A-Frame Evokes New Frontier - Page 2

Like the A-frame, bomb shelters are a concept employed in some form for centuries, primarily by the military or the occasional homeowner in a war zone. The term dates back to the mid-1800s, but the structure itself has really never been in vogue except during that Cold War era that songwriter Donald Fagen sang about in 'New Frontier' (1982).

"It's just a dugout that my dad built in case the reds decide to push the button down," croons his protagonist, a '50s youth hosting a bomb shelter party and on the make. "Let's pretend that it's the real thing, we'll stay together all night long."

Of decidedly less prurient interest to potential buyers is the fact that the property boasts several structures and other important selling points, including a recently installed water system in its Old La Honda Road neighborhood.

"There's not a lot of work that needs to be done to it," promises Dakin, who listed the property for Parc Agency Corp. The realtor said the seller bought it in 2015 for $2.86 million and immediately undertook a restoration that included $80,000 of wood-shingled roofing. "Whatever it might need has already been done."

The listing includes 2.6 wooded acres, a 2,670-square-foot main house, a 1,100-square-foot guesthouse underneath and a 591-square-foot cottage (both one bed, one bath). And if you want a little celebrity cachet on the side, Dakin said Olympic skating hero Eric Heiden rented the main house while attending Stanford medical school.

Ah, yes, Stanford and el Valle de Silicon. If you're a decently (or indecently) well-paid purveyor of high technology, this location is hard to beat, ten miles from Stanford, 15 and 20 respectively from the headquarters of Facebook and Google.

"We also have an amazing view of the hills and the South Bay," Dakin said in listing his listing's assets. "You get an amazing school district. It's easy access to the freeway."

Furthermore, he notes that a home just uphill from this sold recently for $4 million and claimed, "Teardowns in Portola Valley go for $5 million!"

Yeah, but then you'd have to build your own bomb shelter.

For more information and for touring the property August 4, click here.