Volume amid volume: Upscale home graces a casual neighborhood

Address: 3585 Morgantown Road
Neighborhood: Ivy
Asking: $649,000
Assessment: $607,000
Year Built: 1990
Size:  5,997 finished sq. ft., 600 unfinished sq. ft.
Land:  2.01 acres
Curb Appeal: 8 out of 10
Listing Agent: Deborah Rutter, Nest Realty - 434-996-2142

This is a big house. Nearly 6,000 finished square feet with 6 bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths may not qualify as big by California standards, but for a house on Morgantown Road, which was part of the main east-west thoroughfare until the Depression, it’s pretty darn big.

A brick walkway leads to the front entry, which opens onto a wide foyer with a staircase immediately to the right. Just beyond, the house widens and offers several avenues of exploration. To the left, there’s an open dining area and a hallway leading toward the back of the home. To the right, a cozy den and a showstopper of a kitchen. Dead ahead, there’s a spacious living room with a beamed ceiling and oversized glass doors opening onto a multi-tiered deck.

It’s hard to know where to start, but the siren call of the kitchen with its cherry cabinets, tile backsplash, Bosch appliances and Sub-Zero fridge is too hard to resist. Custom-built hutches flank the room, hand-made glass accents the cabinets, and stained glass lights hanging over the granite-topped island lend an artsy tone. An eat-in dining area, a built-in desk and an attached mudroom finish out the space while a large French door leads to the tri-level deck.

The original master bedroom and attached bath lie on the opposite side of the home, providing a private suite for visiting guests. A spacious home office and a second master suite with a vaulted ceiling, dressing area, and attached bath significantly increased the living space when they were added.

Upstairs, twin hallways lead to two bedrooms and a full bath along each side of the house, and there is ample storage in closets as well as in two floored attic spaces.

Downstairs, there’s an oversized, attached two-car garage, a workshop and a storage area, both with pegboard aplenty, and a flex space that would function ideally as a home office, just in case the one upstairs isn’t enough. An exercise room, full bath, laundry hookups, and a huge family room would translate well into a comfortable in-law suite (or space for kids who move back home after college).

Most rooms on the main level access the expansive rear deck and terrace, and rightly so. Encompassing approximately 500 square feet, the multi-level structure includes a fire pit, a stone fountain, and loads of room for outdoor entertaining. The two-acre yard slopes down toward the railroad tracks in the back and offers plenty of space for fenced gardens, a playset, and a storage shed. 

There’s not much to dislike here. The finishes are top-notch: there’s a great balance between indoor and outdoor living spaces, and there’s nothing to complain about in terms of either living or storage areas.

So what’s the downside?

Primarily, the location. The house is sandwiched between Morgantown Road and the train tracks. The railroad is shielded by a depression that helps muffle the noise, but there’s still no escaping the presence of passing trains. And though the house is priced accordingly– it’s the lowest listing price among comparably-sized homes currently available in the Murray Elementary district– it still occupies a tough price range, one that’s not only rife with competition, but also well beyond the $229,000 median home price reported for our area.
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