple buildings. Since 2012, I have done PCAs for only three single-family residences. Each of those three projects had a different, unique characteristic which called for a PCA. Pictured here is the project that I called The Haunted House.
The Haunted House was constructed circa 1906 and sat on an eight acre parcel used as an orchard. The house—its correct name is The Mellow House—had reportedly been occupied as recently as one year before my site visit in May of 2015, though I found that very difficult to believe when I entered the building. I can unequivocally say that The Haunted House was in the worst condition of any building I have ever set foot in for the purpose of preparing a PCA.
The site is surrounded by fully developed parcels in a mixed-use area of Sunnyvale. Neighboring areas are developed with single- and multi-family residential and low-rise office buildings. The reason a PCA was required was that the City of Sunnyvale needed information to determine if the house had historic significance. If it was found that a historic designation was merited, restoration would require that the structure be returned to something quite close to its condition at the time of original construction.
I turned in my report and often wondered what the city had decided.
In December of 2024, I had a project that was literally across the street from The Haunted House parcel and a little over 500 feet away from the house itself. When I finished my site visit for the new project, I walked over to see what had happened to The Haunted House. It had been restored.