Tahoe luxury properties combine rustic with ornate

By Linda Fine Conaboy

Who doesn’t enjoy a day at Lake Tahoe? And who would balk at combining that day with a specially-prepared lunch at a multi-million dollar home in a setting so beautiful it could quite conceivably cause you to catch your breath? Oh, and throw in a jaw-dropping Lake Tahoe summer’s day, and you’ve got yourself a ticket to paradise.

Lake Tahoe News was recently invited to participate in Chase International’s annual home tour showcasing 26 luxury properties peppering the circumference of the lake. On this perfect summer day, the most difficult part of the trip was deciding which homes to tour and which ones would need be left to just the imagination.

Our journey began in Glenbrook at a home located at 1868 Glenbrook House Road, listed for $4,950,000. The toughest part of the Glenbrook portion of the tour was finding the targeted homes and then locating a parking spot—there were lots of people with paperwork in hand, making their way to and from the properties, all vying for limited parking space.

The outstanding feature of the Glenbrook House Road abode was not to be found inside, but rather outside, in the form of Shakespeare Rock. Realtor Susan Clemons described it as the prime geological feature of Glenbrook—besides Lake Tahoe, she added.

Shakespeare Rock sits directly south of Glenbrook and was named by a woman who in 1862 was sketching mountain backdrops. She claimed the rock offered a close approximation of William Shakespeare carved into its lichen-covered face. Now, it’s a favorite of hikers and rock climbers.

The home’s builder seemed to be enthralled with the rock’s grandeur too, incorporating views of it into nearly every south-facing window. The tall front door is so situated that its casing offers a perfect frame for the rock’s overwhelming majesty.

In the living room, the rock looms through the three-story picture window. “In the afternoon, when the sun sets, Shakespeare Rock glows,” Clemons told Lake Tahoe News.

Wide plank flooring gives this home the feel of “old Tahoe,” but the appointments within remind one that this is not really old at all, but perfectly appointed proffering the latest amenities available. For example, there’s a huge natural stone fireplace in the living room that offers a taste of rusticity, but the modern, sleek kitchen, highlighted by a very large Viking gas stove and stainless steel appliances by Miele and Subzero, surrounded by grey and black counter tops, all point to the fact that this is a modern house—with outstanding views.

The dining room, kitchen and some of the bedrooms upstairs all view a terraced backyard that leads to the forest beyond. Elevator access originates at the lower garage level and services the entire home.

In the master bedroom on the ground floor, stands a closet large enough to accommodate both mom and dad, backlit by twin multi-paned windows. The giant floor-to-ceiling shower, his and hers sinks, a commode with both a bidet and a toilet and a deep, jetted tub topped with a television, allow the inhabitants a comfortable life style.

Glenbrook provides homeowners a sandy beach, a buoy field with valet service, a community park, gated and guarded entry and hiking trail access. This home includes a golf membership with an accepted offer with the understanding that the buyer pays the $15,000 transfer fee.

Glenbrook also played host to the second home we chose to tour—at 202 Pine Tree Lane called Horseshoe Lodge at Glenbrook. This beauty is a horse lover’s delight with a fully-fenced equestrian pasture occupying a portion of its 11.46 acres.

With six bedrooms, seven baths, two half-baths, a five-car garage, a separate and private club house, a large lap pool with a detached spa, this house can be purchased for $9,980,000. Taxes are $26,795.

The very private setting is even more so because it borders Forest Service lands and is accessed through a gate-guarded private drive.

The home has been on the market less than two weeks, Cliff Chase, the listing agent said.

“Everyone who lives here has the option to join Glenbrook Golf Club, the oldest course in Nevada. It was built in 1926,” Chase said. “The setting is exceedingly private, which is so unusual for Lake Tahoe. It’s a private retreat, if you will. Horses are OK here, which is also rare at the lake. And the views are A-plus,” he said, pointing to the stunning expanse of Lake Tahoe, available from all south-facing rooms in the home.

“Additionally, the tennis court is so big, you could land a helicopter on it.”

Scoping out beautiful abodes creates an appetite, and fortunately, a gourmet lunch was available at Clear Creek Tahoe’s beach retreat, at 853 Stateline, close to Edgewood golf course. Access to this grass and sand beach and club house is available to all who purchase a home in the growing community of Clear Creek Tahoe, located on the eastern slope of the Carson Range. Clear Creek encompasses just over 2,000 acres surrounded by national forest land.

Craig Cibulsky, a Chase Realtor, explained there are close to 400 available lots, with 171 in the development’s first phase. “Just under 40 percent are sold,” he said. “The cottage lots are one-third to about 2 acres, while estate lots vary in size from one-half acre to close to 5 acres.”

He also said that purchasing a lot gets you social membership opportunities excluding access to the golf course, unless you purchase golfing privileges.

After an excellent lunch, it was on to the beautiful beachfront abode at 3115 Jameson Beach, selling for $6,750,000 and represented by Robert Stiles.

This is a unique property in that it is fronted by an unimposing two-story guest home out front, with the grand house sitting on the beach. The private, gated pier is 100 feet in length and features access to two buoys. Stiles explained that the property has been for sale for almost two years.

In total, the two residences are 6,234 square feet on about 1 acre of land. The two homes were constructed in 1991, with remodeling of the main residence taking place in 2014. Lake frontage totals 125 feet and access to the property is private through a gate on the road.

Vaulted ceilings in the main home, which is 4,796 square feet, add depth and glamour to the place. There are three ensuite bedrooms, a family room and a chef’s kitchen with a Viking range. The five-car garage even has room for the boat.

And finally, biding adieu to the East and South Shores, we found ourselves in Homewood, touring a magnificently large home with so many extras, it’s difficult to recap them all.

Starting with an amazing 100 feet of pristine shoreline, this old-style Tahoe house is on the market for $19,950,000. What else do you get for nearly $20 million? How about four buoys, a shared pier, a lakeside gas fire pit and a lush lawn bordered by many old-growth cedars.

That’s just for starters. The dining room sports 20-feet of folding glass doors, overlooking the lake. A culinary artist would love the open kitchen as well as the radiant heat throughout. Then there’s the stately granite boulder fireplace. In fact, granite plays a large roll in this home’s exterior as well as the interior.

It was constructed by Tahoe’s Bruce Olson in 2009 with architectural design provided by his daughter and son-in-law who own the firm of Olson-Olson. The home is constructed on a double lot. All of the unique furnishings and art works will remain with the property; all except for some of the owners’ favorite pieces of art.

The wood plank flooring was imported from France and the large downstairs bar top is of solid pewter. The four bedrooms downstairs all face the lake and are reminiscent of old Tahoe-style bedrooms in that they are small and intimate rather than large and impersonal.

In a small library room downstairs with a double-sided rock fireplace, is a Sherlock Holmes door—a hidden door on swivels masked by library shelves full of books. This leads to the corkage room where there’s room for myriad bottles of wine, all temperature controlled according to their contents.

In the mechanical room towers a huge array of equipment used to control the sound throughout the home. Even the dock has its own sound control box. And at this lower level is a mother-in-law unit with a fully functioning kitchen.

This home first went on the market last year with an asking price of $24 million. Judging from the substantial price reduction, Realtor Kelli Landman allowed as how the owners are now quite motivated to sell.

While we were able to only preview a few of the 26 homes on the tour, it goes without saying, that the others must be equally spectacular.