Lazy river adds wow factor to Lincoln home, but ‘cocktail’ pool is the social hub
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- A custom home in Verdera, Lincoln, lists for $2.5 million with resortlike backyard.
- Property features a lazy river, wading splash pool, waterfall and fire pit lounge.
- The 5,000-square-foot house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and upgraded kitchen.
Behind the gates of Verdera in Lincoln — 30 miles north of Sacramento — a custom Santa Barbara-style home has hit the market for $2.5 million with a feature that feels more Las Vegas resort than suburban foothills.
That showcase amenity — a lazy river-style pool made for long summer days and nights — sits at the foot of the home’s lush and terraced backyard.
But there’s another cool water feature worth mentioning. When Michael Maslano bought the house in 2023, he didn’t expect the in-ground wading pool that sits close to the house would become the backyard’s social hub: a spot where adults can linger with feet in the water, kids can play within view and dogs can splash around. Listing agent David Messer of Compass calls it the “cocktail pool.”
The shallow pool feeds a waterfall that cascades down to the deeper lazy river below. The lazy river circles a bridge-accessed leisure island and flows past a secluded hot tub. At the upper level of the backyard, there is a covered pavilion with full outdoor kitchen, built-in grill, fireplace and television. A fire pit lounge beckons from beyond the wading pool.
At 1682 Camino Verdera, the house itself — dubbed Hotel California — spans 5,000 square feet on a 0.74-acre lot, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. It’s positioned as a property that pairs craftsmanship with an almost resort-level backyard.
Impressive backyard
Maslana’s wife first spotted the Lincoln property online after her brother sent over another nearby listing. Clicking around the neighborhood, she landed on the Catta Verdera house — and its impressive backyard.
“We saw the lazy river and that was like ‘Oh my God,’” Maslana said. “We used to go to Vegas a lot, and liked to stay at the MGM, so we had many a time partying up the lazy river at the MGM.”
Things moved fast. Maslana called the agent on a Thursday, they toured Saturday, and bought the house that weekend, he said. The interior, already updated by the previous owners, exceeded their expectations, while the water features out back sealed the deal.
Over time, the space became the go‑to spot for holidays and gatherings, especially the shallow wading pool tucked near the kitchen and a convenient bathroom.
“It’s a really good gathering point,” Maslana said. “Because the primary pool is so cool and unique, you kind of don’t really pay that much attention to the wading pool, but everyone puts their feet in and has a drink on the side. Younger children … can kind of splash around there, and you can keep an eye on them. They can’t get into too much trouble. Or, if someone brings their dog, the dog can flap around.”
Maslano — founder, president and CEO of RFE, a Fremont-based maker of high-tech radio-frequency and microwave electronics for radar and wireless systems — said the property’s outdoor setup was the instant hook when he came to the Sacramento area from nearby Pleasanton to look for a new home.
Yard designed for privacy
Backing up to a greenbelt, the backyard is designed to feel private — less like a subdivision and more personal retreat. That sense of a getaway is part of how the listing agent sums up the experience.
“It’s like being on vacation all the time,” Messer said.
But there’s a lot more to the estate.
Inside, the pitch is “single-level living” without giving up space. The listing notes the expansive primary suite with a sitting area and fireplace, a guest bedroom, a dedicated office, two additional full baths and laundry all on the main floor, with the upstairs serving as a bonus zone — secondary living space, two bedrooms and a full Jack and Jill bathroom — ideal for kids, guests or extended family.
Maslano said that was intentional for the way they live and host.
“We wanted to have a house that kind of set up as where my wife and I can live on a single level, and then when we’ve hosted people, they have almost a separate in-law set-up upstairs,” Maslano said.
The indoor kitchen, meanwhile, is framed as the engine of entertaining. Well appointed, the culinary space highlights a massive island clad in a premium, heat-resistant, cream-colored Taj Mahal quartzite with subtle beige and gold veining; a 48-inch high-end Bertazzoni range; two Bosch dishwashers; dual pantries; and abundant storage.
The home has also been stylistically reworked. Maslano said one early goal was to pull away from an older aesthetic.
“So task one, if you will, or motivation one, was to kind of de-Tuscanize it,” he said. ““Now it’s much more (up to date), lighter colors, contemporary styling.”
Their second task was to personalize the house for how they actually live: converting two unused storage areas into a 650-bottle, temperature‑ and humidity-controlled wine room and a secondary pantry off the laundry — generally tailoring the layout and finishes to better suit their own needs and tastes.
$300,000 in improvements
The property listing says more than $300,000 has been put into improvements and upgrades over the past several years, positioning the home as “immaculate” and move-in ready.
Maslano said the decision to sell is about right-sizing and buying a home closer to their children in Utah.
The home also includes two fully finished two-car garages and solar, along with access to community trails and the Catta Verdera clubhouse and golf course.
