Rocky Nook Cottage

Rustic Farmhouse in a Garden Setting

Address: 2729 Puesta del Sol

Status: On the market

Price: $1,225,000

My best friend Juli is a kindergarten teacher in San Diego. It takes a special blend of tenacity, empathy, patience, and creativity to teach kindergarten. If anyone deserves a vacation, it’s Juli and her fellow kinder teachers. Juli came to visit me during her spring break last week, and we dubbed our few days together a “wildflower weekend”, with plans to tour the poppies, lupine, and other flora in our local environs. But first, we took a detour to visit a couple of open houses. Not everyone gets a spring break, and Juli is a flexible staycation partner.

The house at 2729 Puesta del Sol sits halfway between the sleepy streets of San Roque and the boulder-studded beauty of Rocky Nook Park, with the Museum of Natural History as an almost-next-door neighbor. While its address is on Puesta del Sol, the home is actually perched at the corner of Las Encinas Road, a country-fied lane with oak trees arching above and split-rail fences denoting property lines. The house is aptly known as “Rocky Nook Cottage”, which fits because it shares the rustic feel of its proximate park.

We pulled into the long driveway and found ourselves in a secluded wonderland. The property is over a third of an acre, but it feels even larger. Winding pathways meander past groupings of succulents in a variety of garden areas. Adirondack chairs on one rock-lined patio invite visitors to sit and admire the surroundings, and tall trees form an overhead canopy that furthers the impression that you’ve entered a secret garden worlds away from civilization.

We followed a brick-lined pathway around to the front of the house. Before going in, we lingered at a picnic table situated in yet another garden area, this one a grassy zone with birds of paradise, agave, and a striking specimen of whimsical bearded cacti.

The rustic farmhouse, built in 1925, is bluish-gray with white trim. A cheery front porch invited us up its steps and through the wood-framed front door into the large living room that makes up the front of the house.

A fireplace on one wall might dominate the room were it not for a big picture window that looks out onto the front of the house. It perfectly frames the yard and brings the botanical wonderland inside. Hardwood floors and bright white walls give the room an expansive, airy feel.

The living room opens to the dining room and kitchen on the right side of the house. The kitchen is a symphony of textures, with slate flooring, wooden butcher block countertops, a ceramic farmhouse sink, stainless steel appliances, and a beautifully patterned tile backsplash. 

On the other side of the house, a hallway leads back to two bedrooms that share a full bathroom in between. A charming green bathtub makes an impression; a new owner will either love it or make it their first renovation project. I would definitely keep the tub and design around it. 

French doors from the back bedroom open out onto a private patio surrounded by a low wall. There’s also an oversized laundry room at the back of the house, which opens onto the yard and driveway, with the detached garage beyond. The garage offers opportunity for the future, with an approved ADU permit and plans just waiting for an enterprising new owner to get started.

Before leaving, Juli and I took one more walk around the property. Along the edge of the driveway, a birdhouse stands next to what can only be described as a grove of cacti. Some of the succulent’s spine-studded “hands” had grown into distinctive heart shapes, which seemed perfectly appropriate for these romantic grounds.

I noticed some purple flowering lupine nearby, and bright-orange poppies sprouting beside a boulder. Our wildflower weekend had already begun, and I had the feeling that no matter where else we wandered, we’d be unlikely to find anyplace as charming as the Rocky Nook Cottage.

2729 Puesta del Sol is currently on the market in Santa Barbara, listed by Michelle Cook of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Reach Michelle at 805-570-3183 or michelle@michellecook.com.