Siteline | An English Country Estate in Riven Rock

Noteworthy new listings….

The English Country–style estate at 771 Garden Lane ($36.5 million) in Riven Rock has changed hands twice in recent years—for $19.1 million in April 2021, then $28.4 million last July. The recent deal was off-market, so it’s hard to say what kind of improvements, if any, have been made lately; most of the interiors are a blank slate, at least compared to years ago. There’s a lot to work with: seven bedroom suites, two guest houses, a professional kitchen (along with the residential one), “subterranean eight-car auto gallery and two-bay chauffeur’s garage with private offices for security and staff,” celebrity neighbors, and best of all, the primary’s extraordinary “1,220-square-foot attic-turned-closet.”

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With both an indoor gym behind the guest house and an outdoor one where a sport court used to be, fitness is paramount at 976 Hot Springs Road ($16.5 million), above E. Mountain Drive. You’ll want to be in good shape to navigate those stairs lolling out the back like a long tongue: the main level (including the primary) is on the entry level, with guest rooms and a pretty outdoor pavilion below, and the pool below that. While the taste is excellent—the main house looks like it could’ve been built just now rather than in 2003—the lower level is a little kooky, with two of the guest rooms sharing a bath accessed via the media room.

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You can renovate 4295 Marina Drive ($19.95 million)—and you’ll probably want to—but it’ll never be a grand estate. The charm is the low-key coolness of the 1950s compound, a collection of snug buildings on 3.3 acres, with pool, tennis court, and a sensational location on the Hope Ranch bluff (complete with private beach access). The place feels like someone has turned back time—especially if you were to replace the plastic lawn with something more natural.

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3966 Laguna Blanca Drive ($6.999 million) and 3980 Laguna Blanca Drive ($7.499 million), two Hope Ranch fixers with an unrelated house in between, look like nice places to put up a cult. Built in 1970 and 1968 respectively, they each have some architectural quirk; the former has a pool, but the latter is larger. (The first four photos are 3966.)

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The French-style architecture and mansard roof of 72 La Vuelta Road ($6.995 million) must have felt so sophisticated when it was built in 1965. Now it’s more of an adorable curiosity, styled to the nines. (Bonus points for the dog den!) There’s a guest house behind the pool and yardage that the current owners use for an Airstream mancave.

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The spec reno at 145 Butterfly Lane ($6.775 million)—the seller paid $3.8 million nine months ago—has an unconventional layout: the kitchen is bigger than the living room, and the primary bedroom is bigger still, and there are many levels throughout. (Downstairs you’ll find a TV room that looks like a swell place to wait out the apocalypse.) And while there are six bedrooms, including two in the guest house, this is not the kid-friendliest house around, given the outdoor space is limited to the terrace tucked between the front door and the driveway. Nonetheless, it’s fresh and turnkey, and the Lower Village location couldn’t be hotter—with little in the way of competition.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 4597 Camino Molinero ($3.595 million): Attractive 1993 Spanish Colonial east of San Antonio Creek.
••• 1300 Dover Hill Road ($5.495 million) 1987 Riviera house that wants updating; jumbo views, but the outdoor spaces are off to the sides.
••• 4488 Foothill Road ($5.195 million): Six-acre avocado ranch above Carpinteria with a four-bedroom house and a tiny house designed in New Zealand.
••• 625 Parra Grande Lane ($5 million): One-acre lot with a house marketed as a teardown and plans in permitting for a contemporary replacement.
••• 630 Litchfield Lane ($2.795 million): Mission Canyon five-bedroom with just two baths; prettier from the front.
••• 1011 Rinconada Road #H ($2.995 million): Three-bedroom townhome overlooking left field. Go Dons.
••• 928 Spring Street ($1.345 million): 1905 three-bedroom east of Milpas. BYO fridge.
••• 19 Fremont Lane ($290,000): Woodsy one-bedroom cabin off Paradise Road.
••• 1018 Garden Street (13 units; prices vary): Santa Barbara’s “first ever hotel condominium development,” says the listing, “allows an owner the opportunity to experience Santa Barbara living at a price considerably less than owning a residential property. When you own at Casa Jardin you’ll be allowed to offer your unit as a legal short-term rental.” Weekday room rates are in the mid-$200s.