The apex in a land of luxury
A builder who built a dream house for himself and his wife in 1998 is ready to leave such lavish amenities as a 5,500-square-foot master suite with its own gym, pool, spa and a closet equipped to hold 300 pairs of shoes.
About this house: It is on nearly 7 acres in Rancho Santa Fe, which has the highest per capita income -- $113,132 -- in the United States, based on 2000 census figures for towns of at least 1,000 households. Rancho Santa Fe is about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego and a few miles from the Pacific Ocean.
The house is also in what is known as the Covenant, the original Rancho Santa Fe, a 6,200-acre community renowned for its elegant rural living. Landowners there are obliged to sign an agreement called the Rancho Santa Fe Protective Covenant. It empowers association directors to exercise control over such aspects of a home as the shade of paint on its shutters.
Asking price: $24 million
Size: The one-story house has five bedrooms and six bathrooms in 21,000 square feet. Every bedroom has its own fireplace, refrigerator and walk-in shower.
Features: The estate has detached guest quarters and a 1,500-square-foot caretaker’s house. Besides the pool for the master suite, there is a main swimming pool, which has waterfalls and ponds, and a sauna. The home also has a media room and many fireplaces: 11 inside and five outside. There is an eight-car motor court, which also can accommodate two limos and four golf carts, and there is a two-car garage with the caretaker’s house. The mansion has limestone, granite and marble floors, grand arches and high ceilings.
Where: Rancho Santa Fe
Listing agent: Alain Perez, (858) 342-4169, and Annie Perez, (858) 342-1183, both at Coldwell Banker Previews.
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos (copies only, please; we cannot return the pictures) and a brief description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; or e-mail homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
