Hillside Living in Mission Canyon

Address: 2725 Exeter Place 

Status: For Sale

Prices: $1,995,000

On paper, the two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house at 2725 Exeter Place sounds almost modest. When viewed from the street, its low profile doesn’t give much away. But step just one foot inside the front door, and you’ll see that this hillside home offers much more than either its stats or its exterior hint at. Like a good poker player with a winning hand, this home lives much larger than it initially appears.

Part of the key to this contemporary home’s magic is the way it hugs its hillside perch. It offers a tri-level layout that takes magnificent advantage of its panoramic views. From the expansive top-floor deck all the way down to the secret backyard garden hideaway, almost every corner of this property looks out over the city to the ocean and Channel Islands beyond, and all the way out to UC Santa Barbara.

The house was built in 1976 but was extensively renovated in 2011, and it has a newer, upscale aesthetic. When I visited last week, custom built-ins and designer finishes caught my eye in every room. Conveniences like air conditioning, a central vacuum system, a finished two-car garage, and an integrated sound system are just part of its list of amenities.

I walked through the front door into a great room with beamed ceilings high above and gorgeous hardwood floors below. The living room opens to the kitchen, which connects through to the dining room, making up the top floor of the home. All three areas focus on the view.

Stacking glass doors in both the living and dining room open out onto a huge deck that extends the living space outside. The kitchen sits in the center of this level and sports custom wood cabinetry, granite countertops, high-end appliances, and both a center island and a breakfast bar. A wall of windows above the sink looks out onto the deck and shares the glorious view.

The middle level of the house boasts a big family room. With a fireplace, wet bar, and sliding doors outside, this room feels destined to be a cozy, nest-like refuge.

A few more stairs lead down to the lower level. The master suite is a luxurious sanctuary with a private view deck and a custom walk-in closet. The master bath has a unique deep copper soaking tub, a beautiful stone shower, and French doors that open onto a private garden patio. The guest bedroom sits on the opposite end of this floor, next to a second full bath and a doorway onto yet another outdoor deck, this one with a big hot tub primed for sunset views.

After traversing the multiple levels of this home, and admiring the amenities both inside and out, I felt like I had seen plenty to admire. But a winding garden pathway caught my eye. I followed it past fruit trees and striking succulents down to a terraced lower level with raised planter beds and a tidy composting area.

In a secluded alcove at the bottom, I found a red-tile-roof-topped shelter holding a wooden garden swing. With its back to the house and yard, the swing looks out onto the same impressive view as above. This lovely garden perch, framed by huge birds of paradise and bougainvillea, is an unexpectedly sweet bonus to an already remarkable residence. Sitting there with the city view spread out before me on this sparkling spring day, I felt like I had truly hit the jackpot.

2725 Exeter Place is currently for sale in Santa Barbara, listed by Gamberdella + Timmerman of Village Properties Realtors. Reach Cara Gamberdella at (805) 680-3826 or cara@villagesite.com, and Erin Timmerman at (805) 689-9970 or etimmerman@villagesite.com.