Nowell House - Beam-vaulted Sea Ranch home with private hot tub & ocean views

Vaulted wood beams stretch over the Pacific in this Sea Ranch ocean-meadow home — every couch points at the horizon, and the long dining table catches the last gold of the day. Soak in the cedar-screened private hot tub after a meadow walk, then trade stories around the fire with a glass of wine. Three bedrooms (two kings, one queen), each with its own bath, plus an open great-room kitchen built for slow mornings and big family dinners.

Pull open the carved wood front door and the home's signature shows itself: vaulted exposed-beam ceilings stretched the full length of a single open great room. A blue-gray sectional and a pair of leather barrel chairs orbit a stone-faced wood-burning fireplace (firewood provided); three picture windows turn an entire wall into the Pacific. Pull a chair to the glass and let the sun arc across the meadow all afternoon.

Step into the granite-island kitchen with a sightline straight to the surf — vaulted ceiling continuing overhead, twin skylights pouring light onto the prep counter, and a deck slider one step away. A gas range, double wall oven, and Sub-Zero refrigerator handle anything from one-pan dinners to a full Thanksgiving; a garden window over the sink looks into the cypress canopy. Bar seating on the island keeps the cooks in the conversation. The dining table seats six in bentwood chairs with the slider open to the deck; a second long table with eight Windsor chairs is ready for board-game tournaments, holiday overflow, or kids sprawled with art supplies.

Climb the curved iron staircase to three bedrooms under the same vaulted wood ceilings as the great room — two with king beds and one with a queen, each with its own full bath. Wake in the primary suite to corner-window views over the meadow and ocean, then drop into the limestone-clad bath built around a deep soaking tub set under a tall ocean-view window, with a glass walk-in shower beside it. A second ocean-corner bedroom catches the afternoon sun across the meadow; a third opens through its own slider to a private deck slice — coffee mug, wool blanket, a quiet count of whitecaps before the rest of the house wakes up. Browse the built-in cherry shelving on the landing for novels, board games, and a small art collection — grab a paperback for the deck or a game for the dining table. A half bath on the entry level keeps mornings flowing.

Slip into the cedar-screened private hot tub through a side door straight from the house — a 30-second flip-flop walk gets you bubbling under the cypress canopy. Char a steak on the covered grill on the side patio after sunset, and stretch out on the back deck with a chaise for napping in the sun. From the property line, the meadow rolls down toward the bluff and the Pacific horizon, with a cedar gate opening onto the meadow path beyond. Classic Sea Ranch wind-row architecture: low cedar profile, sloped roofs, tucked into cypress shelter — a textbook design from the community's 1960s founders, who set out to build homes that "live lightly on the land."

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
Choose from 3 bedrooms (two kings and one queen). Altogether, the home comfortably sleeps 6.

PROPERTY AMENITIES
-- 3 bedrooms, 3 bath + 1 half bath
-- Private hot tub (cedar-screened, direct house access)
-- Wood-burning fireplace (firewood provided)
-- 2-car garage and free on-property parking
-- Vaulted exposed-beam wood ceilings throughout

COMMUNITY AMENITIES (at Sea Ranch recreation centers)
-- Heated pools and saunas (at Del Mar, Moonraker, and Ohlson rec centers)
-- Tennis and pickleball courts (at rec centers)
-- Miles of coastal bluff trails

You'll have the entire home and grounds to yourself — three bedrooms, all baths, the great room, kitchen, hot tub, decks, garage, and the garden paths. Self check-in with a smart-lock code; we're a short text or call away during your stay if anything comes up.

Nowell House sits on Leeward Road on the ocean side of The Sea Ranch, Sonoma County's iconic 1960s coastal community where homes are designed to "live lightly on the land." The house is on a meadow lot — the bluff trail and Walk-On Beach are about a ten-minute walk through the cedar gate at the side of the property. Whale season runs from late December through April; wildflowers carpet the bluffs from April into June.

Down the road, The Sea Ranch Lodge has a restaurant, bar, market, and a sweep of Pacific lawn; Two Fish Baking and Trink's Café handle morning pastries and ocean-view coffee. Seven minutes north in Gualala you'll find the Surf Market for full grocery runs, Bones Roadhouse, and St. Orres for a special-occasion dinner. South to Stewart's Point Store for sandwiches; further south, Salt Point State Park has tide pools, kelp forests, and wind-sculpted sandstone formations called the Tafoni. Highway 1 itself is one of the most scenic drives in California — wineries are inland through the Skaggs Springs corridor.

Plan on a real coastal drive: Sea Ranch is roughly 3 hours from San Francisco and 3.5 hours from Oakland or San Jose. The fastest route is Highway 101 north to Cloverdale, then Skaggs Springs–Stewart's Point Road across to Highway 1 — a winding two-lane road, beautiful in daylight, slow after dark. The scenic route is Highway 1 the whole way through Bodega Bay and Jenner — a longer drive but unforgettable.

Once you're here, a car is essential. The home has a 2-car garage and free on-property parking. Closest fuel stops: Stewart's Point (south) and Gualala (north). Closest airports: Sonoma County (STS) ~2 hours, San Francisco (SFO) ~3 hours.

A few things worth knowing so you arrive ready:

• Multi-level home — the bedrooms and most baths are upstairs, with a half bath on the entry level. Not ideal for guests who can't manage a flight of stairs.
• Ocean view, nothing between you and the meadow and the ocean — the home sits on a meadow lot with picture-window ocean views from the great room and corner-window views from two bedrooms. The bluff trail and Walk-On Beach are about a 10-minute walk via the meadow path.
• Cell service in The Sea Ranch can be spotty (AT&T and Verizon both have soft pockets). Wi-Fi is reliable for streaming, video calls, and remote work.
• Sea Ranch is a designated dark-sky community — exterior lighting is intentionally minimal so the night sky stays brilliant. Bring a headlamp or flashlight if you plan to walk after dark.
• Wildlife is part of the experience: gray whales offshore in winter, deer and quail in the meadow, harbor seals on the rocks below the bluff.
• Sea Ranch Association rules apply across the community: no drones, no fireworks, quiet hours after 10pm. Parking passes for additional vehicles are limited — let us know in advance.

Permit number: LIC24-1322

You must be 21 years or older to rent this property.