Los Angeles Real Estate news

Maurice Bernard in the Hollywood Hills, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Having a steady gig in Hollywood seems to leave to leave certain soap opera actors plenty of time for home renovation. Earlier this year we took a look at the home of Peter Reckell and now we're checking out the Los Angeles home of another long-term soap opera stud, General Hospital's Maurice Benard. Benard has had a solid gig since 1993 playing mob boss Sonny Corinthos but in real life he and his wife Paula are avid home remodelers. The LA Times Hot Property column reports that the home the pair has currently listed is one they bought in 2007 to live in while remodeling their larger primary residence. According to records on PropertyShark.com they paid $1.25 million.

The LA Times article says that the couple decided to make a few alterations to the Hollywood Hills home and nearly ended up rebuilding the whole thing. The four-bedroom Mediterranean was built in 1956 but has been given a very modern redo that includes a great room with pitched ceilings, a stacked stone fireplace and slate floors leading to an open kitchen. The four-bedroom home includes a lower level master suite with large his/her walk-in closets, sitting areas and French doors that open to the private yard and views. The Benards like to entertain and also built a covered patio entertainment area with an outdoor kitchen and a flatscreen television but there is no pool. The home is listed at $1.55 million.

Gallery: Maurice Bernard in the Hollywood Hills

Tags: california real estate, celebrity real estate losers, estate of the day, general hospital, indiana, Los Angeles Real Estate news, maurice benard, Sonny Corinthos

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Serra Barn Retreat, Estate of the Day

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Malibu's Serra Retreat neighborhood doesn't enjoy the same high-profile as the Malibu Colony, and that's just the way the approximate 96 homeowners there like it. Both neighborhoods are gated and both count A-list celebrities among their residents. But that's about where the similarities end.

While the Colony homes are oceanfront or ocean view, they tend to be smaller, closer together, and despite what the guards at the gate would have you believe, many of the residents seek out the publicity they purport to shun. The Colony is about seeing and being seen. It's where big summer parties are held and the cache of owning or renting a home there has huge name-dropping appeal.

Give me the wooded canyons of Serra Retreat any day, where lot sizes are frequently measured in acres, the homes more original in style and residents are more serious about keeping a low-profile, at least at home. It's where Kelsey Grammer and Mel Gibson have their family compounds, as well as some of Hollywood's top producers, directors and agents.

New to the market is this Hamptons-style barn, listed at $14,795,000.The home is tucked away on 2.6 acres of rolling lawns with views of the foothills. Private, serene and dramatic: It epitomizes Serra Retreat. It was created by architect Michael Kovac with the interior designs by Vanessa Alexander. It blends modern details and has an expansive lofty feel. There is an impressively seamless indoor-outdoor flow with the use of rosewood slate flooring both indoor and out, and full-wall sliders and walls of glass.

The six-bedroom home has a full outdoor kitchen including a pizza oven, and several outdoor dining and living areas with fire pits. There is a gym and oversized pool with a pool cabana, and a three-car garage. The master suite has a sitting area and soaking tub.

Entry to the neighborhood is controlled by two guarded gates.

Matt Rapf of Pritchett-Rapf, Malibu, is the listing agent.

Gallery: Serra Barn