John Monteverdi, a faculty member at San Francisco State, bought a lovely 1922 bungalow in Oakland's Rockridge / Upper Temescal neighborhood in the late 1980s. It's very typical of one variety East Bay bungalow, which owes its wide front porch to Southern Craftsman homes, its columns and eaves to the Queen Annes that preceded it and its stucco finish and not-uncommon light coloring and red or brown painted steps to the Mission aesthetic that lends itself so well to California.

In addition to the photographs on the front page, scroll down for a few good-sized mpeg movies and a room-by-room tour. the gallery also includes a number of photos of his excellent kitchen remodel, completed in 1998, which fits the house far better than what existed when he moved in. As far as back yard, you can see how creative many folks in the East Bay need to be to turn small and sometimes hilly spaces into attractive, useable yards.