Don’t think of it as a patio; think of it as outdoor living space that adds considerably to your lived experience of square footage.

Sometimes, mistakes are made. Such was the case when I went searching for this week’s Unreal candidate. We’ve been looking at our standard enormous, obscenely-priced listings for the past couple of entries, so it felt like a good time to step back and look for something more unique.

Instead of setting my price filter to $8 million and up, I turned it down to $1.5 million. Usually this would net me hundreds of McMansion-type homes, far too many to sift through (780 to be exact), but for some reason, I was getting just 29 hits. Looking a little closer, I realized that I hadn’t wiped out all of the settings from a previous search, and so I was limited to houses that were both above $1.5 million and below 1200 square feet of total living space. Hmm, this might be interesting. In terms of dollars demanded per square foot of space sold, these properties are just as expensive as houses I’ve written about that could effectively be described as “a medium-sized office complex.”

So instead of capping the year built at 1940 or 1950 as part of a search for older, quirkier houses — my original plan — I decided to have a look at these 29 listings. The search turned up a lot of downtown and beachfront condos (sure), and a handful of old houses on big lots that the listing agents were just begging us to tear down and replace with mansions or multiple units (the value is in the land). But there were a handful of honest-to-goodness little houses (read: perfectly fine for my family of three to live in comfortably) that stood ready to break the average person’s bank without any such value-add propositions.

The kitchen island is an island in the way that Australia is an island. But it works!

All of that brings us to 948 G Avenue in Coronado, a two-bedroom, one-bath cottage with just over 1000 square feet of living space near the southwest edge of the peninsula, about a half-mile from the famous Hotel Del. For nearly $2.5 million, the Zillow listing promises us we’re getting a “pristine remodel” with “nothing to do but move in and enjoy walks to the beach for views of the glistening sea.” That sounds nice, doesn’t it?

At just 40 feet wide and 67 feet deep, the entire lot encompasses less area than the majority of homes we tour here, but we’re still being sold on the idea that “the layout is perfect for relaxing on the front porch enjoying a book or entertaining in the beautiful backyard for barbecues and smores.” And with the beach just under three blocks away, I’m sure there’s plenty of opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the San Diego climate.

The first few photos we see are of that inviting covered front porch, finished in red brick, with a walkway leading past a postage stamp of manicured front lawn to the street. The wicker furniture does indeed look like a relaxing perch from which to flip through a Reader and wave at the neighbors. Inside, we get a look at the living and dining rooms, with rugs covering the old-looking hardwood floors that we’re told are present throughout the home. Another shot shows us a second couch tucked into a corner, and then we’re on to a small sitting room with no visible television (perhaps it’s hiding, all but forgotten, in that blue wardrobe). We’re also told that the furniture was all purchased specifically to fit the space, and that it’s available for purchase separately outside escrow. How thoughtful.

The kitchen is modern without being ostentatious, using the same shaker cabinets and quartz counters I put into most of my remodels, but with a nice oversized range and farmhouse-style sink. And the island is bigger than a kitchen this size has any business containing, but it still somehow works nicely. I could take or leave the faux distressed-brick wall, but overall, I like it. The bedrooms are predictably small, though the one actually used for sleeping makes good use of cabinetry, and the office/bedroom is made to feel bigger than it is by a tiny couch and desk. The back patio is mostly covered by pavers, but creeping vines growing up the wall add green space without actually occupying much real estate, leaving room out here for two dinettes, lounge seating, and a barbecue. Parking is limited to a single off-street space behind the white picket front fence, so hopefully street parking isn’t as much of an issue here as it was during my decade in OB, which found me frequently walking a half-mile or more to get home.

Public records show a couple of transfers in recent years: first, the Leadley family bought the home in 2008 for a reported $1,150,000 and proceeded to embark on a 2016 remodel that included the addition of the front porch, along with the kitchen and bath replacement and electrical, plumbing, roofing, and solar upgrades. Current owners the Curnuttes bought the house in 2020 for $1.6 million and added new appliances, refinished the hardwood floors, and did structural repairs, in addition to a laundry list of other upgrades in the listing.

The G house hit the market for the third time this century in mid-October, the $2,498,000 asking price remains unchanged to date.

• 948 G Avenue | Coronado, 92118
• Current owner: Curnutte Family Trust | Listing price: $2,498,000 | Beds: 2 | Baths: 1 | House size: 1000 sq ft