Evening arrives slowly up here. The ocean turns silver, the coastline darkens to an outline, and the harbor lights come on below, one section at a time. From the living room, behind floor-to-ceiling glass, you take in all of it. It is the kind of view people work toward for years.

Set at the end of a cul-de-sac on the south side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, this home sits back from the street and angles toward the water, so the main rooms share the outlook: open ocean, the harbor and Vincent Thomas Bridge, city lights toward Long Beach, and mountains on clear days. Step in at the entry landing and the living room opens below, with a wood-beamed ceiling and a stone fireplace that climbs to meet it. Alongside are the formal dining room, a kitchen with granite counters, double ovens, bar seating and casual dining, and a family room with a second fireplace, built-in bookshelves and a wet bar, steps from the pool. Bedrooms sit at entry level in two wings: the primary suite on the side with the ocean views, with a beamed ceiling and the harbor framed from bed, and two more bedrooms on the other side of the house. In all, 3 bedrooms and 4 baths in 2,851 square feet on about a third of an acre, with a pool, spa, fire pit, deck and two-car garage.

Built in 1974 and well cared for, the home is comfortable as it stands, with room for your own ideas over time. The lot, the orientation and the panorama are already in place, and a spot on this hill is hard to come by. Schedule a private showing near dusk, and stay until the lights come on.