Home of the Day: A grand chateau in Montecito for $34.5 million

A wide lane paved with hand-cut Santa Barbara stone leads past cypress trees and rose gardens and through a grand archway arriving at this 18,671-square-foot residence known as the Chateau at Riven Rock. Encompassing more than seven acres, the sprawling grounds feature a swimming pool and spa, a tennis court, rolling lawns and a tea house/meditation area built over a pond.

Location: Rockbridge Road, Santa Barbara, 93108

Price: $34.5 million

Year built: 2003

Architect: Sorrell Design

House size: 18,671 square feet, nine bedrooms, 12.5 bathrooms

Lot size: 7.38 acres

Features: Beamed ceilings, scraped wood floors, stone fireplaces, country-style chef’s kitchen, elevator, gym, wine cellar, theater, billiard/game room, spa, sauna, two-bedroom guesthouse, tea house, swimming pool, tennis court, formal gardens

About the area: The median sale price for single-family homes in the 93108 ZIP Code in April was $2.56 million based on 17 sales, according to CoreLogic. That represents a nearly 10% drop in median price compared with the previous year.

Agents: Catherine Marcus and Suzanne Perkins, Sotheby’s International Realty

To submit a candidate for Home of the Day, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to [email protected].

Twitter: @NJLeitereg