Entertaining In Your New Home

I recently asked Patch readers to chime in and let me know what they love most about their house — or how they would describe the home of their dreams.

My most faithful readers are (of course) my parents — who follow all the local news and live vicariously in Danville with their Patch subscription.

From Port Townsend, Washington, comes today’s theme — my fun-loving dad says his dream home is a party house.

Writing from a house that must be my mom’s dream home, because it doesn’t match this description, he writes: “My choice for a great house would be one that would make for parties -- wet bar, ping-pong room, all giving onto a grand deck for barbecuing, overlooking the swimming pool and sport court.”

Growing up in Colorado, I thrived on ping-pong — generally found in the basement game rooms so abundant there. I can’t think of a single house I’ve toured in recent years with a ping-pong table (did ping-pong go out of style, or is just a basement kind of thing?) — but other than that ingredient, I think we can fill the bill.

Here are some homes that may inspire you to throw a party and maybe they'll inspire my parents to move this way:

Alamo

4100 Stone Valley Oaks Drive is offered by Serafino Bianchi of Pacific Union. This is a 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath home with nearly 4,400 square feet on a 1.07 acre lot. Backing to open space, this home has a pool and spa, sport court and large grassy back yard. The dramatic entry includes a beautiful staircase and the gourmet kitchen has a large center island and high-end stainless appliances. See the virtual tour: http://www.4100stonevalleyoaksdr.com/. Priced at $2,395,000. Open Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For showings or more information, please call Serafino at 925-858-0649.

Danville

2324 Saddleback Drive is offered by JouJou Chawla of J. Rockcliff. This is a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home with almost 4,000 square feet on over an acre in Blackhawk. Light and bright with walls of windows, this is a home that is wonderful for entertaining inside and out. Inside there is a gourmet kitchen and large family room with great views. The back yard has many levels with a sparkling pool, outdoor kitchen, sport court and large deck. See the virtual tour: http://www.vrguild.net/c/star.pl?U=1103161212274928. Priced at $1,389,000. For showings or more information, please call JouJou at 510-406-4836.

San Ramon

460 Bridle Court is offered by Nina Peles of Empire Realty. With a total of 5,064 square feet on a 1/3 acre lot, this home has a separate guest house of 527 square feet with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. The main house is 4,537 square feet with five bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, including a bedroom suite and bathroom on the first floor. Newer, this home was built in 2007 and features a large bonus room. The kitchen is large and open with a center island that has ample seating at the counter. Outside, the back yard is lushly landscaped and party-ready with a pool, outdoor fireplace, and covered patio. Priced at $1,475,000. See the virtual tour: http://www.460BridleCourt.com/. For showings or more information, please call Nina at 925-831-2488.

Dublin

7903 Dry Creek Drive is offered by Joe Frazzano and Alex Tse of J. Rockcliff. This is a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, nearly 3,500 square foot home in a nice cul-de-sac location in the West Dublin Hills. The back yard is large and private with pool. Soaring ceiling and walls of windows make the home light and bright. The gourmet kitchen has cherry cabinetry, slab granite countertops and upgraded flooring. The entryway features a stunning staircase with wrought iron and gorgeous Brazilian cherrywood flooring. Priced at $924,900. See the virtual tour: http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=789575. For showings or more information, please call Joe at 925-735-7653 or Alex at 925-735-7653.

Pleasanton

8012 Golden Eagle Way is offered by Peggy Cortez of J. Rockcliff. This is a stunning 5 bedroom, 8,585 square foot Mediterranean style home in Golden Eagle Estates. Situated on 1.3 acres with a setting that has it all: pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, vast lawns and large covered patio. For overnight guests, there is a fully contained guest/pool house. When you bring the party inside, you can enjoy a fully outfitted game room (currently sporting everything except ping-pong): arcade games, hockey table, pool. Enjoy the latest movies in the theater room with ample theater seating. There’s even a large exercise room. The home is lovely with a grand entry, gourmet kitchen, and high-end finishes throughout. See the virtual tour: http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=733379. Priced at $3,498,000. For showings or more information, please contact Peggy at 925-209-3451.