According to a mid-year report by Paragon Real Estate, the average price per square foot for a home in Cole Valley is $1,103. Based on the plethora of construction parking permits and port-a-potties, residents are eager to renovate these homes, and in some isolated cases, tear them down completely.

Last week, reader Bob G. wrote in to inquire about a "huge construction project going on seemingly forever" on Stanyan Street between Grattan and Parnassus. Here's what we've learned about the ongoing project.

Until last year, the lot at 1167 Stanyan held a 2-story multiple-occupancy home built in 1906, and a single-story, single-family unit. Both buildings, substantially obscured by overgrown vegetation and a densely foliaged palm tree, have since been demolished to make way for one single-family dwelling. (Not considered historically significant, the large old house was a complete tear-down.)

According to a 2008 building permit application, the property was once to be developed into a "two 3-story single-family dwellings with 7 total off-street parking spaces," but current plans have been scaled back dramatically. Once excavation and shoring work are completed, one family will occupy a single home with a larger footprint than the original main structure.

As of today, crews are still in the pre-construction phase; the lot is an unruly mound of dirt that slopes toward the street. Post-excavation, a retaining wall has been built at the rear of the lot to create a new private garden. The new lot will require substantial landscaping; an unruly cascade of ivy is all that remains from the dense growth that hid a ramshackle home in an increasingly upscale neighborhood. 

Post-demolition work, November 2014

Because the Department of Building inspection doesn't post blueprints online, we don't have a rendering of the new building to include here, but Mark Brand Architecture, the company listed in DBI permits, specializes in major residential remodels; its online portfolio includes 1410 Stanyan, which sold for $3.1 million in April. 

We'll keep our eye on 1167 Stanyan so you can follow its development; if there are other homes/projects in the area you'd like to know more about, let us know in the comments.