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April 12, 2008 - 1:06PM
22,000-square-foot mansion coming to Chandler
Comments | RecommendSam Baldwin, For the Tribune
In one of Chandler’s most expensive neighborhoods, keeping up with the neighbors just got a little bit harder.
Ocotillo Construction has started work on a 22,000-square-foot mansion with a bowling alley, indoor basketball court and an elevator on Oakwood Hills Drive in Chandler.
Oakwood Hills is home to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart and the former home of country singer Waylon Jennings. But when this house is finished, it will be the biggest in the neighborhood by several thousand square feet.
“If there’s a bigger house in Chandler, no one knows about it," said Ed Hibbert, owner of Ocotillo Construction. "It’s hidden away somewhere. In 25 or 30 years of building, I’ve never built a house this big.”
Construction on the house will be finished in October 2009, and Hibbert said the cost of the project will be about $5 million -- on top of $2 million for the land.
The house is being built for a 38-year-old man named James from California. James requested not to have his last name released.
“I like to keep a low profile,” he said.
James said he is single and splits his time between Phoenix and Los Angeles. He said the house will be a place for him to entertain guests.
As far as bachelor pads go, James’ house should be able to handle parties just fine. It has more than 10,000 square feet of entertainment space that includes a basketball court, billiard room, bar and lounge space and showroom garages.
And the yard isn’t too shabby either.
“I’m going to bring down pool builders from the Las Vegas casinos,” James said. “It’s going to have a real resort feel -- a lot of fire coming out of waterfalls.”
The yard will feature about one-half acre of pool space with an 80 foot water slide, eight waterfalls, and a 400- to 500-square-foot grotto.
James said he chose Chandler because Oakwood Hills is the “nicest neighborhood he’s ever been through."
“I’ve been to all the Malibus and Beverly Hills and everywhere, but Oakwood Hills is a real hidden gem,” James said.
Oakwood Hills is a gated community near Chandler that boasts some of the priciest homes in the Valley. The lots circle an artificial pond, complete with an island and a flock of Canadian geese.
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