This 40-acre parcel is nestled amongst the mountains of the Rose Valley recreational area in the Los Padres National Forest.
With exceptional mountain views, mostly usable land, and a beautiful, natural setting, this secluded retreat offers an ideal location for a private ranch or weekend getaway. Historically known as the Gore property and once home to the Mountain Sweet natural spring water company, this versatile property has been used for a family-owned bottled water operation, dry farming Sudan grass and barley for cattle feed, and growing organic snow peas, onions, garlic and other root vegetables to sell to local restaurants. Rose Valley offers a unique, simpler way of life for folks looking to get away from the city and enjoy a slower-paced lifestyle. Build your dream home, create an off-grid retreat or simply keep the property as is to enjoy rustic camping in the country with your family and friends. Visit the property information page for more photos, or contact Nora to visit the property.
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This East Ventura home offers easy access to shops, restaurants, schools, parks, and the freeway and features several updates completed in 2022, including carpet in the living room and bedrooms, interior paint, ceramic cooktop, and the primary bathroom.
In the living room, a brick fireplace creates a cozy space to gather, while the breakfast bar between the dining room and kitchen is a great spot for homework or for guests to chat while you put the finishing touches on dinner. The kitchen also features tile counters, abundant cabinets, a garden window, and a door to the attached, two-car garage for easily bringing in groceries or loading your car. All the bedrooms have large closets, and there is also a coat closet in the entry and a linen closet in the hallway for additional storage. Access the backyard through a sliding door in the living room or French doors in the dining room to enjoy a large patio and grass area with space for a garden, fruit trees, a dog run, or play area. Visit the property information page for more photos and information about this East Ventura home for sale, or contact Nora Davis today to schedule a tour. Bike to the beach, cafes, and shops from this charming 1950 bungalow on a corner lot in Midtown Ventura.
This quaint California cottage features original hardwood floors, natural light from large windows, an updated kitchen and bathroom, and large closets and ceiling fans in each of the three bedrooms. The galley kitchen has two garden windows for your herbs or succulents, as well as a door to a screened porch with built-in benches for enjoying the ocean breeze or expanding your container garden even more. In the fenced backyard, there is a brick fireplace, wood deck, lawn area, covered porch off the one-car garage, and a concrete patio that could be used for storage, entertaining, or to expand your parking options. There is also room for a play area, fruit trees, or garden. In the front yard, enjoy mountain views from the shade of mature trees as you wave to neighbors in this popular neighborhood of unique homes just minutes from the freeway, beach, and all that Ventura has to offer. For more photos and information about this Ventura home for sale, visit the property information page. Living in California means treating the entire year as one big fire season. Weed abatement and tree trimming should be regular activities and choosing fire-resistant plants for landscaping should just be the norm at this point. However, as we now that we are well into the official fire season, it is a good reminder to take a look at our defensible spaces and ways to harden our homes against potential wildfires. As the drought worsens and increases the risk for wildfires to spread quickly, reducing the potential for wildfires and limiting the spread of fires as much as possible is even more important. If we reduce the spread of fire, we reduce the amount of water needed to fight that fire. While there is no way to make your home completely fireproof or to create an impenetrable firebreak around your property, there are things we can all do to reduce the risk of losing our homes to fire. Here are six home-hardening options to get you started. 1. Follow weed abatement and Fire Hazard Reduction Program (FHRP) guidelines. Okay, you don’t have much choice here. If you are one of the many property owners in Ojai or Oak View who get an annual notice from the fire department reminding you to abate fire hazards on your property and you don’t do it, they will send a contractor to complete the work, and then send you the bill with an added administration fee. This means the abatement is going to happen one way or another, but you can avoid the additional fees and make sure your home is safer from wildfires as soon as possible by taking care of this yourself and maintaining your defensible space throughout the year. 2. Clean your gutters and your roof. We have all heard about homes that are lost due to windblown embers igniting the roof. The thing folks often do not think about is that it does not always matter what kind of roof you have. Fire-resistant roofing materials, such as tile, composition, cement shingle, or metal, are an important part of keeping your home safer from fires, but simply having a roof made from these materials is not enough. If your roof is littered with dry, flammable debris or your gutters are filled with dead leaves, these materials can ignite and increase the risk of losing your home to wildfire. Keep your roof and gutters clear of debris to reduce this risk. 3. Store firewood away from structures and vegetation. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), you should stack your firewood at least 30 feet from structures. Additionally, CAL FIRE recommends maintaining a 10-foot, vegetation-free area around your firewood storage. 4. Choose drought-tolerant, fire-resistant plants. Water conservation efforts can make it more difficult to keep vegetation green and reduce flammability, so it might be time to consider replacing water-loving plants with native, drought-tolerant plants that thrive with little water. There are no plants that are truly fireproof, but there are many that are fire resistant. As part of the FHRP, the Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides their Plant Reference Guide to assist homeowners in choosing plants. The guide provides information on common ornamentals used in landscaping, including plants that should be avoided. The guide also includes information on each variety’s drought tolerance, which can help you find the best options for saving water and creating a beautiful yard that is fire resistant. You will also want to refer to VCFD Standard 515 – Defensible Space and Fuel Modification Zones for spacing and maintenance requirements, as well as Guideline 410 – Prohibited Plant List to find out which plants and trees are prohibited in new required defensible spaces and fuel modification zones. The publication also encourages homeowners to remove these plants and trees from existing defensible spaces. You might be surprised at some of the trees on this list that are commonly found near structures here, such as olive and pepper trees, so this list is worth a look. These publications can be found on the Ventura County Fire Department website at VCFD.org. 5. Choose fire-resistant patio furniture, cushions, and covers. Whenever possible, choose patio furniture and textiles that are fire resistant. Unfortunately, this means avoiding some popular options, such as wood or wicker furniture and doormats and outdoor rugs made from natural fibers. Instead, choose options that are less flammable, such as rubber or metal doormats, metal furniture, and flame-retardant fabrics for cushions, awnings, and umbrellas. 6. Look for places where flammable materials may collect. Flammable materials, such as leaves, twigs, and sometimes even trash, can accumulate under bushes, in shrubs, under decks, around the base of trees, or in corners. Find these spots in your yard and make sure to clear debris from these areas regularly. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
Enjoy resort-style living at this country retreat on approximately 10 acres in Upper Ojai. Just 10 minutes from the spas, boutiques, and cafes in downtown Ojai, this private oasis features a lighted, north-south tennis court with a large observation deck, swimming pool with beach entrance and wading pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, family orchard, art or yoga studio, and horse facilities. Flagstone patios flank the main house for indoor-outdoor entertaining, while the guest house/pool house offers a gym, kitchenette, steam shower, enclosed outdoor shower and changing room, and pool and patio storage. The main house features three fireplaces, large island with breakfast bar, Viking range with griddle, two refrigerators and freezers, wet bar, family room or library, media room, office, two guest wings, six-inch plank floors, custom light fixtures, and upscale finishes. Additional features include a three-car garage, two-car garage, and separate laundry room with commercial machines. Main House: Seven bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms Waterfall at main entrance Six-inch plank wood floors Vaulted ceilings and ceiling fans Three fireplaces Large island with breakfast bar Viking six-burner range with griddle Walk-in pantry Two refrigerators and freezers Wet bar Two guest wings Kitchenette in main guest wing Family room or library Media room with blackout curtains Office with built-in desks Large laundry room with storage Custom light fixtures Guest House /Pool House: Kitchenette Gym Steam shower with bench seating Walk-in closet and linen closet Separate shower and changing room Pool and patio storage Tile floor throughout Grounds:
Approximately 10 acres Spectacular mountain views Two gated entries Three-car garage + two-car garage with bathroom Art or yoga studio above garage Swimming pool with beach entrance Pool features: wading pool, spa, slide, waterfall Outdoor kitchen with grill, pizza oven & bar Patio fireplace Flagstone patios and walkways Lighted, north-south tennis court with basketball hoops Large entertaining/observation deck Family orchard Breezeway barn, shed-row barn, and mare motel Arena with bleacher seating and turnout pens Tack/feed/storage rooms Tesla solar panel field with backup batteries Private agricultural well RV parking Ample guest parking Separate laundry room with commercial machines Space for gardens or hobbies Approximately 50 miles to Santa Barbara Airport Approximately 60 miles to Burbank Airport Approximately 10 minutes to downtown Ojai Approximately 30 minutes to Ventura beaches Nearby hiking and riding trails For more photos and information, visit the property information page for this Upper Ojai home for sale. Ojai summers are hot and dry with July and August being the hottest and driest months of the year. This does not keep folks from getting outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, but it does mean that most folks are seeking out opportunities to cool off in the shade whenever possible. While the air temperature is not actually cooler in the shade than it is in the sun, it generally feels 10 to 15 degrees cooler when you are out of the sun because you are not being bombarded with solar radiation. This is why working outside in the sun on hot days is nearly unbearable but relaxing on your covered patio with a glass of iced tea feels perfectly fine. Now in our third year of navigating life during a pandemic, most of us are ready for life to get back to some version of normal. For many, this includes an increasing number of social gatherings and hanging out with friends more often and with fewer protocols in place. One way to reduce risk while sharing time with friends and family is to do it outside. So, let’s look at ways to create shaded oases where you and your guests can escape the sun’s radiation and enjoy time together in your outdoor living areas. Use existing structures. The cheapest, fastest way to create a shaded seating area is to simply move your patio furniture into the shade created by an existing wall or fence. Add umbrellas. Another inexpensive, quick way to add shade to your yard is to place one or more umbrellas around your patio. Add a solid roof or pergola. If your budget allows for a bigger home improvement project, consider adding a solid roof structure to your outdoor living area. If this project seems too big or expensive, a pergola is another attractive option that can have its shade-producing capacity enhanced by adding a fabric cover. Install shade sails. I just added a shade sail from the roof of my covered deck to the fence, and I love how it both blocks the sun and obscures the view from my neighbors’ second-story window. Shade sails are affordable and available in lots of colors and sizes, so this a versatile option that is going to work for most backyards. Hang patio curtains. If you already have some type of roof structure over your outdoor living area, you can increase the shade while also enhancing privacy by hanging patio curtains. Install an awning. Awnings protect from both sun and rain and are available in stationary and retractable styles. Use temporary canopies. Pop-up canopies are easy to store when not in use and usually take just minutes to set up. This makes them perfect for impromptu playdates or creating multiple seating areas to give partygoers room to spread out. If you need to bring in a professional to help create shade in your yard by hanging shade sails or building a pergola or other roof structure, remember to support the local economy by using local contractors. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a member of The Davis Group and a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
Back-to-school parties are a great way for kids to get to know other students outside of school and for you to get to know other parents. Aside from everyone making new friends, they are also a fun way to mark the transition between the end of summer and the start of the school year and are just a good excuse to throw a theme party. Since COVID continues to spread at a steady pace around here, it is still a good idea to do social gatherings outdoors. So, let’s go over a few tips and ideas to make sure your backyard back-to-school party is a hit. Let’s start with decorations. You can check out Ben Franklin or Ojai Creates for themed party supplies, order them online from a small business on Etsy, or hit up Party City or one of the dollar stores in Ventura to find inexpensive plates, cups, napkins, and centerpieces. Alternatively, you can use school supplies to create your own decorations, such as making crayon bouquets or filling mason jars with colored pencils or erasers. Consider using mini chalkboards as place cards and swapping out tablecloths for butcher paper. Choosing butcher paper to cover tables and scattering around some crayons or markers makes cleanup easy while offering a quiet activity for kids who might need a break from the excitement. Other activities you might consider include craft projects like decorating water bottles or bookmarks, hosting a school supply swap, renting a photo booth with school-themed props, or organizing simple games with school supplies as prizes. Every party needs party favors, and this is an easy way to make sure kids that don’t win prizes won’t go home empty handed. The perfect party favors for a back-to-school party are inexpensive, age-appropriate school supplies. Kids can always use more notebook paper, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, or other items that are on their classroom’s supply list. You might also consider water bottles, stickers, or small mason jars filled with school supplies and candy. You might want to put together some fun party favors for the parents too, such as a home spa gift basket to help them include a little self-care in the busy days to come. Simple is usually better when it comes to food for an outdoor party for kids. Order pizzas, grill hotdogs and burgers, or set out finger foods they can grab between activities. For something a bit more fun, consider a DIY ice cream sundae bar with lots of options for toppings, cookies for them to decorate before devouring, or having an ice cream truck on site offering sweet treats. If you opted for mini chalkboards to use as place cards, you might also want to use them to label dishes and list ingredients to help out folks with dietary restrictions. It is never too early for kids to begin learning about giving back to the community, so one more thing to consider for your party is including a note in the invitation inviting your guests to bring school supplies or books to donate to organizations that assist students in need. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
With mountain views and plenty of space to spread out, this ranch-style home offers the perfect homebase for enjoying all the valley has to offer. From here, you can bike or walk to the eclectic village of Meiners Oaks or enjoy a leisurely bike ride or short drive through the historic Arbolada to downtown Ojai. The remodeled kitchen features granite counter tops, travertine backsplashes, a door to the garage for easily bringing in groceries, and a breakfast bar separating it from the formal dining room where built-in shelves and mountain views make a great space for dinner parties. Parquet flooring and a stone fireplace add visual appeal to the living room, which has space for casual dining and a sliding door to a covered patio for outdoor living or entertaining. The bathrooms boast travertine flooring, granite vanities, and tile showers, while the bedrooms have freshly installed, cozy carpet. Plus, there is a two-car garage, workshop or art studio, mature landscaping, and fruit trees. Property Features Include:
Three bedrooms, two bathrooms Approximately 1,735 square feet Remodeled kitchen with breakfast bar Granite counter tops and vanities Travertine tiles in kitchen and bathrooms Dual-sink vanity in primary en suite bathroom Built-in shelves in formal dining room Stone fireplace Newly installed carpet in bedrooms Approximately .91-acre lot Two-car carage Workshop or art studio Covered patio and wood deck Mature trees, fruit trees and landscaping Mountain views Room for horses or hobbies Bike or walk to Meiners Oaks Bike or short drive to downtown Ojai Visit the property information page for more photos, a 3D tour, and videos, or contact Nora to schedule a private showing. Magnolia Cottage is a remodeled, move-in-ready Ojai Valley home that sits on approximately one-quarter acre and boasts two primary bedrooms, two dual-sink vanities, laundry room, fresh paint, upgraded appliances, breakfast bar, and mountain views.
All three bedrooms have en suite bathrooms, and you will find easy-care, wood-look vinyl flooring throughout the home. Multiple outdoor living areas provide plenty of space for entertaining, including a wood deck shaded by a magnolia tree that is a perfect spot for al fresco dining. The large, fenced backyard features three fruit trees, RV parking accessed through double gates, a door to the enclosed carport, and plenty of space for gardening, playing, or hobbies. Hop on your bike and head to the Ojai Valley Trail or the eclectic shops and cafes in Meiners Oaks or enjoy a short drive to downtown Ojai for the two weekly farmers markets, two golf courses, galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and spas. Features include:
Contact Nora Davis for more information or to schedule a private tour. Weeds are an issue for nearly every homeowner, but conventional options of ridding your yard of these unwanted plants are not exactly appealing. Pulling them might get you outside in the fresh air and help you burn a few extra calories, but who wants to spend hours pulling weeds in Ojai’s heat? Using chemical-laden herbicides might save time, but they are also not that appealing, particularly if you have children or animals who play in your yard. You will probably never be able to completely avoid pulling the occasional weed, but there are several all-natural weed control methods that can help you kill the weeds you have and limit future weed growth. You can always purchase organic herbicides online or at some garden centers. This is definitely a step in the right direction; however, if you would like to save money and go greener, you can also use some all-natural products you probably already have in your pantry. If weeds are an issue in your yard, try one of these five inexpensive, simple, natural weed killers: 1. Vinegar – It’s no secret that vinegar can be used for just about anything, and killing weeds is one of its many talents. Spraying weeds with distilled white vinegar is an effective, chemical-free way to kill them, but it generally requires multiple applications – and at least a few days for them to die. 2. Salt – Mixing a little salt into the soil is very effective for wiping out your weeds; however, it cannot be used in areas where you plan on planting desirable plants. Use this one with caution and only in areas like driveway cracks and gravel areas where you do not plan on growing anything. Also, keep an eye on the runoff to make sure it does not make its way to your flower beds. 3. Boiling Water – If you can avoid burning yourself or your desirable plants as you pour it on your weeds, boiling water is a simple, inexpensive weed killer. 4. Cornmeal – Cornmeal prevents seed germination, which makes it a perfect choice for all-natural weed control. Because it prevents all seed germination without discrimination, it is best to use this method around mature plants. Using organic cornmeal in your garden also attracts worms, which is great for your soil. 5. Non-Living Ground Covers – Natural ground covers, such as gravel, bark, wood chips or mulch increase the visual appeal of your yard while also limiting weed growth. If you use landscaping fabric under your ground cover, you can limit weed growth even more. When using natural weed control methods, it is important to remember that these effective, inexpensive, healthier options do not discriminate between weeds and desirable plants. This means you will need to use these chemical-free weed killers with caution around plants you want to keep and in areas where you plan to plant. AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.
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