Finish carpentry in Montecito, matched to the house.

Montecito has some of the most formal houses on the South Coast. The Italian Mediterranean villa of the old estates is symmetrical and generous, with a boxed classical cornice outside and rooms that open onto arcades. Inside, houses of that kind usually carry more woodwork than most: paneled rooms, tall doors, crown molding and cased openings, all of which have to line up from room to room.

Spanish Colonial Revival is the other tradition, and Casa del Herrero, from 1925, is the local example. These houses have smooth stucco walls and deeply recessed wood casement windows. Inside, the window opening usually returns to the glass in plaster with no wood casing, so the woodwork is concentrated in dark stained doors, beams and cabinetry. Stain hides far less than paint, so joints and grain have to be right.

Montecito also has modern houses. Richard Neutra designed an early one here in 1947 and 1948, in glass, concrete and thin roof slabs. In a house like that the finish carpentry is often nearly invisible: flat cabinet doors with even gaps, baseboard set flush with the wall, doors with no casing at all. Plain work is less forgiving, because there is no molding to cover a gap.

Montecito is unincorporated, so permits are the County’s. The Montecito Board of Architectural Review is the County board for exterior design, siting and materials. It asks for no particular style. Southern Montecito is also in the Coastal Zone. Whether new windows, exterior doors or exterior trim need review depends on the parcel and the scope. Interior finish carpentry generally needs no design review, and we tell you which applies before anything is ordered.

Building in Montecito: who reviews a house, and in what order