Selected Work

Sketches, studies, and built work.

Every project starts on paper. Below, a featured residence followed by other work from John, from ADUs to primary homes.

John Kinstle reviewing sketches at his drafting table

Featured Project

Crown Avenue Residence.

A Mediterranean-inspired hillside home in the Oakland hills — designed and built by John, set into a quiet parcel with views of the Bay.

3 / 3: Bed / Bath
2,350: Sq ft
0.27 ac: Lot

Oakland, CA · Designed & built by John Kinstle

Watercolor rendering of the Crown Avenue residence by Barbara Tapp — Watercolor rendering — Barbara Tapp, from John's drawings

Open dining room with hearth and garden view

Kitchen with checkered tile, granite, and forest views

Bedroom opening to a private deck and trees

Powder bath with copper soaking tub and venetian plaster

Stone-walled garden with shaded reading nook

View of the San Francisco Bay from the upper terrace

"Concrete floors with radiant heat. A hearth that opens to the garden. A copper tub in a venetian-plaster bath. The kind of details that take a lifetime to learn how to draw — and another to learn how to build."

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Selected Homes & Interiors

Builds with bones, light, and craft.

A handful of details from custom homes and ADUs John has designed and built—timber framing, stone hearths, and the small carpentry decisions that make a house feel like it was meant to be there.

Robinson Drive residence — multi-level stucco home with cedar balcony and terraced garden — Robinson DriveCustom home

Living room with reclaimed timber posts, divided-light windows, and saltillo tile floors — Timber & LightRobinson Dr

Vaulted kitchen with exposed king-post trusses and walnut cabinetry — Truss KitchenVaulted ceiling

Built-in banquette under a clerestory with mullioned windows on three sides — Banquette NookBuilt-in dining

Hand-laid stone fireplace with carved limestone mantel and woodbox alcoves — Stone HearthMason work

Corner sunroom wrapped in divided-light wood windows with chandelier — SunroomWindow seat

Compact study with handcrafted wood ladder to a sleeping loft — Loft LadderSmall space

Two-story stucco cottage with arched entry and tile roof — Stucco CottageSpanish revival

Painted garden cabin tucked among magnolia and citrus — Garden CabinBackyard retreat

Spanish-revival stucco home with tile roof, wood garage door, and stone fountain in the front garden — Presley ResidenceSpanish revival

Brick patio with cafe table and chairs under a heritage oak and palm — Oak PatioGarden terrace

Vaulted bedroom with exposed beams, mid-century sofa, and Oakland artwork — Vaulted BedroomInterior

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Studies & Details

From concept to complete.

Board-and-batten ADU with orange door under a heritage tree

Cedar-lined interior with French doors to a treetop deck

Red-stained hillside ADU with mullioned windows

Artist's studio with French doors opening to a wood deck

Green ADU on a slope with a long planted deck

Garden cottage at the end of a leafy path

Sleeping loft with handcrafted wood ladder, exposed beams, and built-in bookshelves

Cottage kitchen with tiled counters, exposed beam, and divided-light window over the sink

Flagstone patio with wood pergola and dining set viewed through French doors

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