Creek And Comfort In Lafayette

This is a rare retreat where comfort, creek and canopy meet, in a world of shade and greenery near the heart of Lafayette. The home has been lovingly maintained and improved by its current owner for some 40 years, and it welcomes its next owner.

First, the comfort. Enter the grounds through either of two gates, and then into the house under jasmine climbing a pergola. The front door leads into a foyer under a beautiful chandelier over limestone floors. The kitchen lies just inside, featuring Miele, Bosch, and other elite appliances, a coffered ceiling with distinctive lighting, a granite island, a hidden television, a radiant-heating cooktop, two refrigerators, and custom cabinetry, all over white oak hardwoods. The family room alongside offers a television with sound bar and a Regency fireplace capable of heating the entire house. The adjacent formal dining room easily seats eight beneath a spectacular chandelier, and the living room, under an elevated sloping ceiling, features a Majestic gas fireplace and Caston speakers for one’s choice of music.

The home offers four bedrooms and two and one-half bathrooms. The principal suite shares its two-sided fireplace with the living room and has two walk-in closets, one spacious enough to accommodate any wardrobe. The en-suite bathroom features a four-head shower with forceful pressure, a Jacuzzi tub that fills in just 90 seconds, dual sinks, a wall heater, and timed fans. Three additional bedrooms share the same wing.

Work from home is easy in the well-appointed office. The laundry room, with Electrolux appliances, sits conveniently adjacent to the kitchen, and a nearby hall closet is plumbed for an additional washer-dryer.

Other features abound: seven HVAC units, just four years old, with individual room-by-room temperature control; low-maintenance copper rain gutters and fascia throughout; and an elevator shaft (not currently wired) leading to extensive storage space above.

Let’s return to the creek and canopy. A pathway leads from the front of the home past Coastal and California oaks, palms, willows, bays, buckeyes, pears, plums, and a noshi apple tree. A path follows Las Trampas Creek, home to ducks, egrets, and blue herons, with owls nesting across the way. A zipline and rope swing will thrill youngsters, and the ADU in the back yard can be configured as an office, yoga studio, or playhouse. A path leads to Burton Valley Elementary School, and Stanley Middle School lies directly down St. Mary’s Road, near the heart of Lafayette’s restaurants and shopping.

The tiled outdoor deck surely will be the focus for adult entertainment, adjoining a grassy play area, a pond with a water feature, a firepit, and a grill (with rotisserie and smoker) set into Arizona sandstone counters with a warming drawer and seating for four at the bar. Extensive garden lighting and a dining area easily seating six or more will make summer evenings incomparable.