Brutalism Gone Wild at the San Ysidro Trailhead

Noteworthy new listings….

If you’ve ever been on the San Ysidro Trail, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the striking facade and roofline of 1800 E. Mountain Drive ($6.45 million), just above the trailhead. The interiors are as wild as you’d hope, with untraditional angles everywhere. While it might agitate a feng shui expert, it’s also pretty cool. The floor plan is for someone who likes to keep guests at a distance: the two guest rooms in the main house are only accessible from outside, and there’s another small room above the freestanding garage. The location can’t be beat for hiking—or for dinner at the San Ysidro Ranch across the way.

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Even though I’m on record—repeatedly—for being weary of the Mediterranean-inspired interiors of the past three decades, I found 733 Knapp Drive ($9.975 million) appealing (which isn’t to say I wouldn’t bring them up to date). The livable floor plan has the primary bedroom on the main floor, and three—or two, if en suite—guest rooms below. The 1.19-acre lot continues down the hillside, with four levels of terraces, the last of which has a pool and bocce court. (Pack snacks before you head down.) As a sort of bonus, the property also includes a guest house on the other side of Cottage Lane; it’s original to the Arcady estate and undeniably cute.

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Look who’s back: 175 Miramar Avenue ($8 million), designed by George Washington Smith in 1929 and one of the most darling houses in the Hedgerow. It has sold twice in the last two years, for $5.7 million in October 2021 and $6.9 million in June 2022. It has never looked more charming, which is saying something, although you need to have the old-house gene to truly appreciate it. That roof is like a game of musical chairs: who’ll get stuck dealing with it?

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And now for something completely different: new construction at 127 Loureyro Road ($5.385 million). The house has four en-suite bedrooms, although with the living room, dining room, and kitchen all sharing one big space, it lives better as a three-bedroom with a family room. And anyway, there’s another bedroom in the adjoining ADU. The landscaping is a undercooked, all the better for a buyer to do something—such as adding a pool—on the .71-acre lot.

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How much are approved building plans worth? The seller of 4640 Via Bendita ($4.695 million) paid $2.6 million for the 2.5-acre Hope Ranch property in April 2021 and hired NMA Architects to design a small village compound with a two-story, 7,810-square foot main house; 1,200-square-foot ADU; pool cabana with roof deck; and garage space for four cars. (UPDATE 7/2: The sellers did some of the work, installing site and retaining walls, perimeter fencing, and landscaping.)

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The 1.8-acre lot at 1326 Hillcrest Road also comes with with approved plans; it can be purchased as is ($5 million) or with completed construction ($15.75 million). The neat thing about the lot is that it straddles the ridge, so you get city/ocean views in one direction and mountain views in the other. The Warner Group’s design for the four-bedroom house has contemporary elan, but the garage is down the hill in guest-house territory, rather than near the house. The seller paid $3.75 million in September 2020.

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Built in 1928,1770 Prospect Avenue ($2.125 million) is an adorable two-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow on the Lower Riviera. It’s classic Santa Barbara, even if it would benefit from a refresh.

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At the other end of the size spectrum is 3050 Via Rancheros Road ($17.9 million) out in the valley. The rooms in the 1986 main house look big enough to play pickleball inside—poor, lonely bathtub—and if you feel Goldilocks fever coming on, you can always head over to the other two houses, the four apartments, or even the four barns on the 71-acre property.

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Also worth checking out:
••• 1212 E. De La Guerra Street ($3.895 million): 1950 Alex D’Alfonso house with a kitchen on both floors.
••• 1165 Camino Palomero ($3.495 million): 1968 ranch house above N. Patterson Avenue that the seller renovated after paying $1.6 million in June 2022.
••• 1638 La Coronilla Drive ($2.995 million): 1960 three-bedroom, two-bath in Alta Mesa in need of updating but bordering Honda Valley Park and with widescreen mountain views.
••• 624 Las Alturas Road ($2.885 million): 1970s three-bedroom, two-bath house; the seller paid $1.751 million in July 2020.
••• 1260 Northridge Road ($3.495 million): Three-bedroom way above San Roque; the seller paid $3.2 million in May 2022.
••• 1921 El Camino De La Luz ($2.7 million): Vacant lot of questionable buildability along the bluff’s edge in West Mesa; the seller paid $1.615 million nine months ago.
••• 4519 Auhay Drive ($4.5 million): Three houses on a .75-acre lot; don’t look at those windows too long or you’ll end up cross-eyed.

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