ELEGANT CONDOMINIUM

Entering the Garber Street condos takes one back to an era when apartment houses were elegant and fashionable. Originally built as an apartment building and designed by Joseph Coward, the stairs to all units are wide and elegant with generous landings and doors onto a small deck. #3 is on the second floor, with wonderful natural light, generous public rooms, high ceilings with crown moldings, adequate storage and lovely architectural details. It is one of 6 units in this elegant 1924 classical building. In the living room, flanked by bookshelves is an attractive fireplace with craftsman tiles. The condo has charming period built-in cabinetry in the dining room, beautiful doors that separate the dining and living rooms, radiant heat and hardwood floors throughout. A very large closet off the dining room currently functions as an office. A rear exit through a utility area leads to the back of the property and down to a 1 car garage, common laundry facilities and storage in the basement.

Walk through this quaint tree-lined Elmwood neighborhood down to the amenities of College Avenue and there you will find 3 blocks of locally owned businesses, including Nabalom Bakery, the Elmwood Movie Theatre, the Julia Morgan Theatre, the Elmwood Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, Sweet Dreams Candy and Toy store and numerous gourmet and ethnic restaurants and cafes. This superb location is close to campus, the Claremont Resort & Spa, and minutes to the trail through Claremont Canyon Regional preserve. In addition, it has easy access to BART and the freeway. HOA dues of $311.03 per month covers heat, water, garbage and insurance.

Building Improvements to 2741 Garber Street in the last 12 years are as follows:
1. Installed seismic retrofitting in crawl space using #1, #2, #3 Berkeley Transfer Tax
rebates plus small Special Assessment to all units (2005)
2. Replaced HOA gas dryer (2005) and washing machine (2007)
3. Gathered and stored building earthquake emergency supplies in #2 garage (2007)
4. Installed Knox Box with building and unit keys for easy fireman access (2007)
5. Removed, repaired and strengthened front door beveled glass (2008)
6. Removed, leak tested, and powdercoated most owner radiators (2008)
7. Painted front hall and stairway (2009)
8. Painted exterior wood and window trim (2009)
9. Replaced individual Comcast accounts with one unified Dish account at about 1/3 the monthly cost (2010)
10. Replaced 1924 steam heat boiler with smaller, more efficient model (2010)
11. Replaced dual hot water storage tanks with a single tank for more efficient, yet more than adequate, community hot water (2011)
12. Installed seismic safety shut-off valves on all gas lines (2012)
13. Replaced sewer lateral to street (2012)
14. Replaced door from back stair to roof and upper lap-siding (2013)
15. Reconditioned front door and sidelights (2016)
16. Replaced domestic water line to street with copper line (2016)

…And about that front yard “situation”: Last year the HOA decided it was time to renew the front landscaping. They selected a landscape architect whose concept would enhance the graceful, traditional lines of the building while addressing more current needs, including drought resistance, drip irrigation, dog resistance and easy maintenance. When they removed the foundation plants, they discovered that the front brick facade had cracked in several places. It was beyond repair and needed replacing before continuing with the landscaping.

They decided to keep the original brick facade (more expensive than stucco) to blend with the other brick elements in the architecture, including the front stairs and chimneys. The landscaping will follow after the brickwork is completed in May. All of this work is already paid for through a Special Assessment to supplement their ample reserve funds.