$2.2 Million Homes in California

Santa Monica | $2.199 Million

A 2017 townhouse with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot

This house and the neighboring unit that shares a wall with it were designed by Kevin Daly, an architect whose work includes educational and residential buildings around Los Angeles. Mr. Daly’s goal was to reimagine the townhouse, focusing on access to the outdoors and bringing an abundance of natural light into every room.

The property is in the Sunset Park section of Santa Monica, a few blocks from the shops and services of Lincoln Boulevard and less than half a mile from Santa Monica College, a community college with some 30,000 students.

Size: 2,375 square feet

Price per square foot: $926

Indoors: A gate separates the home’s private walkway from the street, with a bamboo-lined path leading to the front door.

To the right of the foyer is a living room with high ceilings, large windows that open electronically and wide glass doors that slide open to a patio. The floors on this level are granite, to keep the living spaces cool.

To the left of the front door is an open kitchen with stainless steel countertops and appliances, including a Wolf range, and custom-designed maple cabinets. The kitchen is open to a dining area that faces more glass doors to the patio.

From this part of the house, a long hallway extends to a guest room that also has access to the patio, making it possible to move from this wing of the house to the other using an indoor or outdoor pathway. Next door to the bedroom is a full bathroom with a curbless shower and a marble-topped vanity.

Open stairs, made from maple, rise from the foyer to the second level, where the floors are cork, with radiant heating powered by the solar panels on the roof. At the top of the landing is a guest room; next door is a bathroom with a combination tub and shower.

The hallway extends to the back of the house, with the primary suite at the far end. The bedroom has a walk-in closet with custom shelving; the en suite bathroom has a glass-walled shower with a frosted window that reveals a glimpse of the property’s trees. Also on this level are an office and an open den area overlooking the patio.

Outdoor space: The lot is private, with mature bamboo plants lining the fence and a patio tucked between the two wings of the house, with space for a dining table or a firepit. A smaller outdoor seating area is just behind the main gate. A covered carport is attached to the house, as is a secure storage area.

Taxes: $27,492 (estimated), plus a $359 monthly homeowner association fee

Contact: Brian Maser, Maser Condo Sales, 310-795-8010; masercondosales.com

Piedmont | $2.15 Million

A 1925 Mediterranean-style house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot

This home includes a feature greatly prized in the Bay Area: an accessory dwelling unit with its own entrance, as well as interior stairs connecting it to the main house, so it could be used as additional living space or rented for income.

The house is a few blocks from Grand Avenue, one of Piedmont’s main drags, and is within walking distance of a grocery store, hardware store and garden store. The Morcom Rose Garden, a municipal garden planted in the 1920s, with more than 6,000 rose bushes, is about 10 minutes away on foot.

Size: 2,390 square feet

Price per square foot: $900

Indoors: Several flights of stairs lead from the sidewalk to the front entrance. The living room is to the left of the entry, with hardwood floors, a street-facing arched window that stretches nearly to the ceiling and a fireplace with a minimalist white mantel and black-tile hearth.

The hardwood floors continue into an adjoining dining room and kitchen, slightly elevated from the living room. In the kitchen, the sellers added new appliances and a center island with a farmhouse-style sink. Windows running along one side of the room face the garden, and double glass doors open to a patio.

A door in the dining room separates the living spaces from the bedroom wing, which includes a guest room opposite a bathroom with a tub and Spanish-tile floors, and two more bedrooms at the end of the hall: another guest room and the primary suite, which has garden-facing windows and a bathroom upgraded with a walk-in shower and a double vanity.

Steps lead from the middle of the hallway down to a bonus room with outdoor access and to the accessory dwelling unit, which includes one bedroom, a full bathroom and a kitchenette with a sink and a mini-refrigerator.

Outdoor space: A brick patio off the kitchen is shaded by a pergola. A set of stone steps leads from there up to a backyard with a lawn flat enough to hold play equipment and a garden lining the perimeter. At one end of the yard is a second brick patio, with ivy wrapping around one of its low walls. The attached garage holds one car.

Taxes: $26,880 (estimated)

Contact: Helene Barkin, Compass, 510-331-1122; compass.com

Dana Point | $2.2 Million

A three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom house built in 1989, in a gated community

The beach is a major draw in this part of Orange County, and this property is within walking distance of it. Also nearby is Heritage Park, which has picnic facilities and a dog park with ocean views. The Lantern District, on Pacific Coast Highway, is less than a five-minute drive and includes gastro pubs and surf shops.

Los Angeles and San Diego are about an hour and 20 minutes away in opposite directions. John Wayne Airport is a 30-minute drive.

Size: 3,587 square feet

Price per square foot: $613

Indoors: The house has two entry points: the garage, on the lowest level, and the front door, up a short flight of exterior stairs. The foyer has a circular skylight and a winding staircase that connects to the level below.

The living room, off the foyer, has vaulted ceilings, neutral carpet and a fireplace with a stone surround. The carpet continues into an adjoining family room with a seating area oriented around a row of street-facing windows. This part of the house is open to a sunny breakfast area with a built-in desk and wine refrigerator facing glass doors that open to a deck with ocean views.

A granite-topped bar with space for seating separates the breakfast area from a kitchen with dual ranges and a center island. Beyond the kitchen is a dining room with a small balcony on one side and a half bathroom on the other.

One guest room is just off the front door, with an en suite bathroom that includes a soaking tub and separate shower. A second guest room is on the lower level, with another en suite bathroom, as well as a private patio.

The primary suite is also on the lower level, with a granite fireplace that separates the sleeping area from a deep soaking tub framed by a bay of windows. This suite has access to two outdoor spaces: one off the bedroom and the other off the dressing area.

Outdoor space: The main deck, off the family room and breakfast area, has plenty of room for chairs and a table. The other patios are all big enough to hold a small cafe table and chairs. The community’s amenities include a swimming pool that is a short walk away. The two-car garage on the lowest level of the house has a dumbwaiter that could be converted to an elevator.

Taxes: $27,504 (estimated), plus a $945 monthly homeowner association fee

Contact: Erin Valovich, Coldwell Banker Realty, 949-292-9352; coldwellbanker.com

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