Published September 1, 2005

Ah, choices, choices, choices. That’s the reason to attain wealth in the first place, no?
Residents of 18455 Half Moon Street should have no shortage of such choices: Shall we spend our time in the Romanesque carriage house, or the Tuscan-farmhouse-inspired main residence? Shall we swim in the restored swimming pool, or the self-contained swimming pond, with its two waterfalls and riverbed? Shall we revel in the old, like our 200-year-old totally one-of-a-kind butterflied walnut countertop, or spend the evening watching movies in our ultra-modern home theater, complete with marble wet bar? Shall we savor the bucolic views of the forested hillside, the raised-stone vegetable beds, and the 100-vine mini-vineyard? Or shall we stare far off to the south, at the faint outline of the Golden Gate bridge?

So much to choose from. Alas,
these were the choices Ron Hyman dreamed of making when he designed his dream house over a year ago.

The 5-acre property, off North Castle Road only a few minute jaunt from Sonoma’s Plaza, is believed to have been part of the original Sebastiani land tract. A rustic barn lies on the edge of the property, which housed the original Viansa winery — artifacts inside of it date back to 1904.

In the 1970s, Vicky and Sam Sebastiani built a home for themselves on the land, but sold it in the late 1980s. Hyman acquired the property in April, 2004, but by that time the building had fallen into disrepair and the property had become an overgrown tangle of trees, shrubs and vines.

To Hyman, it was the perfect location for his dream house.
Hyman, who described his occupation as “acquiring undervalued assets and improving upon them,” had never designed a home himself before. But he and his wife, Kaylyn, had a vision.

Based on the architecture they had seen in Tuscany, one of their favorite vacation spots, the Hymans demolished the existing residence and started building not simply a Tuscan farmhouse, but a residential villa that would transport its inhabitants 150 years into the past.
Or, as Ron Hyman put it: “Upon entering the gates, one is transformed into a bygone era.”
Hyman left the original Sebastiani foundation intact for his main residence building, as well as the rock walls, pillars, and perimeter paths. These touches make up some of the most outstanding details for the estate, particularly the stone pathways that lead to the vegetable garden. A variety of vegetable stalks and vines shoot forth from the raised-stone vegetable beds, which are angled to face the sun. In the pathway, an outline of a stone eagle is visible, with the initials S.J.S. (Sam J. Sebastiani) nearby.

The garden overlooks the 100-vine hobby vineyard, and just beyond lies the 10-foot deep swimming pond. Hyman transformed the original Sebastiani pond into a gunnited, aerated and filtered swimming pool, complete with 2 waterfalls and riverbed that help aerate the water. A small boat dock and swimming platform graces the near bank, and a Bellagio-style fountain sits in the pond’s center, ready to shoot water 3 1/2 stories into the air.

A stone pathway goes completely around the pond, with stones brought in from local wineries. Hyman estimated that 300 tons of rock were used just for the pond.
Of course, for more traditional swimming there’s also the original Sebastiani pool, the restoration of which will soon be complete.

But why stay outdoors, when indoors is so grand?
The Romanesque carriage house boasts a 4-car garage on its lower level, and an 836-square-foot guest suite — complete with two bedrooms, full bath, and a charming old-style kitchenette — upstairs. Although it’s only 100 feet above the valley floor, views of the Golden Gate can be obtained from its balcony.

But the pie`ce de la resistance is Tuscan-farmhouse-inspired main residence. The first thing one notices upon entering the house is its coolness, thanks to well-insulated doors and windows. The second thing one notices is the woodwork. Hyman went out of his way to bring authenticity to the structure, including using 150-year-old flat clay tiles on its roof, 150-year-old Douglas fir wide-plank boards from an old barn on its floors, and 100-year-old vertical-grain redwood siding — found during demolition of the original structure — on kitchen cabinetry and throughout.

This old wood adds an air of grandeur and elegance to the structure. Surrounded by Douglas fir, there’s a Spartan simplicity to the home’s main chamber — the open living and dining areas of this large room are separated only by a free-standing stone fireplace in its center.

Downstairs lies a stone-floored canning room, and there’s also an underground wine cellar with racks for 500 bottles. Off the dining area lies the thoroughly modern home theater room.

A 30-foot long barrell-ceilinged hallway — Hyman referred to it as the “Tunnel of Love” — leads into the master bedroom, with closet and bathroom off to either side. A deck with views of the pond, vineyard and garden extends off the master bedroom; its bathroom boasts an old-style copper bathtub and glass-block shower stall, and the 250-square-foot master closet is made from hand-honed knotty alder. Two guest bedrooms grace the sides of the home’s entryway.

Hyman attributes designer Bonnie Thomas, Gerrick Clayton of Bear Flag Construction, and Teri, Morgan and Roseanne Grim of the Kenwood Inn for helping him with the design. “They took my vision and carried it out to 110%,” Hyman said. “What I couldn’t see they saw.”

Interestingly, Hyman and his wife have no plans to move into their freshly-completed dream house. Ron Hyman plans to sell the estate and donate the proceeds to a yet-unnamed charity. “My two largest, oldest friends have very serious, probably life-terminating illnesses,” Hyman said, adding that he had no plans to design more houses. “We thought we’d just throw something back to the community.”