638 Norvell St

Stunning 3BR/2BA home, superb location, quiet neighborhood -- Available 5/1/2024! Opportunity to rent such an elegant, carefully renovated/re-built home in this highly sought-after El Cerrito neighborhood rarely comes up. Situated by a creek and surrounded by mature trees and beautiful landscape, the house and gardens exude peace and delight. Yet it's a mere 3 blocks from El Cerrito Plaza BART station and four blocks to the Plaza! Stroll to Starbucks or Peet's Coffee for your morning Joe, to Saturday Farmers Markets for tasty fruits and vegetables, or to Trader Joe's for groceries. Catch a movie (and a meal!) at the historic Rialto Theater and explore a wide variety of interesting restaurants and stores on foot. Or just relax on the redwood deck or stone patio in the backyard while taking in the sounds and sights of nature. The location is a commuter's dream -- 6 minutes BART ride to downtown Berkeley, 28 minutes to SF Financial District, and one hour to San Francisco International Airport. Easy I-80 freeway access to as well! ! The Ohlone Greenway under the BART track affords a great hike or jog, southbound to downtown Berkeley and north to Baxter Creek Gateway Park in El Cerrito, a restored urban riparian area featuring an amazing diversity of plants and animals, including red flowering currant, willows, alder trees, big leaf maples and Pacific tree frogs. Regional Tilden Park is a short drive up the hill, and the water front trail along I-80 is a fun place to jog or bike as well. The house was extensively renovated/expanded in 2004 with high quality finish and environmentally friendly materials. Graceful archways welcome you as you walk into the entry. Awaiting you is an open living/dining area with a skylight, a beautiful brick fireplace, and gleaming hardwood floor. To the left of the entry is a generous closet for coats and shoes. The modern kitchen is a cook's dream. Well-equipped with a six burner gas cooktop, stand-alone electric oven, large double sink, Grohe faucet, refrigerator, and dish washer, the kitchen is a joy to cook and eat in. The eat-in area comfortably accommodates four people. A south facing window looks out to an open, green view and lets in abundant natural light. Down a few steps from the kitchen is a laundry area with washer and dryer, drying rack, and cabinets for detergents or odds and ends. A side door with window provides plenty of light for your laundry chores. Each of the three fabulous bedrooms has its own walk-in closet, interesting high ceiling design, and unique character. The generous size of all three bedrooms is a luxury desirable yet rarely found. An elegant 4' wide central hallway connects two bedrooms and two bathrooms to the public area. There is a spacious linen closet on one side. A redwood deck wraps around the back of the house, perfect for gathering with family and friends. A raised bed in the backyard awaits your green thumb to produce your own herbs and vegetables. Both bathrooms are elegant and pleasing, one with marble shower and the other with a Tea for Two cast iron soaking tub. This beautiful house is ideally set up for three professionals/grad students to house-share, just as it is perfect for a family to settle in and thrive. So is it well-suited for a professional couple who need space for remote work. Exceptionally clean and meticulously maintained, the house is a haven for people with hypoallergenic needs. The friendly neighborhood is one of El Cerrito's best, and El Cerrito is rated one of the best cities to call home in the Bay Area. Every summer a lively block party pulls neighbors together to enjoy an afternoon of music and BBQ. This is simply a perfect place to live and thrive! Features: - Extensively renovated/expanded in 2004 with care and quality materials - Vaulted ceilings and skylights in living/dining room and all bedrooms - Hardwood floors throughout living area and bedrooms, natural stone floors in kitchen and bathrooms - Beautiful, unique light fixtures throughout - Well equipped kitchen features Kraftmaid cherry cabinets, Corian countertops, 6 burner Viking cooktop, stainless steel double sink, Grohe faucet, dishwasher, and a built-in GE electric oven - Wood burning fireplace and skylight in living room - Three large, delightful bedrooms, all with vaulted ceilings of different design - Two back bedrooms have sliding doors to access back deck - Front bedroom looks onto lush front garden, has a large arched window, a skylight, and a wonderful sleeping loft accessed by a custom-made library ladder -- this room is perfect as a bedroom, family room, media room, or an office - Walk-in-closets in all bedrooms, large linen closet in the hallway - Two exquisite bathrooms with abundant natural light and beautiful natural stones, one with a 5' marble shower and the other with a Kohler Tea-For-Two soaking tub - Bright and airy laundry room has cabinets and extensive shelving for storage and for hanging clothes to dry - Well insulated roof, walls, and floors, energy efficient, environmentally friendly, - Anderson casement windows, Velux skylights - New copper plumbing, new electrical, great furnace and 50 gal. water heater - A redwood deck wraps around the back of the house and opens to the lovely views of the backyard -- it is a perfect place for morning coffee or afternoon tea - A raised vegetable bed and a compost bin await your green thumb - Two car driveway parking plus plenty of street parking