[carli]

We live in Del Mar, and moved here from the east coast (NYC metro area and Fairfield County, CT) almost 10 yrs ago. When we first arrived, we rented and then bought an old beach cottage and completely renovated/added on to it, although it was still small. We loved the area but found that the house became a bit cramped for our family of four (we realized teenagers need space and so do we!) so we moved to a neighborhood still in Del Mar and west of I-5 but a little further east where we could get a little larger house and a bit more of a family-oriented neighborhood. As was the case with our first DM house, we found the right lot/location and then redesigned, upgraded and added on to the house, making it around 3500 sf.

I did a TON of research on surrounding communities and towns. I definitely saw the appeal of a place like Santaluz, but especially after living here for a few years, we realized it was not for us. sdrealtor hit the nail on the head with his observations, all of which are exactly how we feel.

We’ve spent lots of time looking at all the communities on and around the coast, from as far south as La Jolla up to Encinitas in the north and as far east as Santaluz. Although they all had their charms and high points, for us, Del Mar came out the clear winner (for many of the same reasons you state are your goals) and we’re so happy we set down roots here. Our kids have been extremely happy and well-served in the elementary through high schools in this district, and my husband and I have met many wonderful people here, many now close friends, and feel like the community is a perfect fit for us. We feel very lucky to live here.

Yes, there is an undercurrent of entitlement with some kids in Del Mar, which is unfortunately bound to happen when it costs a lot to live in the area and the kids have access to so much. However, this entitlement doesn’t seem to be as prevalent in Del Mar as our kids see (and we do, too) when we meet kids and adults from other communities, especially the “executive communities” of Fairbanks Ranch, Santaluz, the Crosby, etc.

In Del Mar, most people don’t seem to have anything to prove and aren’t striving to keep up (or surpass) anyone. It really is a relatively laid back beach community, albeit populated by many high achievers. Residents are a mix of UCSD professors (some retired or semi-retired who bought here in the 60s), people who have sold very successful companies or are at the peak of their professional lives and are busy traveling or doing lots of interesting things, scientist/researchers/inventors, lawyers, and doctors. Again, this is all a huge generalization, but I completely agree with sdrealtor’s assessment of places like Santaluz and Fairbanks Ranch as being much more homogeneous (and sterile) than Del Mar.

That being said, if your primary goal is to have “instant community” so your kids have friends to play with right away and you and your wife will have an instant social network, and if you prefer a new very large (4500sf+) home and love to play golf more than you like to be at the beach, then one of those communities mentioned might be the perfect place for you.

A couple more areas to throw into the mix would be Rancho Santa Fe (similar to Olivenhein; houses can be more expensive but in my opinion most have more old California charm and more classic design, landscape and architecture), and Solana Beach (similar to Del Mar but less well-known and maybe more casual and a little more diverse).

Regarding schools, the elementary schools in all the areas you mentioned are very good to outstanding, and if you want to compare API scores (which some think is splitting hairs), you can check out the CA Dept of Ed website, which slices and dices all the data in various reports.

The two public elementary schools serving Del Mar residents (Del Mar Heights Elementary on Boquita Drive and Del Mar Hills Academy on Mango Drive) are located in the neighborhoods west of I-5, north and south of DM Heights Rd, to the east of Crest Canyon on the north side and Torrey Pines reserve on the south side.

Both DM Heights and DM Hills are excellent, and in addition, our kids have received fantastic educations at the middle and high school level. The Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) elementary schools have the highest API scores in SD County, but again, all the school districts in the places you mentioned would probably meet your needs. The DMUSD extends from Del Mar in the west into Carmel Valley to the east and incorporates 8 elementary schools throughout the area.

The Del Mar school year starts on Aug 29th this year and, if you end up anywhere within DMUSD, there can be an issue with getting in to the elementary school of your choice. For example, if you choose to live west of I-5 in Del Mar, typically you’ll have a choice between Del Mar Hills and Del Mar Heights but once one the kindergarten class fills up at one, you can get assigned to the other. They are so close to each other, similar size, feel, etc that it probably won’t matter but some families prefer one over the other so you should check them out.

The neighborhoods surrounding both DM Hills and DM Heights elementary schools work well for families, obviously partly because they’re within walking distance of the schools, and also are within a mile or so from the beach, offer family-size houses between $1-2 mil (with some under $1mil although usually needing work), lot sizes are generally between 8000-10,000 sf with nice yards and privacy some with ocean and/or canyon views, and residents are within easy access of the I-5 freeway.

If you prefer to be within walking distance of the beach or village center in Del Mar, you can definitely find a nice house in your $2.5-3.5 mil range but you’ll sacrifice the size of home you’d get in the other communities. The larger homes (3000+ sf) located within the village of Del Mar on a larger lot that are updated and well-designed usually go for over $4 mil, but when you’re ready to buy in a year, this may have changed!

Sorry for the long, rambling post…I wish I could be more concise about it…these are some of my opinions/observations, and I hope they’re helpful!

Definitely come for a visit and stay at the hotels sdrealtor suggested and check out all the areas. You’ll probably quickly get a sense of which place feels like home to you. All the best.

[carli]

I’d highly recommend Kevin McBrearty, who owns a company called The Door Guys.

His main line of work is installation of doors and windows (both of which I’d also highly recommend him for), but our general contractor also insisted on using him for all of our molding, and I can see why because he did a fantastic job.

Our architect spec’d a 3-piece molding around the windows (Craftsman style) along w/a certain sill configuration and wanted it to be very authentic so it had to be very precise in its measurements. Kevin was a real trooper about it…first, he mocked up a sample of the molding and installed it around one of our windows and asked me to look at it. When I thought the proportions didn’t look right, he stopped the job and waited for our architect to come out the next day and discuss it. He changed it ever so slightly without a hint of annoyance (unlike most of the other contractors, who couldn’t stand taking orders from an architect). It was clear that his entire goal was to please us all.

He was definitely one of the most professional, knowledgeable, “can-do” guys on our job and was a true pleasure to work with. His work was top-notch and he left the area pristine at the end of every day. He was also quick and reasonably priced…even though our renovation/addition was done a couple years ago, to this day, he stands out in my mind as one of the best subs on the job.

By the way, I completely agree that you only need and should use MDF for your moldings and in most cases, a custom molding is definitely not necessary! It was one of the few areas where we splurged on our job, and although it was a 3-piece molding, none of the pieces had to be custom milled or it would have gotten way out of control.

Here’s Kevin’s website – http://www.thedoorguyssandiego.com/index.html

[carli]

I’d highly recommend Kevin McBrearty, who owns a company called The Door Guys.

His main line of work is installation of doors and windows (both of which I’d also highly recommend him for), but our general contractor also insisted on using him for all of our molding, and I can see why because he did a fantastic job.

Our architect spec’d a 3-piece molding around the windows (Craftsman style) along w/a certain sill configuration and wanted it to be very authentic so it had to be very precise in its measurements. Kevin was a real trooper about it…first, he mocked up a sample of the molding and installed it around one of our windows and asked me to look at it. When I thought the proportions didn’t look right, he stopped the job and waited for our architect to come out the next day and discuss it. He changed it ever so slightly without a hint of annoyance (unlike most of the other contractors, who couldn’t stand taking orders from an architect). It was clear that his entire goal was to please us all.

He was definitely one of the most professional, knowledgeable, “can-do” guys on our job and was a true pleasure to work with. His work was top-notch and he left the area pristine at the end of every day. He was also quick and reasonably priced…even though our renovation/addition was done a couple years ago, to this day, he stands out in my mind as one of the best subs on the job.

By the way, I completely agree that you only need and should use MDF for your moldings and in most cases, a custom molding is definitely not necessary! It was one of the few areas where we splurged on our job, and although it was a 3-piece molding, none of the pieces had to be custom milled or it would have gotten way out of control.

Here’s Kevin’s website – http://www.thedoorguyssandiego.com/index.html

[carli]

I’d highly recommend Kevin McBrearty, who owns a company called The Door Guys.

His main line of work is installation of doors and windows (both of which I’d also highly recommend him for), but our general contractor also insisted on using him for all of our molding, and I can see why because he did a fantastic job.

Our architect spec’d a 3-piece molding around the windows (Craftsman style) along w/a certain sill configuration and wanted it to be very authentic so it had to be very precise in its measurements. Kevin was a real trooper about it…first, he mocked up a sample of the molding and installed it around one of our windows and asked me to look at it. When I thought the proportions didn’t look right, he stopped the job and waited for our architect to come out the next day and discuss it. He changed it ever so slightly without a hint of annoyance (unlike most of the other contractors, who couldn’t stand taking orders from an architect). It was clear that his entire goal was to please us all.

He was definitely one of the most professional, knowledgeable, “can-do” guys on our job and was a true pleasure to work with. His work was top-notch and he left the area pristine at the end of every day. He was also quick and reasonably priced…even though our renovation/addition was done a couple years ago, to this day, he stands out in my mind as one of the best subs on the job.

By the way, I completely agree that you only need and should use MDF for your moldings and in most cases, a custom molding is definitely not necessary! It was one of the few areas where we splurged on our job, and although it was a 3-piece molding, none of the pieces had to be custom milled or it would have gotten way out of control.

Here’s Kevin’s website – http://www.thedoorguyssandiego.com/index.html

[carli]

I’d highly recommend Kevin McBrearty, who owns a company called The Door Guys.

His main line of work is installation of doors and windows (both of which I’d also highly recommend him for), but our general contractor also insisted on using him for all of our molding, and I can see why because he did a fantastic job.

Our architect spec’d a 3-piece molding around the windows (Craftsman style) along w/a certain sill configuration and wanted it to be very authentic so it had to be very precise in its measurements. Kevin was a real trooper about it…first, he mocked up a sample of the molding and installed it around one of our windows and asked me to look at it. When I thought the proportions didn’t look right, he stopped the job and waited for our architect to come out the next day and discuss it. He changed it ever so slightly without a hint of annoyance (unlike most of the other contractors, who couldn’t stand taking orders from an architect). It was clear that his entire goal was to please us all.

He was definitely one of the most professional, knowledgeable, “can-do” guys on our job and was a true pleasure to work with. His work was top-notch and he left the area pristine at the end of every day. He was also quick and reasonably priced…even though our renovation/addition was done a couple years ago, to this day, he stands out in my mind as one of the best subs on the job.

By the way, I completely agree that you only need and should use MDF for your moldings and in most cases, a custom molding is definitely not necessary! It was one of the few areas where we splurged on our job, and although it was a 3-piece molding, none of the pieces had to be custom milled or it would have gotten way out of control.

Here’s Kevin’s website – http://www.thedoorguyssandiego.com/index.html

[carli]

I’d highly recommend Kevin McBrearty, who owns a company called The Door Guys.

His main line of work is installation of doors and windows (both of which I’d also highly recommend him for), but our general contractor also insisted on using him for all of our molding, and I can see why because he did a fantastic job.

Our architect spec’d a 3-piece molding around the windows (Craftsman style) along w/a certain sill configuration and wanted it to be very authentic so it had to be very precise in its measurements. Kevin was a real trooper about it…first, he mocked up a sample of the molding and installed it around one of our windows and asked me to look at it. When I thought the proportions didn’t look right, he stopped the job and waited for our architect to come out the next day and discuss it. He changed it ever so slightly without a hint of annoyance (unlike most of the other contractors, who couldn’t stand taking orders from an architect). It was clear that his entire goal was to please us all.

He was definitely one of the most professional, knowledgeable, “can-do” guys on our job and was a true pleasure to work with. His work was top-notch and he left the area pristine at the end of every day. He was also quick and reasonably priced…even though our renovation/addition was done a couple years ago, to this day, he stands out in my mind as one of the best subs on the job.

By the way, I completely agree that you only need and should use MDF for your moldings and in most cases, a custom molding is definitely not necessary! It was one of the few areas where we splurged on our job, and although it was a 3-piece molding, none of the pieces had to be custom milled or it would have gotten way out of control.

Here’s Kevin’s website – http://www.thedoorguyssandiego.com/index.html

[carli]

Definitely call Andy McCracken, a guy who does work mostly around Del Mar and other parts of north county: 858-337-1441.

He’s been doing this a long time and is very knowledgeable, well-respected and offers fair prices. Don’t be put off by his trucks…one of his hobbies is restoring big vintage trucks so he doesn’t have fancy vehicles with a logo, but he is a wealth of knowledge and excellent at what he does. He doesn’t advertise but seems to always be in demand with most of his customers in old Del Mar. He’s done some very large, complicated jobs around town and cares a lot about the environment, especially taking good care of the trees.

BTW, he looks like he stepped right out of central casting for a mountain man type – long hair, beard, and ask him to show you his awesome custom belt buckle (a chain saw). Quite a character, but a genuinely nice guy who has true passion and expertise for what he does.

[carli]

Definitely call Andy McCracken, a guy who does work mostly around Del Mar and other parts of north county: 858-337-1441.

He’s been doing this a long time and is very knowledgeable, well-respected and offers fair prices. Don’t be put off by his trucks…one of his hobbies is restoring big vintage trucks so he doesn’t have fancy vehicles with a logo, but he is a wealth of knowledge and excellent at what he does. He doesn’t advertise but seems to always be in demand with most of his customers in old Del Mar. He’s done some very large, complicated jobs around town and cares a lot about the environment, especially taking good care of the trees.

BTW, he looks like he stepped right out of central casting for a mountain man type – long hair, beard, and ask him to show you his awesome custom belt buckle (a chain saw). Quite a character, but a genuinely nice guy who has true passion and expertise for what he does.

[carli]

Definitely call Andy McCracken, a guy who does work mostly around Del Mar and other parts of north county: 858-337-1441.

He’s been doing this a long time and is very knowledgeable, well-respected and offers fair prices. Don’t be put off by his trucks…one of his hobbies is restoring big vintage trucks so he doesn’t have fancy vehicles with a logo, but he is a wealth of knowledge and excellent at what he does. He doesn’t advertise but seems to always be in demand with most of his customers in old Del Mar. He’s done some very large, complicated jobs around town and cares a lot about the environment, especially taking good care of the trees.

BTW, he looks like he stepped right out of central casting for a mountain man type – long hair, beard, and ask him to show you his awesome custom belt buckle (a chain saw). Quite a character, but a genuinely nice guy who has true passion and expertise for what he does.

[carli]

Definitely call Andy McCracken, a guy who does work mostly around Del Mar and other parts of north county: 858-337-1441.

He’s been doing this a long time and is very knowledgeable, well-respected and offers fair prices. Don’t be put off by his trucks…one of his hobbies is restoring big vintage trucks so he doesn’t have fancy vehicles with a logo, but he is a wealth of knowledge and excellent at what he does. He doesn’t advertise but seems to always be in demand with most of his customers in old Del Mar. He’s done some very large, complicated jobs around town and cares a lot about the environment, especially taking good care of the trees.

BTW, he looks like he stepped right out of central casting for a mountain man type – long hair, beard, and ask him to show you his awesome custom belt buckle (a chain saw). Quite a character, but a genuinely nice guy who has true passion and expertise for what he does.

[carli]

Definitely call Andy McCracken, a guy who does work mostly around Del Mar and other parts of north county: 858-337-1441.

He’s been doing this a long time and is very knowledgeable, well-respected and offers fair prices. Don’t be put off by his trucks…one of his hobbies is restoring big vintage trucks so he doesn’t have fancy vehicles with a logo, but he is a wealth of knowledge and excellent at what he does. He doesn’t advertise but seems to always be in demand with most of his customers in old Del Mar. He’s done some very large, complicated jobs around town and cares a lot about the environment, especially taking good care of the trees.

BTW, he looks like he stepped right out of central casting for a mountain man type – long hair, beard, and ask him to show you his awesome custom belt buckle (a chain saw). Quite a character, but a genuinely nice guy who has true passion and expertise for what he does.

[carli]

BG, you must be pouring some hefty glasses of wine to only get 2-3 per bottle. Or maybe if scaredy’s wife is sharing that bottle with him, they’d polish it off in one night with 2-3 glasses each.

I can’t seem to curtail my 2 glasses/night habit. And I don’t drink the cheap stuff…I’ve often thought I should review the credit card statements to add up the wine shop total in a year, and then I’d probably be motivated to quit.

It’s a whole ritual thing…I always pour a glass as I’m making dinner and catching up with my husband and kids, then pour another with dinner. The habit of just those two is SO hard to break, which would make it even more gratifying and actually thrilling to be able to do it. I would probably feel like I ran a marathon or climbed Mt Everest!

Thanks for the inspiration, scaredy.

[carli]

BG, you must be pouring some hefty glasses of wine to only get 2-3 per bottle. Or maybe if scaredy’s wife is sharing that bottle with him, they’d polish it off in one night with 2-3 glasses each.

I can’t seem to curtail my 2 glasses/night habit. And I don’t drink the cheap stuff…I’ve often thought I should review the credit card statements to add up the wine shop total in a year, and then I’d probably be motivated to quit.

It’s a whole ritual thing…I always pour a glass as I’m making dinner and catching up with my husband and kids, then pour another with dinner. The habit of just those two is SO hard to break, which would make it even more gratifying and actually thrilling to be able to do it. I would probably feel like I ran a marathon or climbed Mt Everest!

Thanks for the inspiration, scaredy.

[carli]

BG, you must be pouring some hefty glasses of wine to only get 2-3 per bottle. Or maybe if scaredy’s wife is sharing that bottle with him, they’d polish it off in one night with 2-3 glasses each.

I can’t seem to curtail my 2 glasses/night habit. And I don’t drink the cheap stuff…I’ve often thought I should review the credit card statements to add up the wine shop total in a year, and then I’d probably be motivated to quit.

It’s a whole ritual thing…I always pour a glass as I’m making dinner and catching up with my husband and kids, then pour another with dinner. The habit of just those two is SO hard to break, which would make it even more gratifying and actually thrilling to be able to do it. I would probably feel like I ran a marathon or climbed Mt Everest!

Thanks for the inspiration, scaredy.

[carli]

BG, you must be pouring some hefty glasses of wine to only get 2-3 per bottle. Or maybe if scaredy’s wife is sharing that bottle with him, they’d polish it off in one night with 2-3 glasses each.

I can’t seem to curtail my 2 glasses/night habit. And I don’t drink the cheap stuff…I’ve often thought I should review the credit card statements to add up the wine shop total in a year, and then I’d probably be motivated to quit.

It’s a whole ritual thing…I always pour a glass as I’m making dinner and catching up with my husband and kids, then pour another with dinner. The habit of just those two is SO hard to break, which would make it even more gratifying and actually thrilling to be able to do it. I would probably feel like I ran a marathon or climbed Mt Everest!

Thanks for the inspiration, scaredy.

[Author]

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