A Humdinger in Birnam Wood

Noteworthy new listings….

Every now and then a house comes along where you can just tell that whoever built or remodeled it spared no expense. Take 1970 Lemon Ranch Road ($10 million) in Birnam Wood; the seller paid $1.1 million in 2002 for the acre of land and then spent freely to create a truly lovely home. The photos can’t quite capture the gracious proportions, the quality of the workmanship, or the sumptuousness of the decor (travertine foyer, upholstered walls, Venetian plaster…). Even the coat closet is impeccable: it’s wallpapered in linen with matching padded hangers, and an interior curtain allows the attendant to hide the coats from guests. While the kitchen doesn’t quite reach the same heights, isn’t that why God invented the clubhouse and caterers? N.B. The vacant lot next door is likely to see action soon.

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The historical charm of 4305 Via Presada ($6.895 million) is off the charts: “Commissioned in 1931 by Naval Captain C.G. Davy, the second President of Hope Ranch Estates, the 5,000-square-foot home boasts preserved hand-painted tiles, intricately carved wooden shutters from Peru, and rare details such as original brass hardware, custom ironwork, and decorative window glass from the 1930s.” It’s heaven for those of us who like looking at—and occasionally fondling—houses. Living in it might prove trickier; never before on the market, the house is a project, with a kitchen and bathrooms that need updating. Moreover, there will undoubtedly be a strong temptation to add a new garage, convert the existing one to something else, and figure out a way to have a larger primary bedroom.

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130 Montecito Ranch Lane ($13.995 million) was built in 2017 but feels two decades older, from a time when all that stone and wrought iron was more in style. The single-level floor plan works, though, and the views are terrific, even at the bocce court, which is usually just a way to landscape lesser land without requiring water. The proximity of the public trail along the southwest side of the gated community could cut either way with potential buyers; it doesn’t seem to have affected 2710 Montecito Ranch Place, which recently sold for $11.55 million. P.S. Bonus points for the statue of the boar in the center of the motor court.

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Back in Hope Ranch, 4040 Marina Drive ($9.475 million) is a different kind of dated Mediterranean: squat tower entrance, tons of 1990s earth-tone stone, architectural cut-outs, indigenous-looking fireplaces that are at odds with the otherwise generic interiors. But hey, 4,691 square feet (with a guest house) on a prime street is nothing to sneeze at, even if the outdoor seating facing the ocean view is also overlooking the driveway.

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Hot potato! 231 Butterfly Lane ($5.95 million) sold for $2.25 million in 2018, $3.72 million in 2020, and $4.8 million this past January. At some point it got a renovation, and the surfaces look fine in a model-home way. The floor plan, however, could still use untangling. You enter above street level into the kitchen/dining room, which is not huge and doesn’t have a lot of windows, and then you have to go up more stairs to get to the living room or down to reach the family room. (The seller apparently looked into lowering the entry and expanding the kitchen/dining area, which would make a massive difference.) The backyard is a solid A, especially if you’re partial to gravel, and of course the walkability to Coast Village Road is a boon.

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There’s a lot of history in the bones of 1107 N. Nopal Street ($2.389 million), built in 1926 in the row of houses known as Little Granada*. But like so many Santa Barbara properties, it could use updating—particularly the kitchen, which looks like an AI glitch. (*The text below is from the Historic Landmarks Commission’s Structure of Merit designation report for 1103-1131 N. Nopal Street, 725 E. Figueroa Street, and 734 E. Anapamu Street.)

“Little Granada” is a composition of nine residences constructed in 1921 and 1922 with a blend of French and Spanish Mediterranean architecture expressed as a harmonic community of white stucco homes extending from the stone pine trees of East Anapamu Street south to Figueroa Street on the west side of North Nopal Street. These nine homes, each different in plan, were designed to express Santa Barbara designer Daniel Kirkhuff impressions received as an infantry soldier in France during World War I, according to a contemporaneous newspaper story. J. Corbley Pool, a busy Santa Barbara architectural designer, had recently changed the name of his firm to include Kirkhuff and Oliver Schaaf. Kirkhuff had been Pool’s draftsman since about 1910. They created a unique and not-since-repeated Santa Barbara streetscape. Built prior to the establishment of standard planning and zoning requirements governing front and side yard setbacks, fence location and height, these nine homes express a peculiarly distinctive neighborhood feeling.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 630 Flora Vista Drive ($2.995 million): Black three-bedroom that sold in 2020 for $905,000 and two years later for $1.75 million; already in escrow.
••• 1394 Danielson Road ($3.195 million): Cute mini-compound by the freeway and likely to become vacation rentals.
••• 131 San Rafael Avenue ($2.695 million): Mesa three-bedroom in nice shape but only one and a half baths (and the half is in the garage mancave, a.k.a. Garage Mahal).
••• 317 Calle Hermoso ($3.199 million): Four bedrooms but only two and a half baths; the primary is on a lower level.
••• 614 W. Canon Perdido Street ($1.35 million); 1930 Westside duplex.
••• 390 Mira Monte Avenue ($1.595 million): In Montecito, believe it or not (below).

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