Switchback House by Edmonds + Lee Architects

The Switchback House is located at 456 27th St. in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood. Note that this is the architects' own private home and the interior is not accessible except with advanced arranged permissions. http://www.edmondslee.com/switchback.html

You can photograph the exterior of the house at any time.

The home's stark geometry and white exterior will show off nicely at any time of day.

The white tones of the home's exterior stand out nicely nearing at blue hour, especially if you catch conditions that allow for a cloudy white sky instead of a blue sky that will compete for visual attention.

If you stop by later in the evening or at night, you might also be lucky enough to photograph the exterior when the residents have the internal lights on.

Step back from the house to get the full picture of how the architect's situated it on its street. If you line things up correctly, you'll notice that the slope of the roof perfectly matches the slant of the hill the home sits on.

It's difficult to arrange to photograph the interior, though not impossible, as the architects are known to open their home to tours and photographers if the partnership is right. If you have the leverage, reach out to Edmonds + Lee to see if you can set something up.

Noe Valley is one of San Francisco's charming small residential neighborhoods. Head to 24th street for boutiques and restaurants, including Saru — one of the best sushi bars in the city. Or head over the hill to Dolores Park to see the skyline or lounge in San Francisco's most popular park.