MW 5 years and millions of dollars later, Rob Lowe's custom-built Montecito mansion is complete
By Charlie Lankston
The brand-new estate sits on 6.7 acres
Rob Lowe has finally finished his custom home, which was built from the ground up.
Christmas has come early for Rob Lowe, whose custom Montecito megamansion appears to finally be complete after a five-year build.
Lowe, 61, and his wife, Sheryl Berkoff, broke ground on their mammoth project soon after snapping up a $13 million property back in 2020 in the same neighborhood as Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The duo promptly razed the existing home, which was built in 1925, to the ground to make way for a brand new estate that occupies a hefty portion of their 6.7-acre parcel.
Since then, the couple-who recently offloaded their Beverly Hills abode for $4 million after it spent more than a year on the market-have watched and waited as their dream dwelling was brought to life in a lengthy and undoubtedly arduous process.
Now, new images capture the enormous abode in all its completed glory, revealing the many impressive amenities that have been installed in and around the primary residence, from picture-perfect landscaping and water features to an enormous outdoor pool and tennis court.
Sheryl Berkoff and Rob Lowe attend the Breakthrough Prize ceremony in Santa Monica, Calif., April 5, 2025.
Lowe and Berkoff's new home appears to be far larger than the five-bedroom main residence that once sat on the parcel, which was also home to two cottages, one with two bedrooms and another with one bedroom.
Planning permits viewed by Realtor.com reveal that the couple were given permission to build a separate guesthouse on the property; however, the documents state that the structure could not be outfitted with a kitchen, nor can it be used as a rental property.
Additionally, the duo received the go-ahead to construct a large detached pool cabana that can be seen in the photos of the completed property, which also boasts a beautiful outdoor seating area with a large fire pit at the center and steps that lead up to the pool via a glittering fountain.
The gardens, which looked like little more than a dirt patch at the start of the construction process, are now filled with lush vegetation and perfectly manicured lawns that naturally slope down from the primary residence.
As for the main residence, it offers at least three levels of living space, with a large covered patio complete with an outdoor dining space, as well as an enormous wraparound terrace on the second floor.
In true California style, the home has an indoor/outdoor design with enormous windows that take full advantage of the beautiful grounds surrounding the main residence.
The modern mansion is a far cry from the historic dwelling that previously occupied the parcel-and was described as a "gorgeous relic" in one report about its listing.
"[The home] represents one of Montecito's finest legacy estates offering three homes in a pastoral setting," the original listing description stated, adding that the property was seeking a buyer who could "artfully balance" the dwelling with "the contemporary expression of fine Montecito living."
Lowe and Berkoff scored quite the discount on their purchase of the property, which was known as Stonehedge and had originally been listed for $14.5 million-$1.5 million more than they paid.
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According to Siteline Santa Barbara, the home was given its name as a result of its status as the first home in the area to have been guarded by stone walls.
Lowe and Berkoff will be in very familiar with their new neighborhood, which is just a few minutes' drive from the community where they sold their last Montecito mansion for $44.5 million in 2020.
Much like their new Santa Barbara estate, that dwelling was also custom-built for Lowe and Berkoff on a beautiful 3.4-acre parcel.
Two years after Lowe and Berkoff sold it, the home was snapped up by Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo for $52 million-and was then sold by the couple for the sky-high price of $60 million earlier this year.
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Interestingly, Levine and Prinsloo followed in Lowe's real estate footsteps yet again when they purchased a new Montecito dwelling just a few minutes from the actor's custom-build dwelling, snapping up a home that was once part of Oprah's iconic "Promised Land" estate.
Lowe has not lived in Montecito since 2020, when she and Berkoff offloaded their former mansion, at which point they are understood to have relocated to their Beverly Hills property while they waited for work to be completed on their opulent new home.
Perhaps in anticipation of that work being completed, Lowe and Berkoff listed their Beverly Hills mansion for sale in July 2024 with an asking price of $6.6 million, before eventually selling it in November for the much lower price of $4 million.
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Lowe has previously talked about his essentials as far as properties are concerned, telling "Property Brothers" stars Jonathan and Drew Scott that he can't stand homes that don't offer natural light.
During an appearance on the real estate experts' series, "Celebrity IOU," Lowe revealed his must-haves for a property renovation while helping to overhaul the home of his longtime assistant, Carol.
"My thing about houses is that I'm all about the light," he said. "Natural light is the best. I can't do a dark house. The no-no of no-nos is bad floor plan and flow, and not enough natural light."
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He added that merging the indoor and outdoor spaces is another essential, particularly in Southern California, explaining: "It's Southern California. If you're not living half of your life outside of your house, then your house isn't set up for California."
This story originally ran on Realtor.com.
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December 19, 2025 05:05 ET (10:05 GMT)
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