CUSTOM-DESIGNED MULTI-USE QUINCHO-STYLE LODGE
A new 1,870 square-foot multi-use thatched-roof lodge with 2,640 square
feet of living space is in the final stages of completion. Designed to function
as a retreat center, or turned into a personal home, the two-bathroom lodge
with kitchen, laundry and sleeping facilities can accommodate large groups or
serve equally well for small intimate gatherings seeking a peaceful getaway.
Twenty feet in height, the building includes a second floor balcony loft
area for sleeping or dining, perched above a pentagon-shaped raised floor
which looks out through generous windows over a shaded park and orchard.
SIX-BEDROOM, 3 BATH HOME . . . BED & BREAKFAST POTENTIAL
The well-maintained main house has six bedrooms and three baths with
two separate entrances for privacy. The home is enhanced by log
beams above a spacious living and dining area, where directional
lighting serves to highlight artwork and create a soft cozy ambience
alongside the fireplace and wood-stove. The home has served as
a retreat for artist workshops, and can function as a bed-and-breakfast
or farm-stay experience without alteration.
LARGE 1930s PRESERVED ADOBE BUILDING & NEW WORKSHOP
A new brick 900-square-foot workshop has a secure 130-square-foot
storage area for tools and supplies. A good-sized adobe building
with a 16-foot ceiling, electric service, 700-square-feet of space, has
been preserved from the 1930s. It is situated near the main house under
towering eucalyptus trees. This sturdy structure has been used for
wine-making and fruit-bottling, and has room for vehicle parking. The
workshop was built to free up this building so it could more easily converted
into a small winery, fruit-processing facility, turned into a wine-tasting
room with restaurant, or used for additional lodging.
LOVELY WINDMILL & NATURE PARK AREA
A functioning windmill pours water into a raised holding pool that's
used for cool summer dips and which provides cascading water flow
into a new 50x30-foot lily pond which is under installation. Flowers
and ornamental shrubs are spread throughout the park area, and hundeds
of wild asparagus plants shoot up along the canals in spring. The park,
lodge and main house are surrounded by sprawling vineyard and orchard,
with tall poplars lining the perimeter of the property.
25 ACRES OF VINEYARD, PLUS ORCHARD & OLIVES
There are 25 acres of wine grapes, including about 11 acres of table
wine grapes, 3 acres of bonarda, 3 acres of syrah and 5 acres of malbec
fine wine grapes. About 3 acres of grapes are under netting, with another
9 acres ready to go. There are 30 plum trees in good production, another
1,000 new plums recently planted, 4 large old olive trees which they used
to cure their own olives, 50 new olive trees and 100 new mixed
fruit trees (mostly peaches).
Grape harvest from 2008 totaled just under 90,000 kilos, according to
figures verified by the Wine Institute. This represents 80 percent more grapes
than in 2006. The vineyard can be expected to continue producing increasingly
higher totals of grapes over the next three consecutive years.
The property also has mature peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums,
cherries, pears, apples, walnuts, quince, almonds and some blueberry plants.
The couple made their own wine on the finca (licensed by the wine
institute) and produced an assortment of jams, jellies and other products
from the fruit trees on the property.
MORE DETAILS:
The house -- totalling about 2,800 square feet -- is divided into two
sections, to accommodate guests, and has six bedrooms and three bathrooms,
an office, a cellar, a kitchen, pantry, and a dining room which accommodates
up to 25 guests. There is an additional 400-square-foot patio gallery under
cover that has also been used for dinner parties, etc. The house includes
some nice touches, such as hand-painted artwork on kitchen cabinets and on
various walls, and an interior design reflecting the artist's passion
for vivid colors and liveliness.
The farm includes a tractor with implements, and there are 10 acres of fallow
land that could be put into further production, and 5,000 poplar trees for
windbreak and beauty that have been strategically planted over the past 3 years.
Located in a quiet section of La Llave Sur with almost no traffic, about
22 miles from San Rafael, the farm has electric, a well and Direct TV.
There are full water irrigation rights attached to the deed, which run
through the finca from government-controlled irrigation canals.
Satellite Internet has recently been installed, making this farm suitable for
running a home business, etc. |
