View of Healdsburg and Fitch Mountain

This is an unusually good time to be shopping for land and ranches in Dry Creek Valley and other areas around Healdsburg.  Most times in the past three decades you would only have one or two pieces to choose from, and most of those would be the picked over properties that were lacking water, perc, or charm…or all three.  Today’s selections include some rugged hillside property suited for a secluded getaway, but they also include plantable vineyard land, vineyards, estate homes, and wonderful view acreage overlooking Healdsburg.

Will Rogers’ comment about “…not making any more land.” referred to coastal property, but Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Valley wine country comes close to coastal land in terms of desirability, uniqueness, and limited supply. If you have given any thought to a home in the wine country, this may be the best opportunity in a long time.

I just listed a property on the mountain with superb sun and nice river views. The blue circle on the photo to the right shows the house’s location with south being towards the bottom of the image and the river flowing from the north east towards the west. The river views from the house are westerly.

The house itself is right at the borderline of fixability. People may legitimately differ on whether the house should be torn down and built from scratch or repaired and upgraded.

The reality is that Sonoma County septic and construction guidelines will have more to do with how the new vs. remodel question gets answered than the actual situation might dictate. The single most important question that has to be addressed is the septic issue. There is no sewer service available on Fitch Mountain, and almost none of the existing residences could meet new code requirements for Class One septic systems. The current waste disposal systems exist and are maintained as well as they can be and are tolerated by the County as non-conforming.

Whether a home that has been unlived-in and red-tagged by the county will be tolerated without the upgrade to a Class One septic system is an open question. Potential buyers will have to hire septic system experts to analyze the site and negotiate with the county. Once that question has been answered, new owners can choose whether to build new or rebuild a home that sun lovers can appreciate.

Small details matter to me. This place is filled with deft touches that indicate a deep affection for doing things right. The picture you’re looking at might be hard to make out, so feel free to click on it to see the larger view. What you are seeing is a gently curved piece of wood that serves as a bridge at the pond. Wood has the potential to be very slippery when it’s wet, and the builder has taken the time to carefully insert metal bumps to provide traction. It’s subtle and almost invisible when you’re walking, but it represents a care that is echoed elsewhere on the property.

At the same bridge, there is a lovely railing detail with a curved copper hand cleanly attached to the post. The two side rails are close enough to provide a secure feeling when crossing the bridge and are big enough to feel comfortable in the hand and look correct in the scale of the garden and pond. Again, just the right touch of design sense, choice of materials, and execution to be a fine detail.

The entry courtyard, home of the cactus in the first picture, is also graced with nice details. In addition to the diamond plate cactus, there’s a multi-tiered fountain, and a second small piece of metal art to the left of the gate and a host of fruit trees and flowers. The gate itself has two wooden swinging doors and a bell in the opening in the door that has a melodious gong sound to announce visitors. The whole thing is topped with an exuberant potato vine in a pretty arch. Details make the difference on this Sonoma County Russian River valley parcel.

I’ve looked at the condos at the Grove (just across the street), and they’re very nicely done and brand new, but with prices starting at around $615,000 they’re not a weekend getaway place for everyone. I still think they represent an excellent value, but after seeing what $399,000 to $449,000 can buy at Foss Creek Villas I know where I would buy my Healdsburg getaway place. The $300,000 you save buys an awful lot of great dinners at Cyrus and Dry Creek Kitchen, and that’s one of the main reasons you want to spend your spare time in Healdsburg anyway.

The two bedroom, two bath Foss Creek Villas have been totally redone with new interiors, great landscaping, and garages for the first 25 buyers. The kitchens are high quality with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances and the finishes throughout are very nice quality. You can find a lot more detail and the full sales pitch at the condo web site, but I wanted to mention the project here just to let my readers know that you can still find excellent real estate values in Healdsburg. I don’t know of any place along the 101 corridor from Sonoma County to San Jose where you can be so close to so many good restaurants for well under $500,000. For the real bargain hunters, Ed told me that two units are being sold for only $399,000.

Of course, these places aren’t just for weekend visitors. This is a great location for anyone working downtown, in any of the Foss Circle business condos, or at the Parkpoint Health Club which is just across the street. It’s hard to get more convenient than this.

As a last word, I think the landscaping people have done a great job. Next time you’re in the area, stop by for a look and say hello to Ed for me.

UPDATED: Corrected web link.

Healdsburg’s Growth Management Program mandates an average of 30 new homes per year. For the past several years, that program has funneled growth into Area A, in the northern part of Healdsburg. Part of the planning was to encourage diversity of style, and that has turned out to be as architecturally interesting as was hoped for when residential development was encouraged in this small, hilly neighborhood.

Almost half of the lots in Area A have been built on, and the Clear Ridge subdivision, which was the first to start building, is looking quite complete. There’s a strong Mediterranean feel in general in this neighborhood, but there’s been a lot experimentation with roofs, wall textures and materials, and styles.

The amount of experimentation is very interesting in itself, and the end result of all the variation adds to the charm and visual interest in these view-rich homes.

At the foot of Clear Ridge Drive where it intersects Poppy Hill a new house is nearing completion that is a beautiful example of the designer’s vision. Stone foundations with natural wood siding and copper flashing and gutters are traditional elements that are used to great effect by the designer. The repetitive roof planes and eaves are beautiful. For my taste, this is one of the most elegant and timeless houses in Healdsburg.

If you have some time on one of these harvest weekends, have a drive through this area to see what’s going on. We do have a couple of buildable lots for sale if you think you might like to live in the neighborhood.

The Barn Diva walking entrance features a thick, square-cornered stone wall entry capped by plants flanking either side. Unlike the continuous hedge in the stone wall from the Armstrong Woods area, these accent plants highlight the entry, but don’t block the view of the restaurant or courtyard from passersby. The wall is a comfortable height for seated privacy in the courtyard, but isn’t a visual barrier to the doors and windows of the restaurant. There is an iron gate that is closed in this photo, and the restaurant was closed as well. The gate serves as a convenient way to indicate the availability of service. Menus and hours of operation are posted on the wall along the sidewalk for the convenience of the public.

Farther down the road is a driveway for Barn Diva accented by a taller iron gate, more appropriate to vehicles than people. The gate is set into the same thick stone wall but is large enough to physically block access to people and vehicles. Behind the gate you can see the vertical landscape elements that pick up the vertical siding on the architecturally interesting Barn Diva building.

Both of these entrances serve commercial establishments well. They are open and inviting when required, and closeable, but not intimidating, when their businesses aren’t open. All of the entrances we’ve looked at feature smart planting to emphasize “doorness” in their walls with plant materials that include flowers, hedge materials, and trees. Let me know if you see a great entrance in your neighborhood.

If you are interested in country property and decide to follow Levi’s path up the hill, there are a couple of interesting parcels that Eric Drew from Healdsburg Sotheby’s Inernational Realty has available today.

5745 Pine Flat Rd is just a few minutes from Jim Town Store near the beginning of Pine Flat Road. It is a 52 ac home site for $1.45M (with water and perc) with a storage/workshop and an abandoned olive orchard. For a big photo gallery, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/ericdrew/5745PineFlatRd

The second intriguing land value is just under a square mile of property near the end of Levi’s training ride. It’s 620 acres on Pine Flat Rd about 25 minutes from Jim Town Store and about 30 min to Healdsburg. This very large parcel made up of seven separate AP numbers is priced at $1,595,000. It includes a hunting cabin, good springs, and electricity supplied by the Geysers. I’ve got a nice 4 MB pdf file about this property that I’m happy to send if you drop me an email. The thing to keep in mind about this land is the spectacular views and privacy. It takes a good half an hour to get here, but the road is paved all the way. This is remote, but not inaccessible.

I also want to let you know that for Healdsburg’s 150th birthday celebration a few weeks ago, Daniel Drew reprinted a historic book about a trip to the Geysers in around 1870. It’s a fascinating account of the times and the Geysers when they were one of the natural wonders of the world. I’ll be happy to send you a copy if you ask for one.

On the positive side of the ledger, she is now in the hands of someone who wants to sell. The house is on a very big lot and the potential to subdivide the lot can help underwrite the high initial cost of purchase and rehab. I am eager to help a restoration-minded buyer acquire this landmark property.