“Casa de Kelly” Showcase Follow-up

Official Designations: Hobbyist Friendly; Decent Bang for Your Buck; Excellent Location

The gates are new, one side still unhinged and in need of wiring. Suburban houses line the road, single digit numbers marching neatly above identical yards. Then suddenly it’s two hundred, following directly after two. The change in scenery is abrupt and extreme as well. One and two acre parcels sprawl as best they can, divided by wood post and wire fences. Behind the property, a tiny community church has just let out. Five cars come down the drive to leave; this is the extent of the weekend traffic. Another set of gates wait to be installed here as well. Gravel crunches as the car slips into the deep shade of eucalyptus trees and clumps of elephant ear plants. Welcome to Casa de Kelly.

The property really is quite beautiful. Upon entering, the house is to the immediate left, a tidy yard to the right. Pull in more and the barn is directly ahead. Down from it to the right is a turn-out, large enough to accommodate three horses if need be. There is a narrow walkway separating the turn-out from four pipe corrals, which are also wired for electricity if desired. The corrals are arranged into two single horse enclosures with a larger one on each end. These could hold two horses, but it would be tight. Towering eucalyptus trees give them almost complete shade. The barn is currently configured into two 12 by 12 stalls, a center walkway that connects by a ramp into the turn-out, a storage room and a tack/feed room. It is constructed from removable pieces and could be converted into as many as six stalls with relative ease. Removable flagstones form the floors in the breezeway and the storage room. The RV hookups are on the left hand side. Up a short incline, there is a wide open pad, the rear entrance to the property and, directly behind the house, the arena. This is approximately 70 by 90 feet. The width is more or less fixed, as a rock wall drops down to the house and the fence that encloses the property is opposite of that. You could make a long, narrow ring by extending out onto the nearby pad, but the land would have to be leveled somewhat. The promised “legal size jumping arena” would be an impossibility. A natural spring wells up on the slope leading to the upper pad, currently hidden behind another clump of plants.

The house opens first into a Spanish style patio, with barbeque pit and entrances to both sides of the enclosing house. The living room and kitchen are spacious with their high, exposed beam ceilings. There is a loft library up the stairs in the living room. The bedrooms are both quite small, but not uncomfortable. The bathrooms, however, border on cramped. The master bath is being remodeled and may have the first walk-in closet (there are two) made into a sauna room. The house is a bit like a warren in places, feeling tunnel-like in its closeness and wandering passages. Those 3000 ft. disappear quickly in this design. I personally liked it. It had character; it is no tract home. However, some are going to consider it a total loss if purchasing the property, so be warned. This is a love or hate house and those who hate it will have to factor remodeling or replacing it into the cost of purchase.

The current owner has been using it as a horse rescue facility and it seems well suited to that, provided it is a small operation. The sixteen horse occupancy was only possible when additional pipe corrals were set on the upper pad. I would estimate a ten horse maximum for the current configuration. The arena will never, in my opinion, be able to meet the needs of a professional trainer or competitor. There simply isn’t enough room. The landscaping is a bit strange, consisting of a couple isolated patches of shade plants. While the corrals are well-shaded, the turn-out could stand better cover.

And that is about all I can say to criticize Casa de Kelly. This is no home for a serious horse owner, it’s true, but this is ideal for a hobbyist, especially one with children or pets. There are speed bumps along the road and traffic is both rare and slow. The lawn could be ripped out to make room for more corrals, but it would also be very nice for family and dog use. If you have a child that has or wants a horse, this will be a lovely location. The ring is kid-sized and safe, the neighborhood is quiet and, according to the current owner, very accepting of the presence of horses, and there is Sequoia Middle School directly across Borchard Road from the entrance gates. If you want to offset the cost and have the time and energy to care for multiple horses, take on boarders to occupy some of the enclosures. There is one other possibility. According to the current owner, her neighbor would be willing to sell half an acre of his own land to be added to this one, since he cannot otherwise subdivide his lot. This would open up more potential for this lot but, of course, it means greater cost and it is not a guarantee. The owner would be able to explain this in greater detail and put you into contact with this neighbor.

Please be aware that the price has in fact dropped to $1,599,000 and the owner has expressed willingness to negotiate for a lower price if someone expresses strong interest. Everything I have described on the property comes attached to that price tag. Anyone who would like to keep the pipe corrals and other structures will be welcome to do so. If you have no use for them, the owner said she will be happy to transport them to her new location. If you think Casa de Kelly is your dream location, and I firmly believe that it could support an active horse lover who just wants a small, personal use setup, please visit http://150WKelly.sawitonline.com to contact the owner. There are other horse owners in the area and the prevailing sentiment is that it would be a shame to see this property used for anything but horses. I fully agree.