This $7 million Bay Area house by a San Francisco 'most polarizing designer' almost didn't get built

Open Homes Photography

Mill Valley home.

• Modernist architect Stanley Saitowitz is controversial, and he's designed some of San Francisco's most recognizable buildings.
• Saitowitz complained about the strict guidelines imposed on him in designing this Mill Valley home.
• After three different versions, the design was finally approved.
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It took three iterations and five months for architect Stanley Saitowiz to have plans for a home in Mill Valley, California, approved. Mill Valley is a town 14 miles north of San Francisco, with some of the stringent building guidelines common to the Bay Area.

"The design guidelines in Mill Valley are pretty rigid and essentially they control every aspect of building a house," Saitowitz told SFGate, although he noted it wasn't the hardest project he's taken on. "The most difficult was probably adding a deck in San Francisco."

Still, designing the terraced home built into a hillside while meeting strict regulations wasn't easy. "The most difficult part is that when you're building on a hillside they limit the amount of dirt that can be moved. So, a lot of the constraint actually was what drove the project."

Saitowitz has been called San Francisco's "most polarizing designer." He's responsible for the iconic 8 Octavia Condo building, which some critics have compared to a prison, while fans praise its innovative, minimalist design. Now, the home at 185 Summit is on the market for $6.95 million.

Take a look inside.