Dana Green Team

Building Your Life in Lafayette

Category Archives: Lafayette CA Homes for Sale

Just Listed: Remodeled Upper Happy Valley Charmer

Written on May 17, 2013 by Dana Green Team in Lafayette CA Homes for Sale

Just Listed!

1037 Via Nueva, Lafayette

Open Sunday, 5/19, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. &

Broker’s Tour, 5/21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Just Listed: 1037 Via Nueva, Lafayette

www.1037ViaNueva.com

Nestled on a sought-after private lane in Upper Happy Valley, this traditional-style home has been beautifully remodeled and updated in 2012. The charming resort-like property offers the tranquility and privacy of the country yet it’s located in an easily accessible, sought-after neighborhood.

The recently renovated living room includes custom built-ins, planked ceiling, fireplace with Lagos Azul Limestone surround and custom white cove mantel as well as French doors to the exterior.  The home is anchored by a fabulous chef’s kitchen with handcrafted cabinetry, large farm and hammered copper sinks, extra deep granite counters, planked ceiling, antique-paver flooring, professional-grade appliances, skylight and more.  The kitchen/family combo includes a brick fireplace, board and baton molding, sliding barn doors, and an open dining space overlooking the rear yard.  Additional interior highlights include a well-proportioned master retreat with newly-added hardwood floors, master bath with new cabinets, remodeled hall bath, guest bedroom with private bath, secondary bedroom with planked beam ceilings, interior laundry with barn door, French doors, crown molding, wood-louvered doors, Pella windows, newer interior and exterior paint and newly refinished hardwood floors throughout. In addition, included in the square footage, is a detached bonus room that can be utilized as a pool house, guest room, office, playroom, art studio, exercise studio or teen hangout – you decide (this room has newer carpet and a newly installed European-style heat and air unit)!

The exterior offers a private oasis complete with multiple landscape venues ideal for year-round living and entertaining. The fully-fenced property features a brick fireplace (perfect for roasting marshmallows), outdoor kitchen, trellised dining area, recently resurfaced Pebble Tec pool with a newer solar heating system, cottage gardens, raised vegetable beds, path leading to flagstone sitting-area tucked into the mature landscape, towering Redwoods, wonderful outdoor lighting and large front lawn.

This home is conveniently located close to Hwy 24/680, BART, Lafayette Reservoir, Oakwood Athletic Club, town, trails and top-rated Lafayette schools. The unique opportunity to retreat to privacy while remaining part of a true community is rare. Whether you are moving up or down, we encourage you to explore the lifestyle this home and land present!

Offered at $1,445,000

Dana Green
Real Estate Advisor, GRI
925.339.1918
Dana@DanaGreenTeam.com
www.DanaGreenTeam.com
DRE# 01482454

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Just Listed: Amazing 2-Acre Lafayette Opportunity

Written on April 11, 2013 by Dana Green Team in Lafayette CA Homes for Sale
Just Listed!
3300 Phillips Road, Lafayette, CA
Open on Broker’s Tour Tues., 4/16, 10 to 1. No Sunday Opens.

For Sale: 3300 Phillips Road, Lafayette CA

www.3300PhillipsRoad.com

Nestled on a rarely-available private lane, on a treasured piece of Lafayette land, sits the opportunity of a lifetime.

This nearly 2 acre property is comprised of 2 adjacent parcels in an easily accessible Trails/Lower Burton Valley neighborhood.  The tranquil and serene setting evokes a sense of small-town living, while the close proximity to top-rated Lafayette schools, commute routes, downtown, and the prized Lafayette trail, reflect its ideal central location.

The combination of these two adjacent parcels provides the unique flexibility to create a magnificent estate (chalk full of amenities), investigate a subdivision project, build on one lot and sell the other, or create a family compound that will accommodate generations to come.  The pristine, sun-filled land is truly magnificent with fantastic privacy, views of the surrounding hills and is dotted with majestic Oaks.

Tucked behind a white picket fence, the mid-century modern home, currently occupying one of the parcels, provides a wonderful footprint to remodel and expand.  Features include a kitchen/family great room, formal dining room, living room with open-beamed ceiling and brick fireplace along with a master suite, interior laundry room, hardwood floors and sliding doors to the exterior throughout.  Exterior highlights include front and rear level lawns and dining patio.

The unique opportunity to retreat to privacy while remaining part of a true community is rare. We encourage you to explore the lifestyle this home and land present!

Offered at: $1,350,000

Dana Green
Real Estate Advisor, GRI
925.339.1918
Dana@DanaGreenTeam.com
www.DanaGreenTeam.com
DRE# 01482454

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Hamlin House History – Sky Hy Ranch Beginnings

Written on April 11, 2013 by Robin S. Fox in Lafayette CA Homes for Sale, Lafayette Living

Most homes, remodeled or not, have one distinct beginning – the year they were built. Lafayette’s historic Hamlin House, though, has two.

Its first beginning occurred in 1941, when this custom, Spanish-style house commissioned by Federal Judge O.D. Hamlin stood alone atop the highest peak of the 200 acre parcel the Hamlin family had owned since 1871.

The second “beginning” happened 30+ years later, after Judge Hamlin sold the house and 45+ adjoining acres to Stekoll Development Company and Fidelity Savings, who then used the combination to create Sky Hy Ranch, Lafayette’s first-ever gated community.

Sky Hy Ranch Original Subdivision Map - 1970s Lafayette CA

Gayle Uilkema and her family were the first to buy in Sky Hy Ranch, purchasing the Hamlin House, the cornerstone of the new development. The original square sales brochure she kept is 1970s mustard brown and has a matching insert for Hamlin House (Sky Hy Ranch, lot #30) that displays the home’s floor plan on one side and describes key features on the reverse, starting with this introduction:

“The country estate of Judge Hamlin has been carefully restored to keep its original old world charm: pegged oak floors, beamed ceilings, beautiful grounds; yet offers all the modern conveniences. The home is shielded with full growth trees which adds to its basic privacy.”

The Hamlin House’s  “modern” 1970s conveniences included the developers’ pre-sale updates — new custom kitchen, landscaping, sprinkler system, updated pool systems, and zoned heating and air conditioning.

 

Sky Hy Ranch Original Sales Brochure 1970s Lafayette CA

“What’s fun about the brochure is the story it tells about the developers’ vision for Sky Hy Ranch,” says Lafayette Realtor Dana Green.

While the Uilkema family bought a finished home, the bulk of the Sky Hy Ranch sales would be builders buying land for spec homes. As a result, the brochure had to rely on the  reader’s imagination. Instead of photos, it’s peppered with architectural pen drawings depicting sun-filled open concept living spaces with clean-lined modern furniture.

“Sky Hy Ranch… a peninsula of classically beautiful homes,” the brochure reads.  “Travel a private drive, pass through a security gate, and discover a mountain top ringed with native oak. Continue on the winding road and note thirty exquisite homes carefully placed on the crown to take advantage of the spectacular views and the trees. You are eight minutes from the town of Lafayette… shops, BART, restaurants, theatres, excellent schools… you are in the world of Sky Hy Ranch.”

It was an imagined world that became a reality and an excellent backdrop for the Hamlin House’s second new beginning.

NOTE: The Hamlin House is currently listed for sale (670 Sky Hy Circle, Lafayette, CA) and will be open Sunday, April 14, 1-4pm. Questions? Contact Dana Green at Dana@DanaGreenTeam.com or 925.339.1918

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Lafayette House Hunters & History Buffs – Here’s Your Chance to See the Hamlin House

Written on April 8, 2013 by Robin S. Fox in Lafayette CA Homes for Sale, Lafayette Living

Sunday, as Dana Green’s Sneak Peek subscribers were opening their email alert announcing that Lafayette’s historic Hamlin House (670 Sky Hy Circle) was going to be on the market for the first time in nearly 40 years, Dana was opening the home’s door to let Ollie Hamlin, her friend and Lafayette Woodlands neighbor, in.

Ollie is the son of Federal Judge O.D. Hamlin, who originally commissioned this Spanish style custom home just prior to WWII.

Ollie has documented the interesting history of the Hamlin House for the Lafayette Historical Society (LHS), where he is a long time Board Member.  This history includes the years when Ollie was a youngster and his grandfather had a cabin on what was then a 200-acre parcel of land that had been in the Hamlin family since 1871.

By Ollie’s account, Judge Hamlin had visited Hearst Castle prior to building the house and been captivated by the views there so he chose to build his new house on the highest peak of the Hamlin property and then had it designed to maximize view potential.

Hamlin House, 670 Sky Hy Circle, Lafayette CA 1941 & 2013 - Ollie Hamlin

“Completed in 1941, the Hamlin House has features popular today that were considered modern back then, including a large outdoor entertainment area with a wood-burning fireplace, one of three original to the house,” says Dana. “The pool, cabana, and separate guest quarters that Hamlin added later are also among the kinds of features in demand by today’s home buyers.”

In 1972, Judge Hamlin sold the house and 45+ adjoining acres to Stekoll Development Corporation and Fidelity Savings, who used the combination to create Sky Hy Ranch, Lafayette’s first gated community. Varied builders bought land for spec housing. Meanwhile, Gayle Uilkema and her family bought the Hamlin House, the cornerstone of the new development.

Walking into the house on Sunday, Ollie immediately noticed the newly stained hardwood floors, fresh paint, updated furniture – and the missing rugs.

“The thing I remember is that Gayle had a prolific amount of Oriental rugs,” said Ollie, about his visit to the house several years back to attend an election party hosted by Gayle, who by then had become a well-respected local political figure.

We usually stage a home for sale to help buyers imagine what it would be like if they lived in it. For Ollie, staging cleared the way to inspire family memories, starting with furniture placement. Everything from a piano that sat in the nook by the front door and the game table in the corner of the living room, to dinner parties in the oversized dining room and books that lined the family bookcases.

Ollie, a 1942 Stanford graduate, was in college when his parents built the house, so most of his childhood memories of the Hamlin property pre-date the house. For a time, though, the bedroom with the en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet located off the hall between the dining room and the master bedroom was his room. Apparently, he shared the bathroom with a canine fraternity buddy from Stanford.

“Rudy was a pet down there and when I graduated no one wanted him, so I brought him home,” said Ollie, with a smile. “I’d wash him in the shower and then quickly throw him out the window so he wouldn’t get everything wet.”

There is one room in the house you can’t help but love — then and now.

“The library was everybody’s favorite,” said Ollie, as he walked towards the inviting paneled room just off the living room. It served as the Hamlin’s family room but could just as easily be used as an executive office. Its fireplace, built-ins and custom hexagon ceiling are original, as are the large windows, which now overlook the garden and pool. The wet bar with the Dutch door in the corner of the library was a popular spot for all ages, said Ollie, including all the kids who liked to spice their soft drinks with maraschino cherries.

The home’s original views were magnificent but Ollie explained that, with the house standing alone atop otherwise undeveloped land, the family decided to add some natural wind barriers.

“All the pine trees were planted from one gallon cans,” recalled Ollie.

Today, the Hamlin House sits in the heart of Sky Hy Ranch. In many ways the main house remains unchanged from 1941. The commanding views, however, no longer surround the home. What strikes a stronger chord are the beautiful window views of the varied gardens that embrace the house on all sides, and the paths that Gayle built to connect them, personally placing each paver.

Gardens around Hamlin House, Lafayette CA 2013

The house bears Judge Hamlin’s name. Always has, and likely always will. Each of us, though, makes a mark on the history of the homes we live in. Gayle’s legacy on the Hamlin House comes with a Zen-ful gardening touch.

The big question remains: What lucky family will move in next and what will their Hamlin House legacy become? One thing for sure, this home won’t stay on the market for long.

Says Dana:  “Given the penchant for people to buy and live in this house for long stretches of time, if you’ve ever wanted to see inside the Hamlin House, now is your moment.”

It’ll be open on Sunday, April 14, from 1pm – 4pm. Stop by!

 

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Coming Soon: Historic Hamlin House at 670 Sky Hy Circle, Lafayette

Written on April 7, 2013 by Dana Green Team in Lafayette CA Homes for Sale

Coming to the MLS Monday!

670 Sky Hy Circle, Lafayette, CA

 3 BD + executive study/3 BA, 3151 sq. ft. one story main house

PLUS a 1 BD/1 BA, 292 sq. ft. guest house & a 2 BD/.5 BA, 375 sq. ft. cabana.

Open Sunday, 4/14, 1 to 4 p.m.

www.670SkyHyCircle.com

HIstorica Judge O.D. Hamlin Home for Sale - Lafayette CA

This 1941 Lafayette estate originally served as the cornerstone for what is now known as Sky Hy Ranch. This custom, Spanish-style residence was originally built for Federal Judge O.D. Hamlin. This historical property is truly unique for the area and features classical architectural design rarely found in Contra Costa County.

The main residence is comprised of a 3 bedroom + executive study/3 bath, 3151 sq. ft. one story main house plus an attached 1 bedroom/1 bath, 292 sq. ft. guest house and a 2 bedroom/.5 bath, 375 sq. ft. cabana, all connected by covered esplanade. The rare, extremely large, flat lot on the top of a hill boasts extensive gardens and a pool as well as hilltop views of Lafayette.

Interior features of the main home include a grand living room with open-beamed ceiling and a stunning floor to ceiling progressively stacked brick fireplace, beautiful dark hardwood floors and amazing natural light through French doors and picture windows. Nearby, the octagonal executive library has a fireplace, built-in shelving and desk, and true wet bar. The expansive formal dining room attaches to a spacious kitchen, which includes a breakfast nook and walk-in pantry. The master retreat encompasses a walk-in closet, along with a separate changing room and closet, and bath with stall shower and tub. The two additional, large bedrooms each feature en suite full bathrooms, one with attached sitting room.

Located down a large private driveway, the property is quiet and set apart from neighbors. Exterior highlights include a covered dining patio with fireplace, large entertaining deck off kitchen with bench seating, meandering paths through enchanting gardens, mature Redwood and Magnolia trees, level lawn and pool. A Spanish tile roof complements the impressive exterior. In addition, there is an oversized 3-car garage with two attached storage/work rooms.

Sky Hy Ranch is a private gated community of 29 homes surrounded by rolling hills and grazing cattle. The neighborhood is known for its pristine setting, picture-perfect views, community greenbelt and mini-park. Conveniently located minutes from both downtown Lafayette and Rheem, it has easy access to shops, restaurants and commute routes, and feeds to award-winning Lafayette Elementary School, Stanley Middle School and Campolindo High School.

We encourage you to explore all that this one-of-a-kind home, property and neighborhood have to offer!

Offered at $1,599,000

Dana Green
Real Estate Advisor, GRI
925.339.1918
Dana@DanaGreenTeam.com
www.DanaGreenTeam.com
DRE# 01482454

Never miss Dana Green’s new listings, pocket listings or coming soons:

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About
Dana Green is an award winning Realtor. Born and raised in Lafayette, CA, she continues to live in Lafayette with her husband and children. This blog focuses on topics of interest to people who live in Lafayette and its neighboring cities -- from real estate to lifestyle. Please... join the conversation!

We welcome your comments, questions and opinions. If you'd like to talk more privately with Dana, you can reach her at
Dana@DanaGreenTeam
(925) 339-1918