- 15 - such use was insufficient to constitute residential use as required by section 1034(a). We find that respondent's reliance on Grace is misplaced. In Grace we concluded that a taxpayer's storing business tools in the basement of his home was insignificant business use, so that no allocation was required for purposes of section 1034 and the regulation thereunder. However, it does not follow that petitioner's use of the upper, steeply hilled portion of his property was so insignificant as to establish that it was not used by him as his residence. Moreover, we do not believe that petitioner's use of this area was insignificant. Petitioner and his girlfriend, Patsy Lyons, have used the upper, steeply hilled portion of the Clayton property for horseback riding, hiking, walking, and simply to enjoy the unobstructed view of the countryside and Mount Diablo. During the springtime petitioner's personal horses graze up there. When petitioner originally built his principal residence on the Clayton property, he was considering building it in the upper wooded area. However, he chose not to do so, because he would not have been able to clear the area and build a house within the 2-year period of section 1034. Based on the entire record, we find that petitioner's use of the upper, steeply hilled area was significant, and sufficient to constitute residential use. Cf. Grace v. Commissioner, supra. Petitioner asserts that he used only 7-� acres of thePage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Next
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