Serene and Private

This unique custom home was built in 1997.  It was designed by architect Bob Semonsen, well known for his bayside homes in Baywood Park, and built by master woodworker Charlie Kleeman. Including the loft, the house comes in at about 2300 square feet. The lower level includes a two-car garage, full bathroom, and a laundry/work room. The main level features the entry, living room, dining room, kitchen, two bathrooms, both bedrooms, and a deck running the entire length of the west side of the house. An exposed staircase leads to the loft, which is directly above the kitchen and looks out over the living room and through the tall windows towards the ocean.  The full U-shaped kitchen features custom Cherry cabinets by local cabinetmaker Bill Boothby of Inform Caseworks.  The kitchen, dining room, and living room are all part of a main great room with an extra high pine-clad cathedral ceiling and huge clerestory windows that creates a very inviting light and airy space, great for entertaining. A custom Cherry handrail wraps along the hallway towards the bedrooms and up to the loft.  The master bedroom has it’s own double sliding glass door that opens onto the deck, plus a rear door out the en-suite bathroom that accesses another private exterior deck area.  The house has forced-air heat but there is also a three-sided gas fireplace in the living room.

Cambria at it’s best.  This beautiful and peaceful retreat is located a half mile from the ocean on the south edge of town near Camp Ocean Pines on one of the most unique properties in Cambria. Enter via a long private driveway onto a two acre parcel, part of the pine reserve on the old Rancho Santa Rosa subdivided way back in 1873.  From here it is unbroken mixed pine and oak forest down into Strawberry Canyon (directly accessible via a hiking trail starting at the bottom of the driveway) and beyond onto the 500 acre Rancho Marino Reserve (which is not accessible but provides stunning forest views across the canyon. The reserve is leased by UCSB for environmental research and features world-class biodiversity.)

In addition to being on two acres well off the street in an already very quiet neighborhood, it is also in a “banana belt” micro climate.  The south-facing exposure and wind-protected orientation makes it one of the warmest areas in Cambria.

The custom 2 bedroom, 3 bath, plus loft home offers ocean views through the pines and a well-stocked kitchen. Listen to the wind tickling the tops of the trees as you are tucked in by the fireplace enjoying the TV/DVD or Wi-Fi entertainment in the living room, or relaxing in the hot tub and surrounded by nature. It is very common to see deer, wild turkey, fox, and many varieties of birds as you are sipping coffee in the morning sun or using the barbeque on the deck in the evening.  In the morning stillness you will often hear the distant barking of a colony of sea lions that haul out on White Rock (also a preserve) that’s just a hundred yards offshore near the mouth of Strawberry Canyon.

And did we mention the birds?  Cambria’s rare coastal forest ecosystem is a birder’s paradise and the oaks and pines literally wrap around the Whispering Pines Hideaway, putting many seldom-seen bird species right outside your window.  

There is a very quiet feel at this home and you are still within a 5-minute drive to downtown Cambria. Owner lives in the second home on the property but due to the size of the lot and the orientation of the homes, you have more space next to you than you would a typical neighbor.  You may enjoy the peace and quiet so much you might forget to experience all the other things on offer in and around Cambria. 

Monthly rent is $5000 and includes all utilities. Home is 2300 sq ft on a 2 acre parcel, located on the southern end of Lodge Hill by Camp Ocean Pines. Home will be avaliable starting January 15th, 2024.