It's a South-facing bright, yet cozy room in a modernized San Francisco Victorian house on a hill with a stunning view. You get the private room and full run of the shared downstairs portion of the house which includes a living room with TV and stereo, a full kitchen, a shared bathroom, a laundry room, and a backyard.

Communal spaces are shared with my twenty-five-year-old son and myself but we will spend most of our time...