Los Gatos home on 16,700-square-foot flat, sunny lot with huge building potential and excellent schools

The family room, at 18571 Montevina Road in Los Gatos, features a brick hearth for a wood-burning stove and a wall of windows framing a view of the property. Just minutes from downtown Los Gatos. Lexington Elementary is an International Baccalaureate Worl

Brimming with possibilities, this property off Highway 17 in Los Gatos offers a rare opportunity to customize to your heart’s content. The single-level “Ivy Cottage,” located at 18571 Montevina Road sits on about a half acre of scenic and level land in a rural setting complete with a trickling pond, mature trees and foliage.

The two-bedroom and one-bath cottage with about 928 square feet of living space is an ideal place to live while designing a home of your dreams on this amazing property. The sunny lot is filled with oak trees, blackberries, and lemon, fig and plum fruit trees. Specialty rose bushes grown from cuttings that date back to the 1938 World Fair also dot the yard.

Originally built in 1949, the cottage features tongue and groove hardwood floors, exposed beam ceiling, large eat-in kitchen with ceiling fan and built-in corner cabinetry, family room with brick hearth for woodburning stove and a wall of window framing a view of the property. The large master bedroom suite has a view of the property and lots of natural light through the sliding glass door and transom. A detached bonus room would also make an ideal third bedroom or home office.

Additional features include a two-car garage, wood or garden tool shed.

Ideally located, the cottage is close to charming downtown Los Gatos, Lexington Reservoir, numerous hiking trails, wineries and easy access to Highway 17 and the Santa Cruz and Monterey coastline.

The Lexington Reservoir County Park is less than four miles away and is a popular venue for outdoor recreation activities. The 914-acre park, including a 475-acre man-made reservoir, offers shoreline fishing and non-power boating and connects to a chain of parks and open spaces connected by the Bay Area Ridge Trail. There are birding, hiking and mountain biking trails with access to the St. Joseph’s Hill Open Space Preserve.

The property also has high quality, reliable water service from San Jose Water Company and boasts top rated, award winning schools including Lexington Elementary, Fisher Middle and Los Gatos High School. Price: $818,000. Open house today from 1:30-4:30 pm. Listing Agent: Alain Pinel Realtors, Therese Swan, 408-656-8240, tswan@apr.com.

The single-level “Ivy Cottage,” located at 18571 Montevina Road sits on about a half acre of scenic and level land in a rural setting complete with a trickling pond, mature trees and foliage. The two-bedroom and one-bath cottage has about 928 square...

The sunny, level, 16,700-square-foot lot is filled with oak trees, blackberries, and lemon, fig and plum fruit trees. Specialty rose bushes grown from cuttings that date back to the 1938 World Fair also dot the yard.