Living outside the box in Cabo

One of the many great things about Los Cabos is the people who live here. Some came in the mid-’80s and ’90s for the world-class surfing and fishing and fell in love with the almost perfect year-round weather and kicked-back lifestyle. Real Estate was reasonable, and it was easy to find large size lots. These are the people who help set the tone for what Los Cabos is today.

David and Elizabeth Rosefield are part of those pioneers. Elizabeth, who goes by Lizzy, tells stories of when there was only one stop sign in town, and Don Carlos Gonconseco had the only phone. He was such a nice guy. He would send a messenger to people’s homes to let them know they had an important phone call.

In 1983 they purchased a 1-acre lot with an ocean view. At first, they lived in a trailer with an outdoor shower heated by solar and an outhouse. One year later, they built a small structure with a palapa roof for their bedroom. It was important to them not to change the hill’s grade, so their plan was to design and build small structures throughout the lot. Starting at the bottom of the lot and working their way up the 17-foot incline.

David designed the layout for the structures and pool, and Lizzy designed the interior spaces. Their plan allowed them to build one living space at a time, and they didn’t need a retaining wall to support a large structure on a steep incline. This saved them thousands of dollars, and it created an amazing space plan with stairways and curving paths through lush gardens.

Wanting to take advantage of the warm year-round weather, they built the pool next. Then came the main house to be built towards the top of the lot. On vacation to Careyes, Mexico, they fell in love with the large open-air palapa. They decided to use that as the inspiration for their main living space.

They worked with contractor Jay Manning to create the largest property housing structure, a kitchen, dining area, master bedroom, and bathroom. Lizzy beams with pride as she points out the beautiful craftsmanship of the palapa’s roof and explains it made it through Odile unscathed. What they found most attractive about the design of the palapa is how the curves embrace the divine feminine. Their dream home, which is more like a compound, was completed after 12 years of hard labor and love.

A few years ago, David passed away, and Lizzy is still tending to her beautiful lush garden and is a very talented painter. Her florals painted in oil on canvas adorn the walls of her home. They are bright and cheery, much like Lizzy.

If David and Lizzy’s story has inspired you to think outside the box and design a home working with the grade of the land, Palmilla Sur Homesite 24 could be the perfect lot for you.